Researchgate is a commercial social networking site for researchers. Members can choose to upload their own research there, where it can be accessed for use by, and feedback from other researchers.
However, there are concerns about Researchgate as a reliable source of articles for assignments due to long-standing concerns about copyright infringement – some publishers do allow authors to post their articles on personal websites, but not necessarily on Researchgate.
There are also concerns about the lack of quality control and the potential for attracting predatory users.
Researchgate can appear at the top of Google searches and can appear in Google Scholar searches. However, for information certainty, academic integrity, legal and copyright correctness, the actual publishers of an article should always be used.
For more information searching, selecting and referencing resources for assignments, check out Your Library on Canvas.