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Business Profile

Educational Research

Academia.edu

This business is NOT BBB Accredited.

Find BBB Accredited Businesses in Educational Research.

Complaints

Customer Complaints Summary

  • 142 total complaints in the last 3 years.
  • 125 complaints closed in the last 12 months.

If you've experienced an issue

Submit a Complaint

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

Sort by

Complaint status

Complaint type

  • Initial Complaint

    Date:06/03/2025

    Type:Product Issues
    Status:
    Answered
    Resolved:
    The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
    Unresolved:
    The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
    Answered:
    The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
    Unanswered:
    The business failed to respond to the dispute.
    Unpursuable:
    BBB is unable to locate the business.
    The subscription was done by mistake and I was charged $99.00 on the 29/05/2025. I have sent email on the 39/05 2025 to request for a refund but there was no response.

    Business Response

    Date: 06/13/2025


    Thanks for getting in touch. Our records currently indicate this payment was refunded!

    In some cases, if you refund very close to your purchase date, your original payment will have never been processed and been removed from your card.

    If you still see the original charge and no refund, please contact your bank or payment processor.

  • Initial Complaint

    Date:06/02/2025

    Type:Product Issues
    Status:
    Resolved
    Resolved:
    The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
    Unresolved:
    The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
    Answered:
    The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
    Unanswered:
    The business failed to respond to the dispute.
    Unpursuable:
    BBB is unable to locate the business.
    On May 28, I received a charge for 169 GBP ($228) for an Academia.edu "Premium" subscription. I immediately emailed them to ask them to cancel the auto-renew, as I was not expecting this price increase. In fact, the price had gone up by more than 130 GBP ($175) since I first subscribed in 2019. I did not expect such a substantial increase in price for what was a very basic online service (basically, a social media page for academics.) However, ******** refused to cancel the auto-renew and charged me the full amount. I believe Academia.edu's business model is to purposely try to hide these price increases and hope that consumers (like me) do not notice. I would appreciate a cancellation of my subscription and a refund of this year's fee.

    Business Response

    Date: 06/13/2025


    Thanks for getting in touch. Our records currently indicate this payment was refunded!

    In some cases, if you refund very close to your purchase date, your original payment will have never been processed and been removed from your card.

    If you still see the original charge and no refund, please contact your bank or payment processor.

    Customer Answer

    Date: 06/14/2025

    Better Business Bureau:

    I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

    Sincerely,

    *** ******

  • Initial Complaint

    Date:05/24/2025

    Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
    Status:
    Answered
    Resolved:
    The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
    Unresolved:
    The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
    Answered:
    The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
    Unanswered:
    The business failed to respond to the dispute.
    Unpursuable:
    BBB is unable to locate the business.
    I had signed up for a month trial and wasnt warned of any upcoming automatic payments coming up. They charged $185.90 to my ****** account on 24/5/2025 and when I disputed with Academia.edu, I was declined a refund. I checked my account once ********************** charged me and noticed that all the notification options were on apart from renewal notifications. I didnt choose any of these options and it shows how deceiving Academia.edu is. I also cancelled my automatic subscription on the website, however when I heard back from Academia.edu, they said my subscription is still set up for auto renewal and that they couldnt cancel and I had to, even though I had.

    Business Response

    Date: 05/27/2025

     
    Thank you for continued followed-up on this issue. After discussing this with our team, we've decided to grant you a one-time exception to our refund policy. However, moving forward we will not be able to offer refunds on renewal payments after your 30-day low cost trial and we will not be able to process any additional refunds for you on this subscription or any additional subscriptions.

    Depending on your bank, you will see the refund show up anywhere between 5-10 business days from now.

    With your free account, you'll retain access to all our Academia free features, such as uploading and downloading single papers, messaging, basic analytics, title search, and your profile.

    Please let us know if we can help you out with anything else, and thanks for being a part of the Academia community!

    Thanks!
    ****** (she/her)
    Academia Customer Support

  • Initial Complaint

    Date:05/22/2025

    Type:Product Issues
    Status:
    Resolved
    Resolved:
    The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
    Unresolved:
    The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
    Answered:
    The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
    Unanswered:
    The business failed to respond to the dispute.
    Unpursuable:
    BBB is unable to locate the business.
    I was charged an ***** fee for Academia.edu, after I turned auto renewal off a couple of weeks ago and removed all payments from my page. I received an email stating they were not going to refund me, after I explained that they charged me erroneously.

    Business Response

    Date: 05/22/2025


     
    Thank you for continued followed-up on this issue. After
    discussing this with our team, we've decided to grant you a one-time
    exception to our refund policy. However, moving forward we will not be
    able to offer refunds on renewal payments after your 30-day low cost
    trial and we will not be able to process any additional refunds for you
    on this subscription or any additional subscriptions.

    Depending on your bank, you will see the refund show up anywhere between 5-10 business days from now.

    With
    your free account, you'll retain access to all our Academia free
    features, such as uploading and downloading single papers, messaging,
    basic analytics, title search, and your profile.

