Google Scholar has a setting called “Updates” that controls whether new publications are added to your profile automatically or only after your approval. According to Google Scholar’s own documentation, “You can choose to have your list of articles updated automatically or review the updates yourself” .
To stop Google Scholar from automatically adding articles to your profile (which can sometimes include incorrect or mismatched publications, especially with common names), change the update setting to manual review mode. This way, Google Scholar will email you potential additions for approval instead of applying them directly.
Steps to disable automatic updates:
- Go to Google Scholar and make sure you’re signed in with the Google account linked to your profile.
- Click My Profile (top left or in the menu) to view your citations/profile page.
- On your profile, look for the + icon (plus sign) next to “TITLE” or in the top menu/bar area (it may appear near options like “Add articles”).
- Click the + icon or the menu (sometimes shown as “More” or a dropdown), then select Configure article updates (it may also appear as “Profile updates” in some interfaces).
- In the settings screen, choose the option similar to:
“Don’t automatically update my profile. Send me email to review and confirm updates.” - Click Update settings or Save to apply the change.
Once set, Google Scholar will no longer auto-add articles. Instead, you’ll get email notifications about potential matches, which you can review, confirm, or ignore before they appear on your profile.
- If you prefer full manual control, you can also add articles yourself via Add articles > Add article manually or by searching and claiming them.
- Automatic mode is the default for many profiles (especially during initial setup), but switching to email review is the standard way to prevent unwanted auto-additions while still staying somewhat up-to-date.