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10 Best Apps for PhD Students | 2024

Best Mobile Applications for Researchers

There are millions of mobile applications available in the Android play store, but still, there are very few useful apps only available for researchers. We analyzed more than 50 applications and identified the 10 most appropriate applications for researchers based on daily activities like research collaboration, data collection, document reading, updating real-world issues related to their domain, resource gathering, daily schedule maintenance, and journal reading. This post gives an explanation to use the top 10 Useful Mobile Apps software 2024 for PhD Scholars that are really the best apps for PhD Students.

Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose   – Zora Neale Hurston

10 Best Android Apps for PhD Students

Here are 10 of the best Android apps that can be extremely helpful for graduate students in their academic pursuits. I’ll also provide some insights on how these apps can benefit you.

• These apps are essential for creating, editing, and presenting documents, spreadsheets, and presentations.
• Store and sync your documents, making them accessible from any device. Collaboration features are a plus for group projects.
• A reference manager and academic social network. It helps you organize your research, collaborate with peers, and discover the latest research.
• An excellent note-taking app that allows you to capture and organize ideas, research notes, and web clippings.
• Another robust reference manager that simplifies the process of collecting, organizing, and citing research materials.
• Enhance your writing by checking grammar, spelling, and style. It’s an indispensable tool for proofreading.
• Manage your projects and tasks effectively. Great for keeping track of deadlines and staying organized.
• Boost your productivity by using the Pomodoro technique. Stay focused and limit distractions during study sessions.
• Access a wide range of educational content in various subjects, making it a great resource for learning beyond your coursework.
• Turn your smartphone into a portable scanner. Scan and digitize documents, notes, and books for easy reference.

10 Best iOS Apps for PhD Graduate Students

Here are 10 iOS apps that can be incredibly helpful for graduate students:

• An excellent note-taking app that allows you to write, draw, and annotate PDFs.
• A reference management tool that helps you organize and cite your research materials.
• A writing assistant can help you improve the clarity and correctness of your writing.
• Another powerful reference manager with a mobile app for on-the-go access to your research library.
• A versatile note-taking app that syncs across devices and allows you to organize your thoughts and research.
• If you struggle with staying focused, this app helps you stay on track by growing virtual trees when you avoid your phone.
• A comprehensive digital notebook that’s great for organizing your research notes.
• Access a vast database of scholarly articles and research papers.
• A project management app that can help you organize your tasks and deadlines.
• If your research involves multiple languages, this app can help you learn and practice them.

These apps cover a range of functions, from note-taking and reference management to productivity and language learning. They can be valuable tools for graduate students in various disciplines.

Best Apps for PhD Students

1. mendeley.

What is the Mendeley App?

Mendeley is a free reference manager and PDF reader crafted especially for researchers. It helps you to organize your literature in a proper manner so you could effectively use it during your thesis writing or dissertation. Mendeley is available in both mobile and desktop applications, It will help you to read your collected articles wherever you go.  

How to Use it for Research?

• Create a free account at www.mendeley.com and download a desktop version in your system.
• Add all your Journals , Magazines, Book Chapters, Thesis , and other materials in an organized manner.
• Segregate the files based on year, author, publication, and domain using TAG option.
• Download the Mendeley mobile application and log in with the same account.
• Allow the application to synchronize with your account.
• Now you can see all the files that you saved on your desktop that will appear in the mobile application.

Organizing Resources is the first step towards the solution

2. Flipboard

What is Flipboard App?

Flipboard is the most popular mobile application used by millions of people every day, It helps you to keep yourself updated with your domain-related information and also read the daily news, blog posts, and trending topics all together in one place. Flipboard allows the user to collect posts based on their passion and interest. The powerful and smooth user interface gives a pleasant feel to reading more articles.  

• Download the Flipboard mobile application and create your account.
• Flipboard will give a virtual tour to learn the basic features of the application.
• Click  “WHAT’S YOUR PASSION?” Next to the Flipboard icon.
• Search for your domain. Ex: Machine Learning.
• It will show many sub-categories inside the topic. Based on your requirement personalize the magazine. That’s it!
• Keep up with the news related to your domain every day with The Daily Edition.

Don’t be outdated, Because you are working for the future!

3. Researcher

What is a Researcher App?

Researcher is a free journal-finding mobile application that helps you to read new journal papers every day that are relevant to your research. It is the most popular mobile application used by more than 3 million scientists and researchers to keep themselves updated with the latest academic literature.

• Download Researhcer mobile application on your mobile.
• Open and search for your required journal in the search bar.
• You can follow any number of journals and you can read new articles as well.

4. Plagiarism Checker

What is Plagiarism Checker App?

Plagiarism Checker is a free application that works with Plagiarisma.net. It will detect duplicate content in your papers from more than five popular search engines like Google, Yahoo, Babylon, Google Scholar, and Google Books.

• Download Plagiarism Checker mobile application.
• No need for registration so you can directly go into the app.
• Scan your essay, article, term paper, or dissertation with a single tap of your smartphone.
• It also has voice support and direct URL support.
• Save results to HTML, PDF, EPUB. That’s it!

5. Google Keep

What is Google Keep App?

Google Keep is a free remainder application from Google LLC, It helps researchers quickly capture what’s on their mind and get a reminder later at the right place or time. 

• Download Google Keep mobile application.
• Log in with your Google account.
• Record a voice memo and Keep will transcribe it so you can find it later.
• Take quick notes.
• Schedule your daily plan and enable the remainder.
• Take handwritten notes.
• Capture important results using the camera and save them.
• Access it when you working on a desktop or laptop as well.

6. Curiosity

What is Curiosity App?

Curiosity is a very popular mobile application from curiosity.com, it helps researchers to learn new scientific inventions in a more detailed way with videos.

How to Use it for Research? 

• Download the Curiosity mobile application.
• Create an account to access the app.
• Read inspiring articles from your topics.
• Watch smart videos from millions of creators.
• Personalize your favorites, then follow your favorite categories. 

7. Paperity

What is Paperity App?

Paperity is a free mobile application for researchers from www.paperity.org. It helps you to aggregate various open-access journals through your mobile.

• Download Paperity mobile application.
• Browse the most recent articles.
• Browse journals and their Tables of Contents of Open Access papers.
•  Search papers and their full text for specific keywords, phrases, authors, publication dates, languages, and countries of origin. 
• View and read full-text PDFs of more than one million articles. All for FREE!

What is Slack App?

Are you doing Collaborative Research? Then Try this useful mobile application Slack it brings team communication and collaboration into one place so you can get more work done, whether you belong to a small lab or doing collaborative research with researchers from another part of the world. Make effective conversations on different topics using #TAG. 

• Download Slack mobile application.
• Include your lab members using their Email-ID.
• Communicate with your lab mates and organize your conversations by topics, projects, or anything else that matters to your work.
• Message or call any person or group within your team.
• Integrate into your workflow, the tools, and services you already use including Google Drive, Salesforce, Dropbox, Asana, Twitter, and Zendesk.
• Customize your notifications so you stay focused on what matters.

What is Dropbox?

Dropbox is a free another free mobile application for researchers to make creative collaboration space, store all files together in one central place, and safely sync them across all your devices.

• Download Dropbox  mobile application.
• Create a Dropbox account and choose a free version. (Limited space only but more than enough for document files).
•  Work on files with others through shared folders.
• Use the document scanner to turn receipts, whiteboards, and notes into PDFs.
• Comment on files to share feedback with your team
• Sync, share, and edit Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files.

10. Camscanner

What is Camescanner App?

Camescanner is a mobile document scanning and sharing application, It helps you to scan, store, sync and collaborate on various contents across smartphones, iPads, tablets and computers.

• Download the Camscanner application and Create an account.
• Use your mobile camera to scan and digitize all kinds of paper documents.
• Using smart cropping and auto-enhancing ensures the texts and graphics in scanned documents.
• Easily share documents in PDF or JPEG format with friends in various ways.
• Instantly print out any documents in CamScanner with a nearby printer via AirPrint.

Hope, this article would help you to know about the 10 Best Apps for PhD Students.

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Hello, I loved this article! All of your resources listed here are spot on, thank you for taking the time to write this. I sent you an email about a tool we created by (a team of researchers) that is free for PHD and graduate students to use. We started this no-code app to help our own academic research students and faculty, and would love to help more people. Thanks again! – Pathverse Team

Mendeley App was removed in 2021 – the mobile web version is sadly close to unusable. If anybody finds a proper workaround or a usable third party app, please include that in the article.

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Hidden gems: 3 free apps every PhD researcher should know about

Some mobile and web applications distract PhD students from their work. Others, however, can considerably enrich a PhD journey. The three mobile and/or web applications R Discovery , Owlstown and LastPass provide exceptional value to postgraduate students. Free of charge! While they are (not yet) included in standard lists of ‘best apps for researchers’, they are definitely worth knowing about.

Not your regular list of ‘best apps for researchers’

When you search online for the best apps for researchers, recommendations turn out to be very repetitive. This is true for mobile and web applications.

My selection of apps that every early career researcher should know about is based on three simple criteria:

#1 R Discovery to keep up with academic literature

How do you select suitable literature for your PhD? How do you find the most recent publications connected to your research? And how do you keep up with developments in your field?

R Discovery uses cutting-edge technological innovations (AI, Machine Learning, NLP, and Deep Learning) to help you find, access, and understand academic literature.

And while it almost sounds too good to be true, R Discovery also provides smart summaries and key highlights of publications. Based on this information, you can quickly decide whether reading a paper is worth your time.

Over one million researchers already make use of R Discovery . Nonetheless, I suspect that many PhD students are not aware of this app yet. This should definitely change. So spread the word!

Key advantages

Availability, #2 owlstown to create a professional online presence.

Not all early career researchers have access to a university profile. Furthermore, they are more likely to take on temporary jobs, change universities or face temporary unemployment.

For PhD students, Owlstown is the easiest application to create a simple, well-designed, and professional online presence.

Owlstown lets you choose between simple but nice layouts, and you can always customise the themes. There is also an Academic Website Gallery showcasing other academics’ websites for inspiration!

Owlstown is a web-based editor that you can download here. You can edit your website also from your mobile phone or tablet, as long as you have access to a web browser.

#3 LastPass to protect your data online

Of course, PhD students working with sensitive data will likely have to undergo ethics approval before they start their research. Ethics approvals typically include measures for safe data storage and protection.

LastPass does not target academics specifically but can be a lifesaver for PhD students with numerous online accounts who want to prevent being hacked. 

LastPass makes you create a master password, which is the only password you need to remember. With this password, you can log into your account.

In your LastPass account, you can save and organise hundreds of passwords and login data. LastPass tells you how safe a chosen password is, and how to improve it. The easiest way to get the most secure password is to auto-generate it though.

Furthermore, LastPass informs you about unusual activities, or if your personal information is at risk. It is just such an easy way to be more secure online, while not having to remember so many different passwords or keep lists of passwords hidden under your mattress.

LastPass has a web interface , but you can also install web browser plugins or a smartphone app .

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27 Best Apps for Grad Students

Reviewed by David Krug David Krug is a seasoned expert with 20 years in educational technology (EdTech). His career spans the pivotal years of technology integration in education, where he has played a key role in advancing student-centric learning solutions. David's expertise lies in marrying technological innovation with pedagogical effectiveness, making him a valuable asset in transforming educational experiences. As an advisor for enrollment startups, David provides strategic guidance, helping these companies navigate the complexities of the education sector. His insights are crucial in developing impactful and sustainable enrollment strategies.

Updated: June 6, 2024 , Reading time: 11 minutes

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Graduate school is challenging; therefore, you need the best resources and tools to keep succeeding! In the world we live in today, most of us reach for the latest app in order to ease the load that surrounds being a grad student.

Juggling between graduate school and a career requires Herculean strength, and only relying on traditional methods and paperwork isn’t enough!

Graduate students are no longer just confined to acing their exams, assignments, and books; many navigate graduate study like the back of their hand! They have access to a wealth of ways and strategies to become productive.

Thanks to technology, graduate education has undergone a transformation that benefits all stakeholders—graduate students included!

Apps and Technology

Luckily, grad students can browse through the best apps and technologies online and locate their most essential partners in times of need. The old standard of hand-written notes, notebooks, books, and papers can get lost, but the best apps—once installed and saved on smartphones—can always be accessed.

Mobile apps also present modern convenience. Instead of carrying bulky materials or papers wherever you are, you simply log on to the app and access all the information you need or the data you saved.

An increasing number of apps are being developed to provide students with the utmost convenience and flexibility to promote productivity .

In fact, when used as a strategic advantage, university apps have a positive impact on students’ access to information, retention rates, and academic success, according to EdTech Digest.

This article highlights the best apps for graduate students. Use these page jumps to check out your favorite app:

Evernote Dropbox Google Drive Penultimate iProcrastinate iStudiez Pro Outliner PDF Expert Mendeley Pocket

Keynote Slack Flipboard Microsoft To-Do instaGrok Awesome Note Amazon Kindle Sleep Cycle Alarm Habitica

Google Keep ToodleDo Encyclopedia Britannica SyncBackFree nTask 2Do Apple Reminders Any.do

Best Apps for Grad Students

Evernote is an excellent app for graduate students to sync notes across different devices. It is a handy app that helps you remember all the essential things that you might need, such as meeting proceedings, annotated bibliographies, reading summaries, or outlined notes.

It also comes with an audio recorder that you can use to record ideas for group discussions, group work, or parts of a lecture.

Dropbox is one of the best apps for graduate students to save important documents and access them anytime for as long as there’s an internet connection. The app lets you share files, images, videos, documents, and other essential files with your colleagues, instructors, and friends.

Dropbox allows you to access your documents while you’re on the go.