    Please let us know if we can help you out with anything else, and thanks for being a part of the *******************

    Customer Answer

    Date: 05/22/2025

    Better Business Bureau:

    I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

    Sincerely,

    ******* *****

  • Initial Complaint

    Date:05/20/2025

    Type:Product Issues
    Status:
    Answered
    Resolved:
    The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
    Unresolved:
    The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
    Answered:
    The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
    Unanswered:
    The business failed to respond to the dispute.
    Unpursuable:
    BBB is unable to locate the business.
    I was charged ********** MNT (~$104 USD) on May 18, 2025 for an annual Academia Premium subscription that I did not intend to keep. I believed I had canceled it, but their interface is very confusing and appears to require more than one step to ********* a student living on a very tight budget, and this unexpected charge has caused serious stress. My bank cannot reverse the charge, and Academia refuses a refund, despite me contacting them immediately.I am respectfully asking for a full or partial refund due to the misleading cancellation flow and financial hardship.Account: *************************************

    Business Response

    Date: 06/03/2025


    Thanks for getting in touch. Our records currently indicate this payment was refunded!

    In some cases, if you refund very close to your purchase date, your original payment will have never been processed and been removed from your card.

    If you still see the original charge and no refund, please contact your bank or payment processor.

  • Initial Complaint

    Date:05/20/2025

    Type:Product Issues
    Status:
    Resolved
    Resolved:
    The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
    Unresolved:
    The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
    Answered:
    The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
    Unanswered:
    The business failed to respond to the dispute.
    Unpursuable:
    BBB is unable to locate the business.
    I was charged for an annual Academia Premium subscription on May 18, 2025, despite believing I had canceled it. Academia.edu has refused my refund request, and their cancellation process is confusing and unclear. As a student, this unexpected charge caused financial hardship.Details:I signed up for Academia.edu Premium and later attempted to cancel the subscription during the trial period. However, I recently discovered that I was still charged an amount of ********** MNT (~$104 USD) on May 18, 2025, despite believing I had successfully canceled. I received no email notification before the renewal and was unaware that two separate steps were required to cancel properly.I contacted Academia.edu support immediately after noticing the charge. They acknowledged the payment and confirmed that auto-renewal was turned off but refused to issue a refund, citing their policy. I explained that the cancellation interface was unclear, and I thought I had completed it. Even when I tried to cancel the renewal after I was informed of the active subscription, cancellation was tricky. I made several attempts as it needed an extra confusing step. I would check if it is cancelled and see that it is not and try again. This happened at least five times before I finally figured it out. As a student, this is a significant amount of money for me, and I never intended to continue the subscription.Resolution Sought:I am requesting a full refund of the subscription amount as a goodwill exception due to the unclear cancellation process and the unintended nature of the charge. I would also like Academia.edu to improve their cancellation interface to prevent future misunderstandings for others.

    Business Response

    Date: 05/21/2025


    Thank you for continued followed-up on this issue. After discussing
    this with our team, we've decided to grant you a one-time exception to
    our refund policy. However, moving forward we will not be able to offer
    refunds on renewal payments after your 30-day low cost trial and we will
    not be able to process any additional refunds for you on this
    subscription or any additional subscriptions.

    Depending on your bank, you will see the refund show up anywhere between 5-10 business days from now.

    With
    your free account, you'll retain access to all our Academia free
    features, such as uploading and downloading single papers, messaging,
    basic analytics, title search, and your profile.

    Please let us know if we can help you out with anything else, and thanks for being a part of the *******************

    Customer Answer

    Date: 05/22/2025

    Better Business Bureau:

    I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

    Sincerely,

    Dulguunjargal Tsogtgerel

  • Initial Complaint

    Date:05/19/2025

    Type:Product Issues
    Status:
    Resolved
    Resolved:
    The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
    Unresolved:
    The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
    Answered:
    The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
    Unanswered:
    The business failed to respond to the dispute.
    Unpursuable:
    BBB is unable to locate the business.
    The last year i paid under $100. And now being charged $159. Youre refusing, citing a no-refund policy on renewals - even though 1) No Advance Notice before auto-renewal - Academia.edu did not send any renewal notification before charging me. Not only this is against standard industry practice, but it's against California law, specifically the Automatic Renewal Law (ARL), which mandates that subscription services must clearly notify customers before their subscription automatically renews, providing details about the renewal terms, cost, and how to cancel the service. This notification must be given in a "clear and conspicious" manner before the renewal date. Academia.edu failed to comply preventing me from canceling in time. I did not receive this. 2) Unfair Subscription Practices - Signing up for Academia Preminum is instant and effortless, but cancelling requires multiple steps, lacks confirmation emails, and no immediate assurance of success. This imbalance between sign-up and cancellation is commonly recognized as a deceptive subscription practice. 3) Denial of Refund despite of reasonable request - Upon noticing the charge (within 3 working days), i immediately contacted with Academia.edu and requested a refund. Youre refusing, despite the lack of renewal notice and the unclear cancellation process, both of which preventing me from canceling in a timely manner. I request a full refund of $159 charge, as i was not given a lawful opportunity to cancel before renewal and was faced with an unclear cancellation process.

