Social Influences on U.S. Postdoctoral Researchers’ Participation in ResearchGate

Abstract

Academic social networking services (ASNS) will need to rely on the continued participation of their members in order to transition from venture-backed to self-sustaining businesses. Postdoctoral researchers, or PDRs, are likely to have a particular interest in membership participation as a means of distinguishing themselves professionally. The following paper is quantitative research into PDRs’ intent to participate in an ASNS from the perspectives of Social Influence Theory and Social Cognitive Theory. A survey of postdoctoral researcher users will identify the relationship between social influences and participation in an ASNS