G oogle Drive

Similar to Dropbox, Google Drive is a must-have app for graduate students. It is one of the safest places to save your files for group work, assignments, and collaboration. You can upload videos, documents, images, and other required documents that are important for your graduate education.

Through Google Drive, you can access your files anytime, anywhere.

Penultimate

If you prefer the traditional way of note-taking, i.e., scribbling in your notebook, Penultimate is one of the must-have apps for you. It is an easy-to-use and straightforward hand-writing app for iPad.

As a result, you’ll have the experience of writing on paper with the flexibility and convenience of using an iPad. You must have a stylus pen for you to use this excellent app for graduate students.

iProcrastinate

iProcrastinate is one of the best apps that helps graduate students narrow down long-term homework assignments into more organized and manageable components, sets prioritization for specific tasks, and organizes all to-dos and reminders into one place.

Graduate students’ task lists can be shared with and modified by their colleagues, friends, and classmates, which makes it an excellent tool for group work and projects.

iStudiez Pro

iStudiez Pro is a great app for prioritizing all your assignments and keeping track of your important timelines and schedules.

This app can help you plan and visualize your week ahead, notify you when an assignment is almost approaching the deadline, and sync with your calendar for important meetings and events, which is a perfect companion if you tend to juggle between personal and professional commitments.

One of the most challenging tasks of creating a term paper is coming up with an outline. Outliner is the best app for graduate students when it comes to organizing their tasks and thoughts into an easily manageable outline format – whether you’re on the go or working at your desk.

PDF Expert is a must-have for every graduate student. It is perfect for organizing and annotating all their PDF documents. PDF Expert can also automatically sync with Dropbox, which enables you to access your annotated documents from any device anytime, anywhere.

Mendeley is one of the best apps for graduates who are serious about research. It is similar to a personal research assistant, which helps you collect, manage, cite, and share research works.

Through Mendeley, graduate students can browse through the app’s catalog of more than 30M research works/papers, significant references and make personal libraries per project they’re working on.

Pocket helps you organize and keep interesting distractions at bay. You can use Pocket to bookmark articles and websites you can’t read right then and there but want to revisit at a later time.

One of the noteworthy features of this best app for graduates is that you can read any type of articles, blogs, webpages, and other online content you’ve saved even without an internet connection.

If you’re not a fan of bringing your laptop to school daily for a class presentation or reporting, Keynote is one of the best apps that you must have as a graduate student. Similar to PowerPoint, Keynote allows you to create, design, and display your presentation from any device. It is like a mobile version of Microsoft’s PowerPoint.

Slack is one of the best apps for collaboration. It is a simple and straightforward app that lets you add multiple Slack teams. That said, it is a must-have if you are working with multiple people for research projects, assignments, group work, and reporting.

Slack utilizes a social network-style platform for team collaboration. It is available in Android, iOS, Windows, and even Linux platforms, which makes it an excellent app in terms of convenience and flexibility.

If you are passionate about reading to update your knowledge and what’s happening around you, Flipboard should be installed on your devices. It is similar to a magazine where you can browse curated articles, videos, pictures, stories, blogs, and news based on your interests or preferences.

Flipboard allows you to be updated by reading news articles daily, anytime, anywhere.

Microsoft To-Do

Microsoft To-Do is another must-have app for grad students developed by Wunderlist. It is a cloud-based app that integrates entirely with Office 365. To-Do allows you to create tasks from scratch or even transfer/import other to-dos from other platforms such as Outlook and Wunderlist.

instaGrok is an innovative educational search engine where graduate students can find almost any information they need. It provides them with essential information and details they require in the best way possible through facts and figures, concepts, videos, relationships, and pictures.

Students can pin their favorite content to reference and take notes or inspiration from it.

Awesome Note 2

Awesome Note 2 is one of the best multi-purpose apps for task management for iOS devices. It offers serious list creators and taskmasters an effective tool to help them keep track of to-dos, ideas, events, and other essential tasks.

Amazon Kindle

Amazon Kindle is perhaps one of the most popular apps that have been widely used by graduate students for studying and note-taking. It provides them with the ability to read through PDF documents, newspapers, textbooks, magazines, and Kindle books on a straightforward and easy-to-use interface.

Sleep Cycle Alarm

Working and busy graduate students generally have days where they don’t get enough sleep. Sleep Cycle Alarm helps in analyzing their sleep routines/patterns and will wake them up even in the lightest sleep phase. This app helps them keep track of how much sleep they need since having a good night’s sleep is essential for good health.

Habitica is one of the unique to-do list apps for graduate students that offers them a completely different experience. It converts their daily to-dos into a role-playing interactive game where they can earn rewards at the end of each game.

It is a fun app for task management where students are compelled to complete specific tasks on schedule and motivated to do more to level up their game’s characters.

Google Keep

Google Keep is the perfect companion for graduate students who don’t need much in a task management app. It is mainly used for creating quick lists that can be opened from any device. It is a straightforward note-taking app where they can write all the significant tasks, save photos and voice notes, as well as mark off tasks as complete once they are done.

Google Keep is essentially integrated with Google Drive, allowing syncing with numerous devices conveniently and easily.

ToodleDo emphasizes task management and allows grad students to organize their to-do lists in the easiest and simplest method. Under each specific task, they can add one or more sub-tasks, important notes, and prioritization together with other essential details.

This app helps in organizing tasks by outlining. All their tasks and sub-tasks are displayed in an outlined form for convenience and easier tracking.

Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica is one of the largest online encyclopedias where graduate students can access hundreds of thousands of images, videos, biographies, and objective articles. It is one of the most reliable knowledge repositories for accessing factual content.

Graduate students can organize or curate all the comprehensive information they can find for their group works, assignments, thesis, and other essential purposes.

SyncBackFree

Similar to other cloud-based storage platforms, SyncBackFree is a 100% zero-cost tool that helps graduate students create backups of important files and synchronizes with the devices they have even while they’re on the go.

Through SyncBackFree, they can create scheduled backups with unlimited lengths of file names, providing them with the convenience of renaming multiple files to avoid duplication and confusion.

nTask is one of the most powerful task management platforms created for teams and individuals such as grad students. With nTask’s user-friendly and simplified GUI allowing you to navigate a unique range of features, this app helps you make tasks and sub-tasks as well as schedule them as recurring or one-time tasks.

Through checklists, grad students can list down the tasks they need to accomplish. Advanced integrations such as Gantt Charts, timelines, and progress reports allow them to keep projects on time. This app helps them save time with powerful filter and search functionalities.

2Do is another must-have app for busy grad students to manage tasks. It comes with native features to help implement the “get things done” strategy efficiently. Through an easy access add feature, students can immediately add tasks before they have slipped out of their minds.

It lets them conveniently and easily convert to-do lists into projects or a checklist to organize them according to their priorities and needs.

Apple Reminders

If you’re an iPhone, iPad, iTouch, or Mac user, a simple reminder app is already integrated into your devices. Apple Reminders is already an efficient task management app if you don’t want to install and configure to-do list apps in the first place.

It is a simple and easy-to-use app for adding tasks and easily categorizing them according to the students’ needs. Are you in a hurry or too lazy to type? You can launch Siri to do the process for you. Also, you can share the lists with anyone who has a registered iCloud account.

Any.do is one of the best and easiest apps for graduate students in terms of creating and managing their to-do lists. It has simple tasks and subtasks folders, which aid in the instant and easy creation and checking off tasks when completed.

The app has an integrated drag-and-drop option for documents. A noteworthy feature of Any.do is voice-entry integration. Suppose you hate typing long to-do lists and prefer talking it out, Any.do is the perfect app for this.

The app allows you to create a to-do list of tasks and subtasks by speaking into your mobile devices and then making the tasks for you, similar to a virtual assistant.

Helpful Links: Gadgets for Grad Students

• LAPTOPS for Grad Students
• GRAPHING AND SCIENTIFIC CALCULATORS for ALGEBRA Grad Students
• FINANCIAL CALCULATORS for FINANCE and ACCOUNTING Grad Students
• MICROSCOPES for Graduate Students in CHEMISTRY and BIOLOGY
• LASER CUTTERS for Grad Students

Additional Resources:

• The Best Apps for College Students with ADHD
• Great Apps for Psychology Students
• Ways to Practice Self-Care in Grad School

Related Posts

We’re certain of one thing—your search for more information on picking the best graduate degree or school landed you here. Let our experts help guide your through the decision making process with thoughtful content written by experts.

Educational resources and simple solutions for your research journey

5 Best Apps for Researchers: Apps that Every Researcher Should Know About

Today, one need not physically visit a library and take down notes on sheaves of paper (which are apt to fly about or clutter one’s workspace!). Various online tools and software applications (apps) have made our lives easier, especially the many helpful apps for researchers.

The use of apps to ease workload, manage time, or spark creativity are rapidly becoming de rigueur in all areas of work. In academia too, several apps for researchers are designed to help with daily activities, such as collecting and organizing resources, managing collaborative projects, maintaining daily and longer-term schedules, searching for and reading articles, and staying updated on multidisciplinary topics related to a study domain.

Here, I describe some of the best apps for researchers that can are available for free and can simplify both day-to-day tasks and research-related activities.

• Trello: Streamline individual and collaborative projects

Researchers need to keep track of various activities to optimize their productivity. A useful app for researchers, Trello  is a user-friendly app wherein one can create work boards for different projects and populate them with tasks. The user can assign deadlines and keep updating ongoing progress. Work boards can be shared with all team members, thereby smoothening collaborative working.

Trello offers tools to coordinate tasks among members working remotely or disparately, say, team members on the field and those in the lab. This is a particularly useful app for researchers involved in large projects, working with researchers situated across the globe. With this app you can track team projects and monitor in detail the progress of tasks under way. This can be counted among the best apps for researchers as it enables the visualization of workflows, providing team members with a comprehensive overview of a project from beginning to end. Integration with other applications allows users to access features in Gmail or other apps directly from Trello.

Key features

• Easy to use app for researchers
• Flexible and versatile
• Helps manage collaborative projects
• Evernote: Organize your thoughts and ideas

Are you still relying on Post-its and notepads? Do you jot down sudden ideas on a napkin in a coffee shop or on a scrap of paper while working in the lab? Note-taking apps like  Evernote  can help you make lists and take notes and never lose them. A handy app for researchers, Evernote helps you store all your ideas and thoughts, to-do lists, notes, and research links in one place. You can keep all these bits and bobs organized by creating separate tags and folders for different purposes.

The  Evernote web clipper  is a useful feature for saving articles, web pages, or screen grabs from the internet. You can save a page or highlights to your Evernote notebook along with any notes you want to make about that page. It allows you to sync your notes to all your devices, enabling you to organize your notes across multiple platforms. Further, this is one of the best apps for researchers because its multimedia features let you annotate images, embed files and pictures in your notes, and even record audio and video notes.

• Maintains notes, articles, and other content in one place
• Facilitates content clipping from the web
• Auto-sync across devices with this app for researchers
• R Discovery: Search Less, Read More

Researchers spend a large part of their time wading through a sea of literature, sifting out the relevant from the irrelevant.  R Discovery  is a free literature discovery app and is a great platform that lets you identify the most relevant academic research papers from top journals and publishers. This reading app for research papers covers all major disciplines in the arts and sciences.

R Discovery offers customized research reading, that is, once you set up your areas of interest, the app for research papers finds the top 3 reads and presents them in the form of a daily feed for you. Powered by AI, it learns your reading interests and finds matching relevant papers. It even provides on-the-go updates on recently published articles through notifications and email alerts making it one of the best apps for researchers. R Discovery offers a weekly roundup of the 5 latest articles and summaries of research articles from trending topics. With this intuitive app for research papers, you need not worry about a crucial article slipping through the cracks when you weren’t looking!

When you feed in key terms, the app “deep-dives” into the topics and offers articles, which you can sort by recency or relevance. It even helps you look for similar papers and bookmark important research papers. Mobile and web integration lets you read your bookmarked articles on the  R Discovery  website. What’s more, to customize your feed, you can even import your reading library from Mendeley and Zotero making this a must have app for researchers.

R Discovery can be considered a literature search and reading app for researchers everywhere that steers you in the right direction during your academic voyage!

• Curates 96+ million research articles, including over 24 million open access articles
• Intuitively provides key highlights, summaries, and roundups of research relevant to one’s field
• Integration with reference managers enables the R Discovery app for researchers to make better recommendations.

• Mendeley: Handle reference lists without getting bogged down

The thought of sorting and drawing up a reference list and formatting the in-text citations and references can make the most seasoned scholars break out into a sweat. However, useful apps for researchers like  Mendeley  take the load off these painstaking tasks and offer much more. Mendeley is a free reference management app that automatically generates bibliographies as you write. You don’t need to manually type references; Mendeley imports and organizes them in a systematic manner. The app for researchers allows you to insert citations and create reference lists in different journal formats rapidly and seamlessly. These features free up lot of time, which can be used to focus on paper or thesis writing.

Mendeley is available in both mobile and desktop formats, and researchers can conveniently read content on the go and even highlight text that they might want to return to. Researchers can export papers from the R Discovery app to Mendeley and Zotero. Once exported, they can find these papers in their libraries on ref managers. They can also connect their Mendeley and Zotero accounts with R Discovery (when they are setting up preferences on R Discovery). This will allow for this smart app for researchers to suggest topics based on the Mendeley or Zotero reading list.

• Helps annotate and organize documents
• Can be used across platforms seamlessly
• Integrates with literature discovery apps for researchers like R Discovery.
• Calm: Prevent burnout and focus on self-care

Researchers work for long hours, juggling multiple research tasks, securing funding, and dealing with stressors like dealing with harsh peer reviewer comments and article rejection. These factors can add up and affect a researcher’s mental well-being and motivation. Some  indicators can point to one’s need to focus on self-care , such as altered sleep patterns. A stressed researcher will constantly feel tired and be less efficient at work.