    Business Response

    Date: 05/20/2025


    Thanks for getting in touch. Our records currently indicate this payment was refunded!

    In some cases, if you refund very close to your purchase date, your original payment will have never been processed and been removed from your card.

    If you still see the original charge and no refund, please contact your bank or payment processor.

    Customer Answer

    Date: 05/20/2025

    Better Business Bureau:

    I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

    Sincerely,

    **** ******

  • Initial Complaint

    Date:05/19/2025

    Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
    Status:
    Answered
    Resolved:
    The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
    Unresolved:
    The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
    Answered:
    The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
    Unanswered:
    The business failed to respond to the dispute.
    Unpursuable:
    BBB is unable to locate the business.
    We had a subscription with ************** The subscription was auto-renewed without prior notice which did not give us the option to cancel. After reading about all the other similar complaints, this seems to be a standard pattern.

    Business Response

    Date: 05/19/2025

     
    Thanks for following up with this concern. After discussing this
    with our team, we've decided to grant you a one-time exception to our
    renewal refunds policy. However, moving forward we will not be able to
    offer refunds on renewal payments after your 30-day low cost trial and
    first year payment.

    Depending on your bank, you will see the refund show up anywhere between 5-10 business days from now. Thanks for trying it out.

    With
    your free account, you'll retain access to all our Academia free
    features, such as uploading and downloading single papers, messaging,
    basic analytics, title search, and your profile.

    Please let us know if we can help you out with anything else, and thanks for being a part of the *******************

  • Initial Complaint

    Date:05/19/2025

    Type:Billing Issues
    Status:
    Answered
    Resolved:
    The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
    Unresolved:
    The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
    Answered:
    The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
    Unanswered:
    The business failed to respond to the dispute.
    Unpursuable:
    BBB is unable to locate the business.
    Complaint Title: Unnotified Price Increase for Academia Premium Subscription Refund Requested Complaint Description:On May 17, 2025, I was charged PLN 598 via ****** for the renewal of my Academia.edu Premium subscription.This amount is twice as high as the fee I paid the previous year (PLN 299 in 2024). I was not informed in any wayneither by email nor through the platformabout this substantial increase in subscription cost.Had I been properly notified, I would have cancelled the subscription prior to renewal. The lack of communication regarding such a significant price change is, in my view, unethical and misleading. Additionally, the charge was processed automatically without any explicit confirmation or option to opt out.I respectfully request a full refund of PLN 598 and the cancellation of my Premium subscription, effective immediately.I am submitting this complaint in the hope that appropriate action will be taken and that other users will not be subject to similarly opaque billing practices in the future.Resolution Sought: Full refund of PLN 598

    Business Response

    Date: 05/19/2025

    Thanks for getting in touch over the phone! We see that your payment is
    associated with an Academia Premium renewal payment. Generally speaking,
    we are not able to process refunds for renewal payments - our 30 day
    refund policy is only for trial payments and first year subscription
    payments.

    However, after discussing this with our team, we've
    decided to grant you a one-time exception to our policy and process a
    refund for this payment. Depending on your bank, you will see the refund
    show up anywhere between 5-10 business days from now. Thanks for trying
    it out.

    With your free account, you'll retain access to all our
    Academia free features, such as uploading and downloading single papers,
    messaging, basic analytics, title search, and your profile.

    Please let us know if we can help you out with anything else, and thanks for being a part of the Academia community!
     

  • Initial Complaint

    Date:05/18/2025

    Type:Product Issues
    Status:
    Resolved
    Resolved:
    The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
    Unresolved:
    The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
    Answered:
    The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
    Unanswered:
    The business failed to respond to the dispute.
    Unpursuable:
    BBB is unable to locate the business.
    I want to submit a complaint against Academia.edu concerning the unauthorized withdrawal of $159 from my bank account on May 18, 2025. This amount was debited without my knowledge, consent, or any form of authorization. I have not signed up for a Premium Account. I need the money returned now.

    Business Response

    Date: 05/19/2025

    Thanks for following up with this concern. After discussing this with our team, we've decided to grant you a one-time exception to our renewal refunds policy. However, moving forward we will not be able to offer refunds on renewal payments after your 30-day low cost trial and first year payment.

    Depending on your bank, you will see the refund show up anywhere between 5-10 business days from now. Thanks for trying it out.

    With your free account, you'll retain access to all our Academia free features, such as uploading and downloading single papers, messaging, basic analytics, title search, and your profile.

    Please let us know if we can help you out with anything else, and thanks for being a part of the Academia community!


    Customer Answer

    Date: 05/20/2025

    Better Business Bureau:

    I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. I am awaiting the refund, which was promised. 

    I no longer want however to be receiving any "trial" memberships, and will be taking that up with academia.edu

    Sincerely,

    ****** *****

Academia.edu is NOT a BBB Accredited Business.

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