A number of RMIT staff who previously had ‘public’ Google Scholar profiles have had their profiles automatically set to ‘private’. This appears to only affect Google Scholar accounts created with an RMIT email. ITS have implemented, on Google's advice, a temporary workaround that may allow those staff to make these profiles public again. This is, however, only a temporary workaround, as RMIT Google accounts will no longer be accessible from March 2024. 

The advice from ITS suggests the best course of action for people who have created Google Scholar profiles with their RMIT email address is to set up a new Google Scholar profile using a personal email address. Follow the steps outlined below: Create a Google Scholar profile.

For more information, please see the RMIT Library website.

Google Scholar profiles allows you to create a profile from existing Google Scholar data. A Google Scholar profile is a personal webpage that displays information about your scholarly work, including articles that have been published, article citations and calculates the h-index and i10-index.

A Google Scholar profile allows you to showcase your work and increase visibility to others in your field. This can lead to increased citations, collaboration opportunities, and recognition.

Google Scholar advises that if you see your work on another researcher's profile it is best to contact that researcher directly.

Create a Google Scholar profile

1. Sign in or create a Google Scholar profile account using your personal/private Gmail account. This will be the email account used to log into the new Google Scholar profile. This personal email will not be publicly available and will also ensure continued access if you change institutions.
   Note: Ensure that the web browser is are not logged into your RMIT Google account. Consider using a different browser or incognito/private mode to create a new Scholar profile.
    
2. Complete the registration form: enter your name, affiliations, research interests, etc.
   Important: include your RMIT email address in the 'Email for verification' box. You will be sent an email from Google Scholar Citations to your RMIT email address to verify you as an RMIT researcher and ensure your profile appears in Google Scholar search results. This verification process will provide formal recognition of RMIT and appear on your public profile.
    
3. On the next page titled 'Articles', you will be asked to verify articles that may have been written by you by name. You can also search for articles in Google Scholar by selecting the 'Articles' tab.
    
4. You will then have the option for Article updates. Select either 'Apply updates automatically' or 'Email me updates for review'.
    
5. Make sure your profile is set to public so that it will appear in Google Scholar results when people search for your name.
    
6. Find out more about Google Scholar profiles with Exploring citations to your articles and Setting up your profile.

To import Google Scholar profile publications into ORCID:

1. Go to your Google Scholar profile page
2. Select works to be exported and select 'Export'
3. Select 'BibTeX' and save the file
4. Login to ORCID and go to your record
5. Select 'Add works' and select 'Import BibTeX' and select the file you saved from Google Scholar.

By regularly maintaining and updating your Google Scholar profile, you can ensure that it accurately reflects your scholarly work and helps you connect with others in your field.

Comprehensive profile - Update your profile by adding a profile picture, biography, and contact information to make it more personal and informative. Promote your profile by including a link to it in your email signature, on your personal website, and on your social media profiles.

Adding and removing publications - Regularly update your profile to reflect your most recent publications and citations. To add a missing article to your profile, select 'Add articles' from the menu and search for it. If the article is not available in Google Scholar, you can also 'Add article manually'.

You can also delete articles not authored by you by selecting the articles you would like to remove and then choosing the 'Delete' button. If the article checkboxes don't appear, sign into the Google account that you used to create your profile.

Automatic updates - Choose between automatically updating articles and stopping automated updates by selecting 'Menu', then 'Configure updates' to select your option.

Monitor your metrics - Regularly check your profile metrics, such as the number of citations, h-index, and i10-index, to track the impact of your work and compare your performance to others in your field.