If you'd like to find people around the world that are researching issues in all sorts of categories (over 30k available!), then you'll want to check out Academia.edu, an intriguing site that helps you do just that.
Here's how it works. Go through the sign-up process (if you're not affiliated with a university, simply check off "independent researcher"). Figure out the main topics you'd like to follow and see actual, current research on, including theses and other content, and you're all set. Your Academia dashboard will show you both personal updates and content updates; you can peruse these scholarly reports to your heart's content. Wish list: I'm surprised that Academia doesn't offer RSS feeds for the content that you subscribe to.
More help with research
Wikipedia Alternatives: Wikipedia is perhaps the most popular reference site online, with millions of high quality articles available on virtually any topic. However, there are limits to what Wikipedia can offer. Here are 47 Wikipedia alternatives you can use to find information, research a paper, get quick answers, and much more.