Calm  is a popular app for researchers looking to help reduce stress and anxiety, improve sleep quality, and aid in relaxation and self-improvement. The app provides sessions for guided meditation and breathing and masterclasses for managing stress, enhancing creativity, and much more. The use of such apps can even improve concentration and mindfulness. This is a great app for researchers to use to remain calm in the face of high work pressure, roadblocks in your experiments, and creative blocks when writing papers. A few minutes a day on such an app can help you break negative patterns. After all, a happy researcher is a productive researcher!

• Tracks a user’s basic statistics, e.g., minutes of meditation
• Sends meditation reminders
• Offers masterclasses taught by experts in the field of wellness.

Don’t worry, be “appy”!

Technological innovations like AI are constantly improving apps in terms of functions and user experience. While some apps for researchers help to ease the workload or aid in multitasking, others help in self-improvement and time management to let researchers focus better on core tasks. When possible, one should use some of these best apps for researchers to become savvier and more efficient, getting the most out of their time and effort.

R Discovery is a literature search and research reading platform that accelerates your research discovery journey by keeping you updated on the latest, most relevant scholarly content. With 250M+ research articles sourced from trusted aggregators like CrossRef, Unpaywall, PubMed, PubMed Central, Open Alex and top publishing houses like Springer Nature, JAMA, IOP, Taylor & Francis, NEJM, BMJ, Karger, SAGE, Emerald Publishing and more, R Discovery puts a world of research at your fingertips.  

Try R Discovery Prime FREE for 1 week or upgrade at just US$72 a year to access premium features that let you listen to research on the go, read in your language, collaborate with peers, auto sync with reference managers, and much more. Choose a simpler, smarter way to find and read research – Download the app and start your free 7-day trial today !  

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25+ Dissertation & Thesis Writing Apps

Everything You Need To Optimise Your Research Journey

Contributors: Derek J ansen (MBA),   Kerryn Warren (PhD) &  David Phair (PhD) | May 2024

Completing your dissertation   or thesis requires a hearty investment of time, effort and hard work. There’s no shortcut on the road to research success, but as with anything, there are   ways to optimise the process   and work smarter.

Here, we’ll share with you a wide range of apps, software and services that will   make your life a little easier   throughout the research process. While these apps can save you a lot of time, remember that your dissertation or thesis needs to be your own work – no tool should be doing the writing on your behalf. Also, be sure to check your university’s policy regarding AI-based tools and support before using any apps, tools or software. 

Overview: Dissertation & Thesis Apps

• Literature review
• Data collection
• Qualitative data analysis
• Quantitative data analysis
• Writing & Plagiarism
• Project management
• Reference management
• Honourable mentions

Literature Review & Search Apps

The following apps and tools can help you discover, analyse, and synthesise scholarly materials, significantly streamlining the literature review process.

Scite AI – Find & evaluate sources

The Scite AI app uses ‘Smart Citations’ to show how academic papers are discussed—i.e.,  supported, contradicted, or mentioned. This can help you fast-track the literature review process and source highly relevant papers quickly. 

Petal – Chat with your literature

Petal is an AI-driven tool that revolutionises your interaction with documents by enabling direct, context-aware conversations. Upload an article and it will swiftly summarise its contents and allow you to ask questions about the specific study (or studies).

Consensus – ChatGPT for academia

The Consensus app uses a powerful AI engine to connect you to over 200 million scientific papers. It allows precise searches and efficiently summarises key research findings . PS – Get 40% off Consensus Premium by using the coupon code GRADCOACH40.

Litmaps – Visualise related papers

This app is great for quickly identifying relevant research. For any given keyword or resource, it will provide you with a visual citation network, showing how studies are interconnected. This reveals both direct and tangential connections to other research, highlighting gaps and key discussions within your field.

Connected Papers – An alternative

Similar to Litmaps, Connected Papers visually maps academic research, simplifying how you explore related studies. Just input a paper, and it charts connections, helping identify key literature and gaps. It’s ideal for staying updated on emerging research.

Elicit – An “AI research assistant”

Another AI-powered tool, Elicit automates the discovery, screening, and data extraction from academic papers efficiently. This makes it useful for systematic reviews and meta-analyses, as it allows you to focus on deeper analysis across various fields​.

Data Collection & Preparation

These apps and tools can assist you in terms of collecting and organising both qualitative and quantitative data for your dissertation or thesis.

SurveyMonkey – Simple surveys

SurveyMonkey is a versatile tool for creating and distributing surveys. It simplifies collecting and analysing data, helping you craft surveys that generate reliable results. Well suited for the vast majority of postgraduate research projects.

Qualtrics – An alternative

Qualtrics is a comprehensive survey tool with advanced creation, distribution, and analysis capabilities. It supports complex survey designs and robust data analysis, making it ideal for gathering detailed insights and conducting high-quality research.

Otter – Easy draft transcription

Otter is an AI-powered transcription tool that converts spoken words into text. It captures and transcribes lectures, interviews, and meetings in real time. Naturally, it’s not 100% accurate (you’ll need to verify), but it can certainly save you some time.

Qualitative Data Analysis

These software packages can help you organise and analyse qualitative data for your dissertation, thesis or research project.

NVivo – All-in-one qual platform

NVivo is a powerful qualitative data analysis software that facilitates data organisation, coding, and analysis. It supports a wide range of data types and methodologies, enabling detailed analysis and helping you extract rich insights from your data.

MaxQDA – QDA simplified

MAXQDA is a robust qualitative data analysis software that helps you systematically organise, evaluate, and interpret complex datasets. A little easier to get started with than NVivo, it’s ideal for first-time dissertation and thesis writers.

ATLAS.ti – For large datasets

ATLAS.ti offers robust tools for organising, coding, and examining diverse materials such as text, graphics, and multimedia. It’s well-suited for researchers aiming to weave detailed, data-driven narratives as it streamlines complex analysis tasks efficiently.

Delve – An intuitive interface

Delve is an intuitive qualitative data analysis tool designed to streamline the qualitative analysis process. Ideal for dissertations, Delve simplifies the process from initial data organisation to in-depth analysis, helping you efficiently manage and interpret complex datasets for clearer insights.

Quantitative (Statistical) Data Analysis

These software packages can help you organise and analyse quantitative (statistical) data for your dissertation, thesis or research project.

Julius – Your “AI data analyst”

Julius is an AI-powered data analysis tool that simplifies the process of analysing and visualising data for academic research. It allows you to “chat” with your data, create graphs, build forecasting models, and generate comprehensive analyses.

IBM SPSS – The “old faithful”

The OG of statistical analysis software, SPSS is ideal for students handling quantitative data in their dissertations and theses. It simplifies complex statistical testing, data management, and graphical representation, helping you derive robust insights.

R Studio – For the data wizards

While admittedly a little intimidating at first, R is a versatile software for statistical computing. It’s well-suited for quantitative dissertations and theses, offering a wide range of packages and robust community support to streamline your work.

STATA – For the data scientists

Stata is yet another comprehensive statistical software widely used for data management, statistical analysis, and graphical representation. It can efficiently handle large datasets and perform advanced statistical analyses.

Writing Improvement & Plagiarism Tools

These apps and tools can help enhance your writing and proactively identify potential plagiarism issues.

Grammarly – Improve your writing

Grammarly is a writing assistant that can help enhance academic writing by checking for errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation in real time. It also features a plagiarism detection system , helping you to proactively avoid academic misconduct.

Jenni – An AI “writing assistant”

Jenni AI helps you draft, cite, and edit with ease, streamlining the writing process and tackling writer’s block. Well suited for ESL students and researchers, Jenni helps ensure that your work is both precise, clear and grammatically sound.

Quillbot – Paraphrasing simplified

Quillbot is yet another AI-powered writing tool that can help streamline the writing process. Specifically, it can assist with paraphrasing , correcting grammar, and improving clarity and flow. It also features a citation generator and plagiarism checker .

Quetext – Solid plagiarism checking

Quetext is a plagiarism detection tool that helps ensure the originality of your academic work. It cross-references your documents against extensive online databases to highlight potential plagiarism and generate detailed reports.

Project & Time Management

These apps can help you plan your research project and manage your time, so that you can work as efficiently as possible.

GanttPro – PM simplified

An intuitive project management tool, GanttPro simplifies planning and tracking for dissertations or theses. It offers detailed Gantt charts to visualise task timelines, dependencies, and progress, helping you ensure timely completion of each section.

Trello – Drag-and-drop PM

Trello is a versatile project management tool that helps you organise your dissertation or thesis process effectively. By creating boards for each chapter or section, you can track progress, set deadlines, and coordinate tasks efficiently.

Toggl – Make every minute count

A user-friendly time-tracking app that helps you manage your research project effectively. With Toggl, you can precisely track how much time you spend on specific tasks. This will help you avoid distractions and stay on track throughout your journey.

Reference Management

These apps and tools will help you keep your academic resources well organised and ensure that your citations and references are perfectly formatted, every time.

Mendeley – Your citations, sorted

Mendeley is your go-to reference management tool that simplifies academic writing by keeping your sources neatly organised. Perfect for dissertations and theses, it lets you easily store, search, and cite your resources directly in MS Word.

Zotero – Great for Google Docs

Zotero is a free-to-use reference manager that ensures your sources are well-organised and flawlessly cited. It helps you collect, organise, and cite your research sources seamlessly. A great alternative to Mendeley if you’re using Google Docs.

Endnote – A paid option

Yet another reference management option, Endnote is sometimes specifically required by universities. It efficiently organises and stores research materials, making citation and bibliography creation (largely) effortless.

Honourable Mentions

Now that we’ve covered the more “exciting” dissertation apps and tools, it’s worth quickly making one or two mundane but essential mentions before we wrap up.

You’ll need a reliable word processor.

In terms of word processors, Microsoft Word will likely be your go-to, but it’s not the only option. If you don’t have a license for Word, you can certainly consider using Google Docs, which is completely free. Zotero offers a direct integration with Google Docs, making it easy to manage your citations and references. If you want to go to the other extreme, you can consider LaTeX, a professional typesetting software often used in academic documents.

You’ll need cloud storage.

The number of times we’ve seen students lose hours, days or even weeks’ worth of hard work (and even miss the submission deadline) due to corrupted flash drives or hard drives, coffee-soaked laptops, or stolen computers is truly saddening. If you’re not using cloud storage to save your work, you’re running a major risk. Go sign up for any of the following cloud services (most offer a free version) and save your work there:

• Google Drive
• iCloud Drive

Not only will this ensure your work is always safely stored (remember to hit the Save button, though!), but it will make working on multiple devices easier, as your files will be automatically synchronised. No need to have multiple versions between your desktop, laptop, tablet, etc. Everything stays in one place. Safe, secure, happy files.

Need a helping hand?

Key Takeaways: Dissertation & Thesis Apps

And there you have it – a hearty selection of apps, software and services that will undoubtedly make your life easier come dissertation time.

To recap, we’ve covered tools across a range of categories:

Remember, while these apps can help optimise your dissertation or thesis writing journey, you still need to put in the work . Be sure to carefully review your university’s rules and regulations regarding what apps and tools you can use – especially anything AI-related.

Have a suggestion? We’d love to hear your thoughts. Simply leave a comment below and we’ll consider adding your suggested app to the list.

15 Comments

It seems some of the apps mentioned are not android capable. It would be nice if you mentioned items that everyone could use.

Thanks for the feedback, Gale!

Yet to explore some of your recommended apps. I am glad to commend on one app that I have started using, Mendeley. When it comes to referencing it really helps a lot.

Great to hear that, Maggie 🙂

I have got Mendeley and it is fantastic. I have equally downloaded Freemind but I am yet to really understand how to navigate through it.

Based on your YouTube lessons,my literature review and the entire research has been simplified and I am enjoying the flow now,more than ever before.

Thank you so much for your recommendations and guide.It’s working a great deal for me.

Remain blessed!

Thank you for all the amazing help and tutorials. I am in the dissertation research proposal stage having already defended the qualifying paper. I am going to implement some of your advice as I revise chapters 1 & 2 and expand chapter 3 for my research proposal. My question is about the writing– or specifically which software would you recommend. I know MS Word can get glitchy with larger documents. Do the “reference” apps you recommend work with other options such as LaTeX? I understand that for some programs the citations won’t be integrated or automated such as cite while you write etc.. I have a paid version of endnote, and free versions of mendeley and zotero. I have really only used endnote with any fidelity but I’m willing to adapt. What would you advise at this point?

Thanks for your comment and for the kind words – glad to hear that the info is useful.

Generally, Word works reasonably well for most research projects and is our first recommendation. As long as one keeps the document clean (i.e. doesn’t paste in loads of different styles, ultra high-res images, etc), it works fine. But I understand that it’s not perfect for absolutely huge projects.

Regarding referencing with Latex, this article covers how to use Mendeley with Latex – https://blog.mendeley.com/2011/10/25/howto-use-mendeley-to-create-citations-using-latex-and-bibtex/ . Perhaps it will be useful. I hesitate to tell you to adopt software X or Y, or to move from Endnote, as each software has its strengths and weaknesses, and performs better in certain contexts. I’m not familiar with your context, so it’s not possible for me to advise responsibly. Mendeley works well for the vast majority of our students, but if there’s a very specific bit of functionality that draws you to Endnote, then it may be best to stick with it. My generic advice would be to give Mendeley a try with some sample references and see if it has the functionality you need.

