Wiley is a global leader in scholarly publishing.  Wiley began working with ResearchGate in 2021 to support authors and readers by making their journals and content available through the platform. Earlier this year, Wiley expanded its syndication partnership with ResearchGate to include 649 journals, with 519 of these journals benefiting from an enhanced presence on ResearchGate through Journal Home. Here Sarah Garfunkel, Director of Digital Marketing, explains how the partnership is benefitting Wiley’s authors and readers.

Wiley’s partnership with ResearchGate supports our goals of delivering the highest visibility and discoverability for our authors’ work. Based on the data we have collected, including from surveys with our authors and from Wiley Online Library traffic, it is clear that ResearchGate is a place where researchers and authors are discovering and reading content. Making our authors’ work available directly on ResearchGate makes content accessible to researchers where they already are, in a seamless way.  

While boosting the visibility and accessibility of authors’ research, our partnership with ResearchGate has also removed some of the friction authors had previously experienced in sharing their work. Nearly every publisher recommends that an author share their article with their community, but the onus has typically been on the individual to do this, for example by posting it to social media or scholarly communication networks. Our partnership with ResearchGate removes this burden, as Wiley deposits their articles automatically. There is no longer a need to worry about copyright compliance or responding to full-text access requests – ResearchGate makes sure the article is shared with their network, managing entitled access where required.

Through this partnership, authors’ works are automatically linked with their ResearchGate profile, allowing them to see article-level engagement and who is interacting with their research. 

We asked authors and readers about our partnership with ResearchGate, and both groups were overwhelmingly positive. 98% of authors surveyed were happy with their research being on ResearchGate. As one author commented:

“This is instrumental in sharing the published results with relevant readership.”

‍Also from this shared survey, 91% of authors surveyed said they were more likely to submit to a journal if their article was automatically added to their RG profile and 70% said they believed the availability of their article on ResearchGate would increase the impact of their research in their field.

The vast majority of readers surveyed were also happy, with 87% agreeing that the pilot improved their experience on the ResearchGate platform. Comments indicate that it is quicker and easier to find full-text articles, reducing the need to visit multiple sites to find what they need for their research. As one reader put it:

“Anything that makes it easier to access a paper helps my research.”

Through the extended partnership, the majority of Wiley’s syndicated journals are now benefiting from ResearchGate's new Journal Home offering – including dedicated journal profiles on ResearchGate – making it easier for ResearchGate users to discover journals, access relevant content, find out more about journals, and quickly and easily understand how they are connected to the authors and editors of a journal through their own networks. 

ResearchGate is therefore not just driving visibility, but also growing the author and reader ecosystem for Wiley journals within the ResearchGate network. Moving forward, there will be further benefits for potential authors, as part of their authoring lifecycle, based on how they are reading and engaging with a journal. 

Look out for two forthcoming blogs that will delve deeper into the Wiley partnership with ResearchGate, exploring how Wiley has reached new audiences for its journals, and how it is helping deliver more personalised experiences for its authors and readers. To find out more about Journal Home visit https://www.researchgate.net/journal-home.