Springer Nature and ResearchGate today extend their content sharing pilot. The second iteration of the pilot will now see four times more SpringerNature content being rolled out across the ResearchGate platform, including content from specialized Springer journals. This enhanced accessibility means more Springer Nature authors will benefit from this partnership along with more Springer Nature-published content on the ResearchGate platform for ResearchGate users to access, download and share.

In addition, solutions will be assessed and tested to improve access to research literature for researchers off campus and on different devices. ResearchGate users without a SpringerNature institutional subscription will have access to articles in a non-downloadable format. This will be assessed via internal research and community feedback to see whether it is a sustainable model for the future.

The continuation of the pilot is the result of positive feedback from users during the first phase, which launched on March 7th, 2019 and provided full-text articles from 23 Nature-branded journals to ResearchGate so they could be made automatically available on authors’ profiles for all ResearchGate users to access, read and share on or off campus.

Examples of the positive feedback received during phase one of the pilot are below, based on a survey of over 700 ResearchGate users:

· 97 percent reported a positive or very positive first reaction to the pilot.

· 90 percent reported a positive or very positive reaction to Springer Nature and ResearchGate working together.

· 96 percent reported being comfortable or very comfortable with their Nature full-texts being automatically added to their articles on ResearchGate.

The second phase is also focused on demonstrating the valuable role librarians play as providers of access to scientific research and literature. Working with librarians, ResearchGate and Springer Nature will assess how a more comprehensive picture of the use of research literature by their patrons can be provided by working towards aligning the cooperation with established industry standards. When a researcher is provided access because of the investment made by their library/institution, this will also be actively promoted to researchers on the ResearchGate platform.

Commenting Steven Inchcoombe, Chief Publishing Officer at Springer Nature, said:

“Springer Nature is constantly adapting and finding new ways to help researchers advance discovery and support the vital role that librarians play within the scholarly communication chain. Our partnership with ResearchGate is one way in which we are doing that, and we are delighted to have seen such a positive response. This extended pilot will enable us to build on our previous offerings, providing an enriched experience for the scientific community that we serve through enhanced accessibility and reporting.”

Ijad Madisch, CEO of ResearchGate, said:

“This partnership between ResearchGate and Springer Nature is a pivotal move for the scientific community around the world. ResearchGate’s mission is to connect the world of science and make research open to all. Building on the success of the first phase of the pilot, we are happy to take another step towards that mission by expanding access to valuable Springer Nature content on ResearchGate. Judging from the significantly positive user feedback during phase one of this pilot, the scientific community is very supportive of this.”