I hope this helps! Best of luck with your research 🙂

Thank you for your amazing articles and tips. I have MAC laptop, so would Zotero be as good as Mendeley? Thank you

Derek would you share with me your email please, I need to talk to you urgently.

I need a free Turnitin tool for checking plagiarism as for the tools above

I have been going crazy trying to keep my work polished and thesis or dissertation friendly. My mind said there had to be a better way to do literature reviews. Thank God for these applications. Look out world I am on my way.

Wow Thanks for this write-up i find it hard to track down extremely good guidance out there when it comes to this material appreciate for the publish site

Sir I have chosen topic substance abuse and psychological makeup a study on secondary school students but my supervisor told me to see some variable on this on which u work plz Need ur help

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Top 25+ Websites and Apps for PhD Students

Discover the top 25 websites and apps for PhD students in 2024. Enhance your research with the best free tools, datasets, and online learning platforms.

Jul 6, 2024

In 2024, PhD students have access to a plethora of user-friendly tools and platforms designed to facilitate academic research and learning. From reference management software to data analysis tools and online learning platforms, these resources streamline research work, enhance productivity, and support better learning outcomes. Here is an in-depth look at the top 25 websites and apps that every PhD student should consider integrating into their academic routine.

Top 25 Websites and Apps for PhD Students

1. listening.com.

Listening.com is a personalized learning platform that offers free audio, text-to-speech, and online learning resources aimed at enhancing listening skills. PhD students can benefit from its wide range of topics, including academic podcasts, lectures, and other audio materials, making it easier to absorb complex information through listening.

This platform is ideal for auditory learners and those looking to supplement their reading with audio content. The text-to-speech feature allows users to convert written text into spoken words, further expanding the platform's utility for diverse learning needs.

This version incorporates the text-to-speech feature while maintaining the overall flow and clarity of the description. It highlights this additional functionality as part of the platform's offerings, which can be particularly useful for PhD students dealing with extensive reading materials.

2. Google Scholar

Google Scholar is an indispensable tool for finding scholarly articles, research papers, and academic publications. It provides access to a vast database of academic research across various disciplines. This platform is user-friendly and allows students to search for information efficiently, making it one of the best free resources for conducting literature reviews and staying updated with the latest research trends.

Zotero is one of the best free reference management software solutions available to PhD students. It helps organize research sources, create citations, and manage bibliographies. Zotero's web-based interface and browser extension make it easy to save references directly from the web. Additionally, its collaboration features allow multiple users to work on shared projects, making it ideal for group research efforts.

4. Mendeley

Mendeley is a free and open reference  management tool that helps students organize their research materials and offers a free version with robust features. It combines reference management with social networking capabilities, allowing researchers to collaborate and share their work. Mendeley also provides access to a large repository of research papers, making it a comprehensive tool for managing and discovering academic content.

5. ResearchGate

ResearchGate is a professional network for researchers to share their work, collaborate, and access publications. This platform offers a community of users where researchers can discuss their findings, seek feedback, and find collaboration opportunities. ResearchGate also provides metrics and analytics to track the impact of your research, making it a valuable tool for academic networking and visibility.

6. Academia.edu

Academia.edu is a platform that provides access to a wide range of research papers and academic publications . It allows researchers to share their work with a global audience and connect with other academics. Academia.edu offers features such as paper recommendations based on your interests and metrics to measure the reach and impact of your research, making it an essential tool for academic networking and dissemination.

EndNote is a comprehensive reference management tool designed for managing citations and bibliographies. It offers various features such as citation templates, reference organization, and integration with word processors. EndNote is particularly useful for creating and managing large bibliographies for theses or dissertations, making it a vital tool for PhD students involved in extensive research projects.

8. Scrivener

Scrivener is a writing software designed for long documents, such as theses or dissertations. It offers robust tools for organizing and structuring your writing, making it easier to manage large projects. Scrivener's features include customizable templates, research material integration, and advanced formatting options, making it one of the best free software solutions for academic writing.

9. Evernote

Evernote is a versatile note-taking app that helps students organize their research notes , ideas, and documents. It allows users to create notes in various formats, including text, audio, and images, and synchronize them across multiple devices. Evernote's powerful search capabilities make it easy to find information quickly, making it an essential tool for managing research data and staying organized.

10. OneNote

OneNote is Microsoft's note-taking app that integrates seamlessly with other Office tools. It offers a user-friendly interface for creating and organizing notes, making it easy for teachers to create engaging and interactive content. OneNote supports multimedia notes and collaborative features, making it an excellent tool for group research projects and academic collaboration.

Trello is a project management tool that helps students stay on track with their research projects. It offers a visual interface for organizing tasks and deadlines using boards, lists, and cards. Trello's free plan includes features such as due dates, attachments, and team collaboration, making it a user-friendly and effective tool for managing academic research and ensuring timely project completion.

Slack is a communication tool that facilitates collaboration among research teams. It offers channels for organizing discussions, direct messaging, and integration with other productivity apps. Slack's features make it easier for users to communicate in real time, share documents, and manage project-related conversations, making it an essential tool for coordinating group research efforts.

Asana is another project management app that assists students in organizing their research work and tasks. It provides a comprehensive suite of tools for tracking project progress, setting deadlines, and assigning tasks. Asana's user-friendly interface and robust features make it ideal for managing complex research projects and ensuring that all team members stay aligned and productive.

Easily pronounces technical words in any field

Notion is an all-in-one workspace that offers a wide range of data types and customizable templates for research and teaching. It combines note-taking, task management, and database functionalities in a single platform. Notion's flexibility allows students to create personalized workflows and collaborate with others, making it a powerful tool for managing academic research and teaching activities.

15. Overleaf

Overleaf is a web-based LaTeX editor that simplifies the process of writing and formatting research papers . It offers real-time collaboration, a wide range of templates, and integration with reference management tools like Zotero and Mendeley. Overleaf's user-friendly interface and powerful features make it an essential tool for students writing academic papers, theses, or dissertations.

16. Grammarly

Grammarly is a writing assistant that helps improve grammar, style, and clarity. It offers real-time suggestions and corrections, making it easier for students to produce polished and professional academic writing. Grammarly's free version provides essential features, while the premium version offers advanced grammar and style checks, making it a valuable tool for enhancing the quality of research papers and other academic documents.

17. Hemingway Editor

Hemingway Editor is a tool that helps create clear and concise writing by highlighting complex sentences and common errors. It provides readability scores and suggestions for simplifying your text, making it ideal for students working on their theses or research papers. Hemingway Editor's focus on readability ensures that academic writing is accessible and engaging, which is crucial for effective communication of research findings.

18. RefWorks

RefWorks is a reference management tool that helps students organize and manage their citations. It offers features such as importing references from databases, generating bibliographies, and creating citation templates. RefWorks' web-based interface makes it easy to access and manage references from any device, making it a convenient and effective tool for academic research.

JSTOR is an online repository offering access to a wide range of academic journals, books, and primary sources. It provides a comprehensive collection of scholarly literature across various disciplines, making it an invaluable resource for PhD students conducting literature reviews and seeking high-quality research materials. JSTOR's user-friendly search and access features make it one of the best free online databases for academic research.

PubMed is a database that provides access to a wide range of biomedical literature. It is particularly useful for students in the life sciences, offering a vast repository of research articles, clinical studies, and reviews. PubMed's powerful search capabilities and extensive coverage make it an essential tool for finding high-quality, peer-reviewed biomedical research.

21. Wolfram Alpha

Wolfram Alpha is a computational engine that allows students to search for information and perform data analysis. It provides answers to complex queries across various fields, including mathematics, science, and engineering. Wolfram Alpha's powerful computational capabilities make it a valuable tool for data analysis and solving complex problems in academic research.

22. Mathway

Mathway is an app that offers solutions for mathematical problems, making it useful for data science and analytics. It supports a wide range of mathematical topics, including algebra, calculus, and statistics. Mathway's user-friendly interface and step-by-step solutions make it a helpful tool for students needing assistance with mathematical concepts and problem-solving.

NVivo is a qualitative data analysis software that enables students to explore and discover insights from their research data . It offers robust tools for coding, analyzing, and visualizing qualitative data, making it easier to identify patterns and themes. NVivo's powerful features and user-friendly interface make it an essential tool for conducting qualitative research and analyzing complex data sets.

SPSS is a statistical analysis software solution that can be used for data analysis in academic research. It provides a comprehensive suite of tools for analyzing quantitative data, including descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, and predictive modeling. SPSS's user-friendly interface and powerful analytical capabilities make it a valuable tool for students conducting statistical analysis in their research projects.

Python is a programming language widely used for data analysis, visualization tools , and research projects. It offers a wide range of libraries and frameworks for scientific computing, making it ideal for data-intensive research. Python's flexibility and extensive community support make it one of the best free software solutions for academic research and data analysis.

In 2024, PhD students have access to a wealth of tools and platforms designed to enhance their academic journey. From reference management and data analysis to project management and online learning, these resources offer a wide range of functionalities that streamline research work and improve productivity. Whether you are looking for the best free software solutions, online databases, or collaborative tools, the platforms listed here provide comprehensive support for every aspect of academic research and teaching. By integrating these user-friendly apps and websites into your daily workflow, you can stay organized, collaborate effectively, and achieve better learning outcomes. With these top 25 tools at your disposal, navigating the challenges of a PhD program becomes more manageable and rewarding.

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Nine of the Best Apps and Websites for My PhD Workflow

Here's 9 of my favourite apps I use regularly for my PhD.

Annette Raffan

From the start of my PhD I have tried a range of applications and programs to help facilitate the process of carrying out my research. In this post I have curated a list of the top nine I use which have stood the test of time.

I’m not going to beat around the bush; if you're looking for the best apps that I use virtually every day, if not every week, in carrying out my PhD, then look no further!

They are in no particular order.

Zotero is one of the workhorses of my workflow. It does the initial heavy lifting of importing any references directly in from my Chrome browser using the Zotero Connector plugin. When I first started using it I paid a fee to sync across platform (about £40/year) but I’ve since stopped paying and just store it locally. I only need to use it on one computer and I make sure I back-up my database at least monthly.

I use the additional citekeys plugin, which means I can set manual bibliography reference keys to use across any writing. It can integrate with Word if you need; I do also use this function.

It’s super easy to use. You can set up libraries and tags, though I use it at its very basic; import -> export with some tweaking of reference data and citekeys as needed. Zotero is actually incredibly powerful and had I known how it works from the beginning, my PhD may have started out differently. I don’t think most people know how it can work, so I’ll post about this at a later date!

2. Microsoft Office Suite

I mainly use Microsoft Office products (Outlook, Word, PowerPoint and Excel) because I have to rather than I want to per se . I’ll break these down individually because they each hold different and important roles.

Because our university uses Outlook to process official emails, that’s where all my email communication and calendaring goes. I mean, I feel it’s kind of the same as any other options, functionally. What really annoys me is, because it’s semi-controlled by the institution, it won’t integrate properly with apps like ToDoIst. So yes, it works, just not as well as I like. I’m kinda locked into this one.

We can’t escape Word (or a freely available equivalent). Whereas only some publishers will accept LaTeX files, all will accept Word files. I must admit, despite using a plethora of other word processing apps, Word is still the most user friendly-keep everyone happy-supervisors can use it…-option. As a text editor, it’s just generally nice to use.

One of my supervisors’ favourite things to do is “create a slide deck with all your results so we can pick out the important things and see everything in one place”. Now that I do this, I do see the merit in it. Like Word, Powerpoint is also incredibly user friendly and easy to share in discussions with others. Hence why it is the default choice whenever you’re asked to do a presentation.

It’s also pretty convenient when you need to make a poster. There are however quite often formatting issues if pdfs aren’t involved.

I don’t know of another data entry program that works as-good-as or better than Excel (other than Google docs and other similar free ones). For digitising a lot of experimental data and getting it into txt files, it’s perfect. It’s handy sometimes to do quick calculations or graph things quickly. Excel is another one of those programs that is incredibly powerful once you understand how to use it properly (and I don’t). With moves to have open science, Excel is poo-pooed as an analysis tool so I don’t use it for data analysis.

Microsoft Office is £60/year for a personal license, but if you’re a student you can likely get it on your own PC through your institution.

3. TickTick

TickTick is my app of choice for task management. To be honest I tend to love it, use it for a while, then get overwhelmed, hate it and stop using it. I’m in a hate it phase right now.

I do find it a bit clunky to use, though not as clunky as ToDoIst. I feel that there is a bit of a divide in the style of knowledge and task management apps and that is ‘Notion-style’ and ‘Obsidian-style’. TickTick falls into the Notion-style which is why I don’t think I get along with it as well. There’s just something about it, that doesn’t click with me. I find it good for a specific purpose e.g. planning out the order of experimental steps, but on a day-to-day basis, I need something much less rigid. Does that make sense?

I paid for TickTick Premium ( Referral Link for TickTick ) with was $28/year to get the full calendar and filter functionality. Not sure I’ll pay for another year though.

4. Web of Knowledge

Web of Knowledge or Science is my go-to academic paper search engine. It’s not the only one I use (nor should it be because it’s biased), but if I need to search for literature, this is where I will start. I used to use Scopus, but for some reason I’ve graduated away from it. I like how easy Web of Science is to use and find papers.

Web of Knowledge I think is only available through an institution whereas something like Google Scholar is free.

5. Obsidian

Aaah, where would I be without Obsidian? Lost in the fog of doom, I suspect. I use Obsidian to bring everything together and as a one stop shop for taking notes and writing things down. Here I can take notes on papers, connect related notes, pull up lists of papers and start to build ideas for writing; like this blog. It’s the first program for me that solved my problem of notes, notes everywhere. And lists, definitely lists everywhere too. Now I have one place to store all my bits of everything. With its powerful search engine, I have my own personal Google.

I’ve been using it for about 7 months now and it’s only just starting to reach some kind of critical mass. I think it’s a lot of work to put it together and get it working how you want, so it’s not for the feint of heart. But it’s worth it; when you’re trying to remember what you learnt about something and you’ve already got a note about it, written in your own language.

You can take a tour around my vault setup over on Medium, along with my top 3 favourite Obsidian community plugins that I use for my PhD.

I pay to sync across devices which is $8/month but there are ways around this such as using Github. I like to think of it as supporting the developers to some extent.

6. Overleaf

I started using LaTeX pretty early on in my PhD. I fell in love with the visual appearance of a compiled LaTeX document. It just seemed so much nicer than anything I could produce in Word.

Although I do my writing outside of OverLeaf at the moment, I aim to publish my thesis using LaTeX. I started using other LaTeX editors but Overleaf dwarfs the competition with usability, functionality and warmth!

Therefore, personally I love Overleaf. It took me a while to set up my thesis document and chapters, but now that I have, I can’t wait to get back into it again and putting finished chapters together.

If you pay yearly (there’s a student option) then it will sync with your Zotero database and you can collaborate with others. But since my supervisors don’t know how to use LaTeX and I had issues with random things appearing in my .bib file that I just couldn’t work out how to get rid of, including the slow updating rate, I just use the free version. It’s just as easy uploading a manual bibliography file at the end. I use all the same citation keys throughout my writing so it’s super easy to do.

7. R and RStudio

R and the interface editor RStudio (seems to have changed to ‘Posit’ recently 🤷‍♀️) are two other workhorses of my PhD. This is where all my data analysis happens. I started by using scripts within RStudio but then I switched to visual RMarkdown and what a difference that made to the usability and friendliness of using R! I use these both on an almost daily basis and couldn’t do my PhD without them. Best thing is they are both free and almost every academic uses them to some extent.

[Note: It looks like 'RStudio' is making moves to integrate with Python hence the name change.]

8. Scrintal

With the advent of Obsidian Canvas, I don’t use Scrintal so much anymore but it revolutionised how I put my literature review together. It allows to me to visualise how everything fits together which was a game-changer for me. I do still use it to map out projects and research papers when I need a ‘quieter’ space to work. It’s nice that it’s separate from my Obsidian. I tend to just go for ‘atomic notes’ on here rather than longform content.

I’m an early subscriber for this one, so it costs me $5/month.

9. Inkscape

Inkscape is a super duper free art editor. I’m still getting to grips with how it works, but it’s pretty powerful. I’ve used it to create diagrams for posters before as it has some neat ‘expanding’ effects which work well for the concept I need to illustrate; you can follow what I did here .. I don’t find it that easy to use. If I want something super simple, I’ll still head to Paint!!

Well there you have it. My list of 9 apps that I use regularly or have a pivotal role in my PhD workflow. Do you use any of these? Do you have any other suggestions?

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5 best free productivity apps for research students

Completing a research degree is less like a 9 to 5 job and more like a 5 to 9 one. With the high workload and other life commitments it’s important you have all the help you need to boost your productivity and ensure you can carve some time out for yourself.

Take control of your studies with five of the best free productivity apps for research students.

1) Save time referencing with Mendeley

Staring at a mile long reference list is enough to give even the most seasoned researchers a headache, so be sure to avoid bibliographic burnout with Mendeley.

This free reference manager automatically generates bibliographies as you write and even helps you find papers relevant to your subject, meaning you can spend more time writing and less time referencing.

2) Stay off your phone with Forest

Forest gamifies your focus by rewarding 25 minute intervals of uninterrupted work with your own virtual tree. Stay focused on your work for longer periods and you’ll be able to grow a whole forest.

It’s a simple incentive that stops you from hoping onto social media via your phone and increases productivity. If you leave the Forest app, the tree you were growing starts again from a seedling, resetting your progress.

If that’s not enough, growing trees will reward you with virtual coins which can be spent to plant real trees through charity group Trees for the Future.

3) Save your distractions for later with Pocket

Endless open browser tabs are the guilty secret of every researcher, but can make your actual work much harder to navigate. Say goodbye to your endless labyrinth of open webpages with the free productivity app, Pocket.

Pocket is a browser plugin which stores and catalogues everything you want to read, whether it’s an important paper for your next thesis chapter or a review of a film you’ve been dying to see.

The tool makes your life easier by allowing you to focus on what’s important right now and keeps your workspace clean and focused.

4) Get past your writer's block with 750 Words

Despite all the planning and data you’ve compiled throughout your research, starting to write your thesis or next chapter can still be a daunting prospect.

750 Words is a tool designed to get you free-writing. Just write 750 words a day and commit to writing without editing, allowing you to get your thoughts down on paper and clear your head.

This type of writing is often unusable, but can sometimes contain useable gems and get you in the right mindset to write that first paragraph.

5) Keep on top of your tasks with Trello

As a researcher, there’s a good chance you’re keeping lots of balls in the air. To keep track of all your jobs (both-PhD related or otherwise) it’s a good idea to find a task management app that works for you.

There are many free apps out there, but Trello is perhaps one of the most visual and user-friendly.

The tool allows you to create work boards and fill them with tasks, assign deadlines, make updates and so much more. You can also share your board with collaborators or supervisors to make team working easier.

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Software, Tools, and Apps that PhDs Must Have

We often are asked to recommend some of the must have software programs, tools, and apps for PhD students, professors, and academics, so we have put together a comprehensive list. These selections are based on our experience using some of them and recommendations made by several of Stephanie’s colleagues via Facebook. Interestingly, for some of the tools listed, there was a lack of consensus about their usefulness so in some instances we provided a few pros and cons to help you make the best decisions based on your needs.

This post was written by Stephanie A. Bosco-Ruggiero (PhD candidate in Social Work at Fordham University Graduate School of Social Service) and Jessica Russell ( freelance writer) on behalf of Dave Maslach for the R3ciprocity project (Check out the YouTube Channel or the writing feedback software ). The R3ciprocity Project started out as a side-project, where David Maslach created an App to help others get feedback on their work (r3ciprocity.com – it is seriously inexpensive and easy to use. You have to try it!) , but it is beginning to grow into a real movement. R3ciprocity helps students, faculty, and research folk by providing a real and authentic look into doing research. It provides solutions and hope to researchers around the world.

As a PhD candidate, a professor, or academic much of your time is spent doing research, so it’s important to do as much as possible to ensure your projects and tasks run as smoothly as possible. The list below includes software, apps, and tools to help you take notes, manage projects, do statistical analysis, edit and cite your writing, convert files to and from PDF and eBook format, survey respondents, help you concentrate, and aid in graphic and art creation. We also threw in some tools to help with self care including mindfulness and meditation apps. 

This list is not all inclusive. If there is another app or tool you think people should be aware of, let us know in the comments. 

Check out this article on what PhD students do all day. You will be surprised.

Here’s a vlog Dave recording on how to speed up research productivity that you might want to check out as well. 

Note Taking

There are times when an idea or inspiration pops up in the moment and you need to jot it down, or you’re focusing on one task and you think of something that will help with another. Note taking apps and software programs help you jot down those ideas to save for later. Check out this amazing post on how professors check for plagiarism – it is pretty helpful). They also help you organize your notes for teaching, research, and other projects. Get a program that is web based so you can sign on anywhere, including your phone. Most allow syncing via multiple OS and Browsers. Of course, you may always also benefit from a simple electronic post it app that you can install on your desktop (don’t go too crazy though, I once crashed my laptop by having like a hundred notes). Phones of course also have handy note taking and reminder apps. But we recommend the following apps and tools for more comprehensive academic note taking: 

Google Keep

In July 2021, I polled the R3ciprocity YouTube community about the best note-taking software, and here is the results from 174 responses! Thank you! As you can see, the best note-taking software is OneNote or Evernote, but many people have others that they use.

Check out this article on how many years it takes to do a doctorate degree. It goes into quite a bit of detail.

Word Processing

Writing will take up a bulk of your time and using software that has a great UX and is easy to navigate will reduce the time you spend with unnecessary editing and fumbling with tools that slow you down. The software we recommend are staples of the industry and are most popular among writers. Make sure you explore Microsoft Word online as well. It is useful when you have work across multiple devices. Microsoft can be seamlessly integrated with OneDrive but make sure your settings are right so you don’t lose anything! The usefulness of Good docs and drive also cannot be understated. 

Stephanie resisted Google Docs for a long time because I feared I would lose something or the document would not look as polished as a Word document, but you can download your file as a Word document, plain text, PDF, etc. The thing that really sold me on Google Docs though was the ability to work with a team to collaborate on writing, provide suggested edits, accept or reject edits, and be able to do all of this real time. You can also easily chat to the side of the document as you collaborate and edit. You can keep your documents in shared drive and designate who has permission to access and edit. 

Microsoft office/Word

Google Docs/Drive

Libre Office – Open-source, but uncommon.

I did a poll on the R3ciprocity YouTube community in July 2021 on the most popular word processing software, and here are the results:

You might want to watch this video about writing Apps for PhDs:

Grammar Checking, editing, and Proofreading

Hey, did you hear about this neat proofreading and editing program called r3ciprocity 😉 It allows you to pay forward the favor of proofreading and reviewing by collecting credits which you can then use when you need your work reviewed. You can also buy credits if needed. Check out Dave’s platform at https://www.r3ciprocity.com/ The platform is also building a community of scholars that can be helpful to you when you need scholarly work reviewed or just need to bounce around some ideas. 

(Here is a good blog post on getting feedback on your work – you will love it.)

Be careful using automated proofreading or editing software or tools as they may not pick up on the nuances of your work or the points you are trying to make. Also, try to use alternatives before you hire a pricey writing consultant, proofreader, editor, or coach. Sometimes hiring someone is needed, but if you need lighter editing and reviewing check out r3ciprocity.com and contact Dave if you have any questions about the platform. 

Check out how to log-in to the R3ciprocity platform.

Here is Dave discussing how and when to purchase credits on his proofreading and editing platform R3ciprocity:

There are a number of other resources for grammar checker Apps and editing resources that you might want to check out in this blog post.

Statistical Analysis

Of course you are going to need statistical analysis software to complete that thesis or dissertation, and as an academic, analyze your data and produce manuscripts. Many doctoral programs train their students using IBM’s SPSS but some also or alternatively train their students in R or Stata. Stephanie personally prefers the point and click functionality of SPSS which also allows advanced coders to exclusively use syntax to conduct analyses. Personally, she prefers to use a mix of point and click and syntax. There is a plethora of guidebooks and manuals, print and online, to help you become fluent in SPSS. New versions are released regularly and students can purchase SPSS inexpensively (read more below). However, for those who prefer to code and use syntax R and Stata may be more challenging and enjoyable to use.

SPSS (Paid, easy to learn)

R (Free, open-source, and powerful)

Stata (Paid, combination of open source and paid, powerful) – Dave’s Pick

Since, there is confusion and it matters a lot about what software you should choose early in your career, I (Dave) polled the R3ciprocity community on YouTube in February, 2021 to find out the most common statistical software that researchers use. 106 people responded. Here are the results:

I was actually quite surprised by these results. I knew that R and SPSS would be rated fairly high, but I was surprised by the fact that Stata only got 16.2% of the votes. Stata is such a powerful, and underrated tool. However, I suspect that it is fairly uniquely used by more economics, finance, and business folks. As someone who has used all of these software (other than R), I would highly suggest it. The instructions material alone is a great benefit.

EBook Converter/PDF Converter

Publishing your manuscript may require turning it into a readable digital format that will translate easily to multiple electronic devices. Whether you are self-publishing, want to convert your work into a polished format, or need this capability for another reason we’ve found that these are some of the best tools out there. 

Epubor Ultimate

Foxit Phantom PDF Editor/Reader

MikTex LaTex – LaTex is preferred in the basic sciences.

Project Management/Task Management

Research and writing can be overwhelming with the minutia of details you need to record and track. You may also need to keep these details on behalf of or with a writing or research team. Project and task management software will help you stay on task and warn you when you are falling behind. Additionally these programs help when you’re collaborating with a team. Everyone using these tools can get both a big picture view of the project timeline as well as dive into the details to understand how to best manage the project.

Survey Research/ Experience Management

At some point you will send out a survey for your research, or perhaps for another purpose. These survey and experience management tools help you gather that data as well as measure and analyze the results. They both allow you to export to statistical analysis software and have different levels of functionality and pricing. Make sure your university does not have a license before you spend your own money on these tools. Survey Monkey might be more accessible for beginners but Qualtrics is not difficult to use. You might even give Google forms a try for quick, basic surveys of students or another smaller group of respondents. 

Survey Monkey

Google Forms – Great for small tasks.

We conducted a poll of the R3ciprocity YouTube community about the most popular survey tool in March 2021. 56 people responded. The most popular survey tool for researchers is Google Forms. 55 percent of the respondents preferred Google Forms. Honestly, this surprised me because I thought it would be Qualtrics, however this might be explained by the younger and more international audience on the R3ciprocity channel.

Qualitative Data Collection and Analysis

Stephanie does not have a whole lot of experience with qualitative data analysis but has heard that the following programs are quite helpful. They provide some free training and practice modules as well as manuals and guides. Find out which software your department uses and whether you can use it on campus to complete your research. A personal license may be expensive. If you are doing qualitative data collection such as interviews or focus groups you should also download a handy recorder for your device such as Audacity. 

Reference/Citation Managers

Make your life easier by using a citation manager. These programs help you to manage your sources as well as help you build your reference lists. Doing this task manually is silly if you are an advanced researcher. You must have a citation manager if you are completing a dissertation and it is highly recommended for a thesis. Your university may offer a specific program for free so you might go with that one, but others are often either free or low cost, especially the web based versions. Endnote has Endnote Web and Zotero is very easy to integrate into your word processing programs, use collaboratively, and use only. Some people feel that Mendeley and Endnote are clunky. Stephanie personally really likes Endnote but recommends taking some in depth tutorials to learn how to use it properly.

Endnote (Dave’s and Stephanie’s preference)

Don’t know which is best for you? Check out our survey on the best citation software for PhDs.

Illustration/Graphics

Your writing may require graphics, diagrams, and other forms of art. Some people rely on the tools native to Microsoft products, but we’ve found that the following programs help further and enhance creativity. Additionally they make creating graphics to support your writing easier and look more professional. Stephanie especially recommends Canva. She discovered it when her students kept mentioning that they were using it to create graphics, brochures, and other illustrated products for social policy advocacy class. It is super easy to use and the library of images is great. You can make business cards, social media posts, infographics, brochures, and more! It’s the hot tool in illustrated document creation today. 

If you need a website for your organization or you want to develop an academic profile site you could use Canva for ideas, photos, and structure. WordPress takes some getting used to but it is inexpensive and versatile. For an academic profile/portfolio you might simply use Academia.com’s template which allows you to feature your writing, projects, interests, experience, etc.

Strata 3D Modeling

Canva (Dave’s pick).

Microsoft Visio (Good for schematics).

Lucidchart (Dave’s pick).

AutoDesk (A favorite for CAD).

Meeting Software

These days we are all familiar with meeting online. From job interviews to meeting with colleagues, the following are the most used software programs for online collaboration with video and sharing tools. One of these platforms may be available to students for free so investigate before paying for any of them. Stephanie prefers Zoom but has heard great things about Teams. WebEx is great for delivering webinars. 

Microsoft Teams

Google Meet (reliable, but less functionality than Zoom)

Skype (Seems to be losing ground)

FaceTime – Reliable, but only works with other FaceTime users.

In July 2021, I (Dave) polled the R3ciprocity YouTube community about the meeting software that they most use. It turns out that Zoom is a by far the most popular, with 67% of responses selecting Zoom. Most PhDs tend to use Zoom. However, 17% use Google Meet as well.

Programming

What would a PhD without programming? It seems that more and more of us are doing programming during grad school. Here are some best picks that you will use:

Python (Open-source).

Microsoft Visual Studio C++

MatLab (Scientific computing – Dave’s pick).

MapleSoft (Scientific computing).

MathCad (Pretty awesome Engineering software).

In August 2021, I polled 124 PhDs on the R3ciprocity community on YouTube on what is the best programming language for PhDs. Here it is: The most common programming language for PhDs is Python. Around 60% of PhDs use Python as their favorite programming language for their research projects. Python is preferred to Matlab 4 to 1.

Self Care/ Mindfulness

It’s important to practice self care during your doctoral studies or as a professional academic. Taking time out daily with these self care apps will help you center yourself and reduce stress. In addition they will help you stay on task and make your life one in which you can find a calm space to just be mindful wherever you are. If you have a VR headset there are some mind blowing meditation apps you can use to fully immerse yourself in a blissful meditative state. 

White Noise Generator

Some people need complete silence when writing, while some need a portion of their brain to be occupied by music or white noise. When it’s important that nothing distracts you from focusing, especially outside noise from loud environments, we recommend the following to help you stay focused and block out the noise. 

MyNoise.net

Don’t forget that your finances are super important during your PhD. You have to keep your financial life together to get through your PhD Program. Here are some that Dave suggests:

Mint.com (Free, Dave uses it everyday).

Every Dollar (Dave Ramsey’s product).

Data Transparency

Don’t forget to use tools for data transparency. For example, the Open Science Foundation (OSF) offers a suite of tools designed to facilitate transparent and collaborative research. These tools include project management platforms, data repositories, and preprint archives, all aimed at enhancing the rigor and reproducibility of scientific work. Check it out: Open Science Foundation website .

Gaining access to software and tools for free

We hope you found this list of suggestions helpful. Remember, do not spend a lot of money on software or other tools if you can get them for free through your university. Most schools now provide a Microsoft suite of tools, including OneDrive, to students for free. Check your IT department’s web page and list of free downloads. Of course, Google apps are free as well. Often, you can’t go wrong with Google but there are apps and tools that may be better that you have to purchase, just don’t spend a whole lot of money, especially if you’re a student. 

When it comes to survey or data analysis software your university may have purchased a license making the software free for students, faculty, and staff users situated on campus. In certain cases, you may also be able to access these software programs for home. What comes to mind is a university wide or department based Qualtrics license or a comprehensive Zoom license. Just check with your department or university before you purchase anything. If you must purchase SPSS for use at home as a student or university affiliated researcher go to studentdiscounts.com . They offer a full array of options for purchasing SPSS licenses for personal use on your own PC or Mac at a deep discount. You just have to provide proof of your university affiliation. 

One more recommendation is to definitely take advantage of a cloud based file storage tool such as OneDrive or Dropbox. If you are not in the habit of backing up your local computer files on a thumb drive, you must back them up on the cloud. Stephanie likes Google Drive, OneDrive, and Dropbox. Which one works best for you might depend on whether you often collaborate, which word processing software you are using, where you access your files, and which one you use for free. Many universities include limited free OneDrive storage as part of the Microsoft Suite offerings. 

Did you benefit from this post? Do you know of anyone at all that could use feedback on their writing or editing of their documents? I would be so grateful if you read this post on how to get feedback on your writing using R3ciprocity.com or let others know about the R3ciprocity Project. THANK YOU in advance! You are the bees knees.

If you enjoyed this blog, you might be interested in reading these other posts on blog.r3ciprocity.com . 

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The PhD Experience

• Call for Contributions

Every App You Need for Your PhD

By Drew Thomas |

When you’re first beginning your PhD, it can be a bit overwhelming. How in the world are you supposed to organize everything? Not just your reading lists, but other things. I have my thesis to write, grants to apply for, research trips to arrange, Pubs & Pubs articles to write, and digital humanities projects I’m a part of. And somehow, I’m supposed to maintain an active social media presence !  To do all of that, I use a plethora of apps, tools, plugins, and websites. Below, I list items I’ve used, currently use, or know about but haven’t adopted for myself. Everyone is different and responds to various time managements tools differently. Maybe you’ve tried a few over the past semester or maybe you keep procrastinating. Remember, it’s not about the tools, but how you use them. At times I have the tendency to get so caught up in systems that I lose sight of the goal! So if they don’t work for you, ditch them. Hopefully, some will help you, even in the tiniest of ways, to progress a bit more easily to that submission deadline.

• Google Scholar   |  A great search engine that searches universities, academic publishers, and other depositories for peer-reviewed research. A great way to find new or unknown research.
• Zotero   |   A fantastic reference manager that lets you save references from websites with the click of a button. Great for organizing research and searching through research.
• Mendeley  |  Similar to Zotero, a great reference manager, particularly favoured in the sciences. Also, has a PDF reader and acts as a social network for collaboration and sharing.
• Quiqqa   |  Another reference manager with many built-in tools, such as cross-referencing articles cited in the footnotes of your other articles.
• Notability    |  A great mobile note-taking app, specifically optimized for tablets.
• Evernote   |  A great note-taking app that syncs across devices. You can tag and organize your notes. It even reads your handwriting !
• iAnnotate   |  One of the best apps for annotating PDFs on a tablet. I use this regularly to read journal articles. It also syncs with Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.
• Adobe Acrobat   |  Adobe has stepped up to gain some of the tablet market gained by iAnnotate. The new annotation features on the free version are quite impressive.
• ZotFile   |  The savior of my PhD. ZotFile is a Zotero  plugin that extracts your annotations from your marked up PDF documents. If you highlight text in iAnnotate or Adobe Acrobat, ZotFile extracts it and adds the notes to the bibliographic record in your reference manager, making them fully searchable. Never read an article twice.

Data Backup

• Dropbox   |  An independent cloud storage device that syncs across all your devices.
• Google Drive |  Google’s Dropbox alternative. You can directly save your email attachments to Google Drive.
• iCloud  |  In addition to backing up all of your research, if you have an iPhone it will automatically back up all of the photos you’ve been taking in the library all day.

Task/Project Management

• Trello   |  A great project management tool using the kanban  method, often implemented with the  Getting Things Done productivity hack. It’s great for collaboration and visualizing your progress.
• Slack   |  Slack is a messaging app for teams. Instead of using email, it keeps all of your project messages and notes in one place.
• Bullet Journal   |  Ok, this isn’t an app. It’s an old-fashioned notebook. But it’s a great analog system of keeping track of your life, allowing for constant evaluation of what you spend time on. Read Laura’s recent post on getting started. I’ve been doing it about two weeks now and am loving it.
• Scrivener   |  A great text editor that is perfect for writing chapter drafts. It allows for shuffling around bits and pieces until your draft is in its final form. Then it can be easily exported into Microsoft Word.
• Grammarly   |  Think Microsoft Word grammar check on steroids. Grammarly is a plugin that makes your writing easy to read and mistake free (and helped with this post!).

Travel Planning

• Skyscanner   |  One of the best websites/apps for finding a cheap flight. You can also search prices within an entire month or find the cheapest month to travel.
• Kayak   |  Another great website for finding air tickets. The best feature: the ability to use a flexible search, which searches the days near your selected dates for the best price.
• Hopper   |  A great app that tells you if your plane ticket is a good deal. It shows you the best days to fly to your destination and the best day to buy a ticket for that specified route.
• RyanAir   |  In case you missed it, RyanAir have updated their carry-on luggage policy; you can now bring two bags in the cabin free of charge. Just won my vote!
• Airbnb   |  If you are going on a short research trip, but a bit longer than you’re willing to stay in a hostel, Airbnb is your best option. You can get a nice place for a great price, meet some locals, and learn about the city.
• GateGuru   |  Long layover in an airport? GateGuru will show you all the restaurants and shops in the terminal.
• Google Trips | A great new app from Google that will automatically collect your travel details from your emails and allow you to download maps for offline use.

Social Media

• Twitter   |  Needs no introduction, but I use Twitter for purely academic purposes. A great way to network and to learn about calls for papers and jobs.
• Academia.edu   |  LinkedIn for academics. It’s great for finding papers by a scholar you’re interested in. Read why it’s a good idea .
• Buffer   |  A great app for managing your social media accounts. You can schedule posts and use their plugin to add articles on the web directly to your queue.
• TweetDeck   |  Twitter’s user interface for its advanced users. Manage multiple Twitter feeds in one place, schedule tweets, follow hashtags, and watch it update in real time.
• Nuzzel   |  Link your Twitter account (or others) to Nuzzel and it will provide you with a daily digest of the most popular news stories from your Twitter feed.

Stay Focused

• Headspace   |  Need to clear your thoughts? This nifty app helps you clear your head and focus on meditating.
• 7-Minute Workout   |  A healthy body leads to a healthy mind. If you don’t exercise regularly, try this app to help get your blood going and your mind focused.
• Tomato Timer   |  The key to staying focused is having small, scheduled breaks. Use this timer, which implements the Pomodoro technique .
• RescueTime   |  How much time do you spend checking your email or Facebook? RescueTime keeps track of how you spend your time so you can be more productive.
• AdBlock   |  The best Google Chrome plugin. Get rid of those pesky, distracting ads.
• StayFocusd   |  Another Chrome plugin that limits the amount of time you can spend on specified websites. Only 30 minutes on Facebook today! Want this across devices? Try Freedom .
• f.lux   |  It took a few days to get used to, but I love it! F.lux removes the blue light from your computer monitor when the sun sets so the bright light won’t keep you up all night.
• Spotify   |  Because I couldn’t get through a day if I didn’t have my music.

Staying Secure

• LastPass   |  With all these apps and tools, you probably have way too many usernames and passwords. Never use easy passwords. Use a password manager to keep track of them all.
• 1Password   |  Another popular password manager. Never use the same password for multiple websites.

Drew Thomas is a PhD student at the University of St Andrews. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Theology and Philosophy from Saint Louis University and a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard University. His PhD is a study of the rise of the Wittenberg print industry during Martin Luther’s Reformation. He is currently the Communications Coordinator for the Universal Short Title Catalogue and the Digital Developer for the Caroline Minuscule Mapping Project . You can follow him on Twitter at @DrewBThomas  or on Academia.edu .

Image from Jason Howie under the Creative Commons License.

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December 16, 2016

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apps , organization , productivity , time management

May 13, 2019 at 7:38 pm

Thanks for such a useful information.

December 16, 2019 at 9:10 pm

this was a good pointer to the right tools for the task of writing up especially

March 14, 2020 at 2:35 pm

Thank you for this info. I liked it very much

May 9, 2020 at 10:05 pm

Thanks for Research apps, it helped me.

June 10, 2020 at 1:31 pm

Great selection of tools and tips

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Best Note-Taking App In 2023 For Researchers: Academic & Industry

In the fast-paced world of 2023, where information is king, finding the best note-taking app has become a crucial quest for researchers and professionals alike. Whether you need to streamline your research papers, collaborate with others, or manage projects with precision, the right note-taking tool can make all the difference.

From the cross-platform capabilities of Evernote to the streamlined simplicity of Bear, this comprehensive guide explores the top note-taking apps, their strengths, and even their quirks. What are the best note-taking apps in 2023?

Some of the best note-taking apps for researchers in 2023 include:

• Apple Notes

Microsoft OneNote

Google keep.

Join us as we delve into the world of digital notebooks, markdown formats, PDF exports, and more, in our quest to uncover the best note-taking app for your needs.

Slite – Perfect For Project Management

Slite is a note-taking app designed for team collaboration, Slite is primarily pitched as a knowledge base platform, aiming to centralize a team’s collective knowledge. In the context of research, this application could be invaluable.

Researchers often collaborate with others, sharing insights, annotations, and edits on research papers. Slite, being a digital notebook, caters to this collaborative environment. It allows researchers to organize their research, create notes, and collaborate on notes in real-time.

This note-taking software is especially efficient for onboarding processes, streamlining how new team members integrate into ongoing projects.

One of Slite’s strength is its AI assistant, a unique feature potentially integrated with Open AI.

It enables users to utilize a command bar to swiftly search across their team’s knowledge base.

For example, when a researcher queries, “Where is our analysis on XYZ?”, the AI can quickly pinpoint the relevant document, streamlining the note-taking experience.

Slite also has a great feature, called ‘Projects’. Here, researchers can organize their notes, refining specific processes integral to their research routine.

For instance, if a research project involves a sequential method, each step can be outlined and assigned, making the research process more transparent for all involved.

However, every app has its limitations. Slite’s free version caps users at 50 documents and discussions, which may be restrictive for expansive research projects. 

Apple Notes – Best Note-Taking App For Apple Users

In 2023, with a plethora of note-taking apps available, Apple Notes continues to make a mark as an inherent tool on Apple devices.

Originally launched with iOS 1.0, this note-taking application has matured over the years, introducing features that make it a potent contender among best note-taking apps.

Apple Notes employs a folder system, distinguishing between regular folders and smart folders – a nifty addition that auto-sorts notes based on tags.

Researchers, who often deal with a wealth of information, will appreciate its advanced search capabilities. 

The optical character recognition feature allows them to search terms within handwritten notes or scanned documents , ensuring no vital research notes go unnoticed. The app’s organization extends to sorting notes by edit date, a boon for researchers to keep track of latest edits.

Researchers can easily collaborate on notes, adjusting permissions to either view or edit. With the unique feature of Quick Notes, jotting down spontaneous ideas or research papers’ insights becomes instantaneous.

Apple Notes is not perfect however. Importing content, especially from non-Apple devices, feels cumbersome. Also, the app’s export function is limited; converting notes to PDFs sometimes results in a blurred output due to raster ink usage.

In the ecosystem of apps in 2023, Apple Notes, especially for users engrossed in the Apple world, remains a top-tier note-taking app. 

Evernote – Best Note-Taking App For Power Users

Evernote is a popular digital notebook that allows users to seamlessly take notes and sync them across devices.

For the modern researcher, the app’s cross-platform note-taking capability ensures that capturing sudden bursts of inspiration is never a miss, whether you’re on a mobile app, web app, or desktop.

A significant strength of Evernote lies in its versatility. It’s not just about text; users can capture a myriad of note formats, from:

• Attachments
• Audio notes.

The optical character recognition feature deserves a special mention, enabling the app to identify words even in handwritten notes. 

Evernote’s task system acts as both a note-taking tool and project management software, helping users track their daily objectives. One user, who relies on Evernote to manage ADHD, lauds its easy task system which syncs in real-time across devices.

Evernote’s organizational prowess is very notable, offering notebooks and a search feature that can even pull words from uploaded documents.

One issue with Evernote is that it can be too powerful, and be overwhelming for some. While the app offers various functionalities, some users might wish for a more flexible note-taking format with a more intuitive interface.

In the rapidly evolving world of digital tools, Microsoft’s OneNote emerges as a powerful note-taking app. Touted by many as the best note-taking app for multi-platform users, OneNote is a digital notebook that offers seamless sync capabilities across iOS, Windows or Android devices.

OneNote’s strength lies in its adaptability. For researchers, OneNote is not just a digital notebook but a comprehensive note-taking tool.

The app offers functionalities like the ‘Researcher’, which is invaluable for those writing research papers. It allows users to pull information from credible sources and even automatically formats citations—a feature that streamlines the academic writing process. 

The cross-platform nature of the app is showcased by its sync with other devices, whether it’s an iPhone, iPad, or a two-in-one PC. One can take notes on one device and seamlessly access them on another, a capability that even rivals like Apple Notes and Google Keep are striving for.

One major issue with OneNote is its format sometimes exhibits unpredictability, with text boxes appearing haphazardly, which can be confusing.

While the app offers extensive features, some, like the math helper, are tucked behind a subscription fee, unlike the free plan in Evernote or Google Docs.

Additionally, while it’s a robust note-taking app, OneNote might not replace project management tools or the collaborative capabilities of Google Drive entirely.

In comparison to 2023’s other note-taking tools, OneNote’s capacity to import PDFs, export notes, and collaborate with others is commendable. Its ability to rival standalone apps like Evernote and Apple Notes demonstrates Microsoft’s commitment to refining this digital notebook. 

Bear – Simple Digital Notebook

The Bear app stands out for its simplicity and aesthetic appeal. Unlike other best note-taking apps like Evernote or OneNote, Bear offers a streamlined experience, resonating with researchers who prioritize minimalistic interfaces.

Bear was developed by a team from Parma, Italy, in 2016, and has since become a beloved note-taking tool among Apple users.

For a researcher, taking notes without distractions is essential, and Bear’s markdown format hits the mark, with the added perk of advanced markup options, such as inline code blocks.

This digital notebook doesn’t overcomplicate the process but ensures the user has all they need for effective research.

One of Bear’s prominent strengths is its dedication to user data privacy. Unlike some note-taking apps, Bear’s default setting stores notes locally on devices, thus minimizing data leakage risks.

Plus, for those wary of the dreaded app lock-in, Bear supports the export of notes to numerous file formats, ensuring that switching to a different note-taking app or platform is hassle-free.

One criticism about Bear is it’s use of hashtags instead of folders, which some users find less intuitive.

Moreover, its exclusive availability on Apple devices limits its reach, although a web app version is reportedly in the works.

Bear’s free version is notably generous, offering all features with the exception of cross-device sync, which is reserved for the Pro plan. It’s a competitively priced app that offers quality service, making it a contender in the list of best note-taking apps for 2023. 

In the landscape of note-taking apps in 2023, Google Keep emerges as a significant contender. As a note-taking app, it’s designed for swift capture of ideas, essential for researchers who often need to jot down sudden insights.

One of its primary strengths is its simplicity, focusing on quickly capturing notes and making them accessible across devices. It integrates seamlessly with the broader Google ecosystem, which means if you’re working within Gmail or Google Docs, your notes are just a sidebar away.

For the uninitiated, Google Keep is more than just a digital notebook. For researchers, the voice memo feature stands out, converting voice recordings directly into text, thus making it a valuable tool when conducting interviews or vocalizing thoughts.

Google Keep also offers collaboration features, allowing users to share and collaborate on notes with others in real-time. This is handy when working on joint research papers or group projects.

Unlike Evernote, a popular note-taking app, Google Keep doesn’t excel at archiving vast volumes of notes or organizing them into intricate notebook structures. Instead, it relies on labels for categorization, which might not suffice for detailed research notes organization.

While Google Keep’s camera feature aids in capturing images, it lags behind when compared to Evernote’s sophisticated document capture capabilities.

Researchers should also be aware of the location-based reminders, a feature unique to Google Keep.

Imagine setting a reminder to review certain research notes when you arrive at your university or research facility. This sort of integration between physical location and digital reminders can be invaluable.

Google Keep does offer a robust suite of features for the researcher seeking a free, integrated, and straightforward note-taking tool. Its mobile app ensures that you can take notes on the go, and its collaborate with others feature makes teamwork smoother. 

In the ever-evolving realm of note-taking apps, Notion stands out in 2023 as a comprehensive tool that promises more than mere note-keeping. Notion surpasses the functionalities of its competitors such as Evernote, Google Keep, and even Microsoft’s OneNote.

The platform has been recognized as the best note-taking app that goes beyond digital notebook functionality to a broader project management space.

For researchers, Notion acts as a digital playground. Unlike traditional note-taking apps, Notion offers the capability to create dashboards customized to individual workflow preferences. It’s not just about taking notes; users can also:

• Embed Loom videos
• Integrate calendars
• Generate templates for repetitive tasks
• and many more.

Researchers can efficiently organize their research notes, develop content calendars for publishing, and even design databases. The cross-platform note-taking experience ensures consistency, whether accessed via web app or mobile app.

Notion’s ability to collaborate on notes is unmatched. Sharing specific pages, embedding various content formats, and the ease to sync your notes across devices make the process seamless.

For instance, databases can be shared, filtered, and viewed in different formats, like a Trello-style board or a conventional calendar.

Notion’s flexibility, its biggest strength, can also be its most significant weakness. The sheer range of possibilities can overwhelm new users, and without a streamlined approach, one can end up complicating tasks.

Its expansive nature requires time to master, with a potential risk of becoming a productivity drain instead of a booster.

Obsidian has risen as a formidable contender for the best note-taking app title. Operating as a digital notebook, Obsidian stands out from the multitude, including popular names such as Evernote, OneNote, Google Keep, and Apple Notes.

So, what makes Obsidian unique? Unlike many note-taking apps that store notes in the cloud, Obsidian keeps your notes in a local folder, providing users control over their data.

This note-taking app also adopts a markdown format, which is not just for those familiar with coding but is a user-friendly way to take notes.

With a cross-platform note-taking feature, Obsidian allows users to access your notes across various devices seamlessly.

A distinguishing feature is its ability to create and visualize links between notes, enhancing the note-taking experience and making it easier to organize your research.

This interconnected web can be an invaluable asset, especially for researchers who wish to see connections between different research notes or topics.

While Obsidian thrives in note linkage and local storage, it might present a steeper learning curve for those accustomed to more straightforward apps like Google Docs or Apple Notes.

Another issue is the absence of a free version. This may deter some, but Obsidian’s robust features could justify its price tag for dedicated users.

In comparison to apps like Roam Research, which also emphasizes interconnected note-taking, Obsidian’s strength lies in its local-first approach.

Still, if collaboration is a key aspect of your research process, you might find apps that prioritize real-time collaboration, such as Microsoft’s OneNote, more suitable.

Glasp – Take Notes Differently

In the expansive realm of note-taking apps in 2023, Glasp emerges as a unique web app designed specifically for researchers and avid online readers. With the app’s Chrome extension, users can effortlessly highlight and capture text from web sources.

Here are some features of Glasp:

• Social Web Highlighter : Glasp’s focus on highlighting and sharing web content makes it stand out. Users can create profiles based on the web content they clip, similar to how social media platforms like Facebook work. This adds a social element to the note-taking process, enabling collaboration and sharing of insights.
• Integration with Other Note Apps : Glasp’s compatibility with other popular note-taking apps is a significant advantage. This allows users to export their clippings or highlights to various note-taking platforms, ensuring flexibility and the ability to organize their research across multiple apps seamlessly.
• Cross-Platform Note-Taking : The cross-platform note-taking feature is essential for users who use different devices or platforms for their work. It ensures that notes and clippings can be synchronized and accessed from anywhere, enhancing productivity and convenience.
• Heatmap Feature : The heatmap feature is an interesting addition, as it helps users visualize their note-taking habits over time. This can be valuable for improving the research process, identifying areas of interest, and staying organized.

Glasp is however, in beta, which can be a reason for caution for some. Researchers accustomed to using more established platforms like OneNote or Roam Research may find the transition challenging. Additionally, while the app offers various note-taking tools, Glasp’s main strength lies in its unique blend of note-taking and social sharing.

Wrapping Up – Best Note Taking Apps In 2023

As the note-taking app landscape continues to evolve, each app offers its own strengths and weaknesses. Choosing the right note-taking app for yourself ultimately depends on your specific needs, preferences, and workflows. 

So, whether you’re looking to streamline your research papers, collaborate with others, or manage projects, there’s a note-taking app out there in 2023 to cater to your requirements. Choose wisely, and may your note-taking journey be both efficient and productive.

Dr Andrew Stapleton has a Masters and PhD in Chemistry from the UK and Australia. He has many years of research experience and has worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow and Associate at a number of Universities. Although having secured funding for his own research, he left academia to help others with his YouTube channel all about the inner workings of academia and how to make it work for you.

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Tech for Success: 15 Productivity Apps for Graduate School

By Shaquilla Harrigan

I must admit, I was a total Luddite as an undergraduate. I handwrote all my class notes, and drafted essays on notebook paper before transcribing them in Microsoft Word, I  reluctantly used Google Calendar/iCal. However, the pace of graduate school rendered these previous methods ineffective. In the short run, I could not accurately capture concepts in class or develop complicated arguments in my essays without technology. In the long run, I knew that I needed more detailed notes and references for large milestones like comprehensive exams and dissertation proposals.

Over the last four years, I used several different apps catered towards productivity and organization. Some of them I found via internet searches for solutions to “keep track of the time I spend on projects that are linked to my to-do list” and others I found through friends and Twitter recommendations. I use these apps primarily for my graduate studies and research, but they also help me manage my teaching responsibilities and research collaborations. 

As you figure out which of the following apps or tools would best support your workflow, keep in mind which hurdles you need the most help getting over and what that help should look like. Some of the hurdles I need help with are note-taking, task/project management, file management and organization, transcription, research management, and coding. In overcoming these hurdles, I knew that I needed apps/tools that were customizable, available across devices, and could easily integrate with each other. Another bonus is support that has student discounts.

My collection of Notes app lists and sticky note to-dos became unwieldy. In a strong bid to organize my tasks in a non-overwhelming way, I asked several friends for their tips. My roommate suggested I download Todoist. With this app, you can create to-do lists that are sorted into different projects or buckets. Some examples of projects I created in Todoist are the titles of each of my main research projects, the classes I’m TAing, and my household chores. You can assign dates and even make recurring tasks. One of my favorite things about this app is that you can sync it across your phone, tablet, and laptop. I also love that I can integrate Todoist with other productivity apps.

I integrate Clockify with Todoist. While Clockify seems like a virtual timecard for the corporate world, I’ve found this app helpful for allocating how I spend my time during the week. It is also useful to track hours for some of the consulting roles I’ve taken on as an advanced graduate student. As I noted in my article about how to succeed in graduate school , which discusses the importance of assigning tasks relative to your active brain time or passive brain time, Clockify provides weekly reports on how you spent your time across different tasks and when you spent the time during the day.

I love, love, love this notetaking app! You can sync notes from your laptop and tablet, making it easier to have hand-written tablet notes alongside typed notes. Your notes are also backed up to DropBox. I’ve organized my notes into dividers (major categories) and subjects (specific classes or research projects). I made sure my Notability and Todoist have similar organizational structures to minimize confusion. Other apps that friends and colleagues suggested similar to Notability include EndNote, Microsoft OneNote, and GoodNote.

Pomodoro-Tracker

If you are looking for a simple task list, or you like to give yourself time limits, I highly recommend Pomodoro-Tracker. You can make a (realistically long) list and guestimate how many 25-minute segments you will need to complete your tasks. After each segment, you will receive a 5-minute break. When you create an account, you can access your list from day to day.

Accountability to others helps me get through difficult situations like taking an intense fitness class or writing my dissertation prospectus. FocusMate expands your network by matching you with a stranger who is also trying to #GSD (get stuff done). In the free version, you can sign up for three work sessions. The way it works is that you sign up for a 50-minute or 25-minute session, get matched with someone through the internet and then keep your camera on while working. These matches helped me through many a paper and the mountains of revisions for my dissertation prospectus.

Look at your phone or computer right now. If you have less than five tabs currently open, you have immense self-control. However, if you have what seems like dozens of small squares lining the top of your browser, this web extension is for you. Pocket allows you to organize the rabbit hole of tabs that are kept open. Once you have the extension added, you can add the site to your list and add tags. 

I’ve said it before, and I will say it again and again; Zotero is a great reference manager. Zotero allows you to save journal articles, books, websites, news articles, podcasts, interviews, and many other forms of media. You can then export bibliographies and create in-text citations in tens of citation styles. In Zotero, users can annotate and make memos for each reading and read entire papers. I highly recommend getting the Zotero plug-in for your internet browser and Microsoft Word. I also suggest organizing your Zotero library according to the classes you’re taking at the time and the names of your research articles. 

Thread Reader

 Academic Twitter put me onto this helpful Twitter Bot that collates Twitter threads. If you make an account, the app will keep all the “unrolled” threads and allow you to download them as a PDF. This acts as a  great tool for collecting examples to present to my students.

From day one, you need a file management system and a way to reliably back up your documents. I like Dropbox because you can download the app onto your laptop and sync documents live without having to upload each document every time. Dropbox works well with the Microsoft suite and looks very similar to how I would organize folders on my desktop. Sometimes universities provide free cloud storage through Box or Google Drive. While both these tools are good, you want your information saved somewhere that you will always have access to. I learned this the hard way when my undergraduate email address expired, and I couldn’t access documents saved to the associated Google Drive account. 

 If you are a qualitative researcher or record voice memos, this app will transcribe your recordings using artificial intelligence. This site will save you hours of transcribing and reduce the cost of transcription services. You can connect your calendar and Zoom account to Otter.ai. You can also make shared folders for collaborating with others. You can transcribe up to 300 minutes for free each month. 

We have all experienced the frustration of trying to compress a PDF, convert a word document, or extract specific pages from a large PDF. Small PDF makes these tasks and others so simple. You are granted 2 free tasks a day or you can pay a small monthly fee for unlimited access to all the functions.

WeTransfer is a super simple site that enables you to transfer large files easily. All you must do is upload your document to the website and put it in the email of your intended recipient. They will receive the file and be able to download it uncompressed.

As you begin circulating your work and wanting to present neat tables and perfectly formatted equations, many people will point you toward LaTeX. While it’s a great program, the learning curve, especially if you’re new to coding, can be difficult. Overleaf is an interface that simplifies the steps needed to create documents in LaTeX. Overleaf and sites like GitHub have templates to help you get started with resumes, papers, and tables. 

This simple Google Chrome extension spell-checks emails and documents within the Google Suite. Grammarly has free and premium options.

 PerfectIt uses artificial intelligence to edit and proofread your work. This goes above and beyond the regular spell check and suggested edits in Word. When preparing a major manuscript, like a thesis or dissertation, this is helpful as a precursor review before sending it to professional editors.

Want more advice from Shaquilla? Check out her other article, 5 Tips to Succeed in Social Science or Humanities Graduate Programs.

© ProFellow, LLC 2022, all rights reserved.

Related Posts:

• 8 Ways to Become a Competitive Grad School Applicant as an Undergrad
• 5 Tips to Succeed in Social Science or Humanities Graduate Programs
• How to Succeed in Graduate School: 5 Tips and Tricks
• 4 Things to Consider When Taking the GRE for Graduate School Applications

How to Prepare for the GRE: 6 Helpful Tips

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Best Research Apps for Students

By Med Kharbach, PhD | Last Update: May 6, 2024

The purpose of today’s post is to share with you this handpicked collection of some of the best  apps for researchers and graduate students. From taking notes on the go to recording and transcribing audio, these apps will definitely help enhance your overall productivity.

For practical purposes, I arranged the collection into a number of categories. There is some overlap between certain categories and some apps can be placed within different categories. Whenever possible, I provided both iOS and Android links. 

Research Apps for Students

Here are some of the best research apps for students

I. Note taking apps

The ability to instantly capture your ideas and jot down notes on the go is key to your work as a researcher. Creative and novel ideas pop up unexpectedly, and as you know, an undocumented idea is a lost idea. One way to ensure you capture those fleeting thoughts and to note down key takeaways is by using note taking apps. Here are some of my favourite picks:

•    1. Evernote:  : Create and organize text and audio notes, clip web pages and articles. Compatibility: iPhone/iPad / Android . Price:  free, offers in-app purchases.
•   2. Notion : Create notes, docs, and tasks. Collaborate in real-time. Compatibility:  iPhone/iPad / Android . Price:  free, offers in-app purchases.
•  3. OneNote : Write memos, create digital sketchbooks, and save notes. Collaborate together in a shared notepad. Compatibility:  iPhone/iPad /  Android . Price:  free, offers in-app purchases.
•  4. Bear : Write, sketch, or draw notes. Clip web pages and capture images and text. Compatibility:  iPhone/iPad . Price:  free, offers in-app purchases.  5. GoodNotes
• Type or handwrite notes. Annotate documents. Compatibility:  iPhone/iPad . Price: Offers in-app purchases.
•  6. Notability :Annotate documents, create notes, record audio notes. Compatibility:  iPhone/iPad . Price: free, offers in-app purchases.

2. PDF annotating apps

Effective and deep reading requires an active interaction with the read material. As a researcher or research student, you will have the chance to read piles of academic materials and unless you develop a good reading habit which involves the use of annotations, you won’t probably make the best of your reading experience. 

The power of annotating practice is that it allows you to engage with text at a deeper level which enhances your reading comprehension and boosts your retention rate. If you like to do your readings on mobile devices, these PDF editing apps are definitely worth considering:  

• 1. Foxit : Annotate PDFs, convert PDFs to Office docs, combine & edit PDFs, fill out forms, sign PDFs. Compatibility: iPhone/iPad / Android. Price: free, offers in-app purchases.
• 2. Small PDF : Compress, edit, merge, and sign PDFs. Convert Word/ ppt/ JPG/ Excel/ to PDF.Compatibility: iPhone/iPad / Android . Price: free, offers in-app purchases.
• 3. Fill PDF Editor : Sign or request signature, convert word/image to PDF, edit & annotate PDFs.  Compatibility : iPhone/iPad / Android . Price: free, offers in-app purchases.
• 4. LiquidText : Annotate PDFs, pull excerpts from docs, add notes. Compatibility:  iPhone/iPad . Price: free, offers in-app purchases.
• 5. PDF Expert : Annotate PDFs, fill forms, create notes, convert files to PDF or vice versa, sign PDFs. Compatibility:  iPhone/iPad . Price: free, offers in-app purchases.
• 6. Notability : Annotate documents, create notes, record audio notes. Compatibility: iPhone/iPad . Price: free, offers in-app purchases.

3. Cloud storage apps

Cloud storage is a wonderful invention and one of the blessings of modern technology. It has saved my academic life countless times. Imagine the panic you would feel to know you have just irretrievably deleted a draft chapter of your doctoral dissertation. Imagine as well the joy and relief you would feel to realize that a copy of the supposedly lost chapter is miraculously stored on Google Drive. That was me when I was working on my doctoral dissertation.

A rule of thumb, always make sure you have copies of your documents and other important materials saved in a safe cloud storage platform so you can access them anywhere with Internet connection. I know there are always risks of theft and privacy issues but the cloud storage platforms below offer maximum security and I personally never had any issues with them. 

• 1. Google Drive : Save and access files anywhere including offline, file sharing. Compatibility:  iPhone/iPad / Android . Price: free, offers in-app purchases.
• 2. Dropbox : Upload and save content to the cloud, send large files, scan documents,  Compatibility:  iPhone/iPad / Android . Price: free, offers in-app purchases.
• 3. OneDrive : Backup your files, file sharing, mark up and sign docs, file sharing. Compatibility: iPhone/iPad/ Android . Price: free, offers in-app purchases.
• 4. Box : Save content, take notes, record audio, scan and upload content.  Compatibility:   iPhone/iPad  / Android . Price: free, offers in-app purchases.

4. Bookmarking apps

The web is packed full of all types of resources and you probably come across tons of these resources in your daily browsing. Some of these materials are just so important that bookmarking them becomes a necessity. Whether it’s a web page, a PDF, a video, an image, or anything else published online and is of importance to your work as a researcher, make sure you have a way to save it for later reference. 

Here are some of the best bookmarking apps you can use on your mobile device to save and access your favourite online resources.

• 1. Flipboard : Curate web content, follow other curators, create magazines out of curated content. Compatibility:  iPhone/iPad / Android . Price: free.
• 2. Feedly : Follow and curate your favourite web content, share insights with collaborators. Compatibility:  iPhone/iPad/ Android . Price: free, offers in-app purchases.
• 3. Instapaper : Save and read articles online or offline, distraction-free reading, annotation, text-to-speech. Compatibility:  iPhone/iPad / Android . Price: free, offers in-app purchases.
• 4. Pocket : Save web content, customize display, listen to articles. Compatibility: iPhone/iPad / Android . Price: free, offers in-app purchases.

5. Document scanner apps

Scanning paperwork is something you will often have recourse to during your research work. The apps below will help you scan various forms of documents on the go and save scanned materials in PDF or image files. 

• 1. PDF Scanner App  : PDF Scanner App transforms your phone into a powerful scanning tool allowing you to enhance your overall productivity. You can use it to swiftly scan and convert documents on the go. Harness advanced OCR technology for editable text and enjoy seamless file organization and sharing.  Compatibility:  iPhone/iPad
• 2. Microsoft Lens : Scan printed or handwritten text, save as PDF/image, Word, or PPT. Compatibility: iPhone/iPad / Android . Price: free.
• 3. CamScanner : Scan documents & photos, scan QR codes, PDF converter, add e-signature on docs. Compatibility: iPhone/iPad / Android . Price: free + in-app purchases.
• 4. Small PDF : Compress, edit, merge, and sign PDFs. Convert Word/ ppt/ JPG/ Excel/ to PDF. Compatibility:  iPhone/iPad /  Android . Price: free, offers in-app purchases.
• 5. Evernote Scannable : Scan different documents, export scans in PDF or JPG. Compatibility: iPhone/iPad . Price: free.

6 . Dictionary apps

A dictionary is an indispensable tool in your research toolkit. It will help enhance your reading comprehension and refine your writing style. Here are some of the best dictionary apps to keep handy:

• 1. Merriam-Webster : Dictionary and thesaurus, example sentences, audio pronunciation, voice search. Compatibility iPhone/iPad . Price: free, offers in-app purchases.
• 2. Dictionary : Dictionary, thesaurus, offline access, idioms, slang, translation, medical dictionary. Compatibility iPhone/iPad. Price: free, offers in-app purchases.
• 3. Power Thesaurus : S ynonyms, antonyms, word pronunciation, favourites and tags. Compatibility iPhone/iPad . Price: free.

7. Academic research networking apps

A huge part of academic life is about research networking. Getting to meet  fellow researchers from all around the world, discover their work, share experiences, and build research connections and collaborations. 

My favourite platforms for research networking are researchGate, Academia, and LinkedIn. All of these platforms have mobile apps allowing you to access and connect with a worldwide community of researchers anywhere, anytime.

• 1. ResearchGate : Connect with researchers, discover research in your field, get research updates. Compatibility iPhone/iPad . Price: free.
• 2. Academia : S earch for academic research, connect with researchers, see who mentioned your in their research. Compatibility iPhone/iPad . Price: free, offers in-app purchases.
• 3. LinkedIn : Find and connect to researchers, see their research updates, share articles, job search. Compatibility iPhone/iPad . Price: free, offers in-app purchases.

8. Focus enhancing apps

Doing research, as is the case with any other productive activity, requires sustained periods of focus and concentration. Unfortunately, the world of digitality does not lend itself easily to this kind of focus, or what Cal Newport  called Deep Work . 

However, (and ironically enough) technology does offer solutions. There are various online and mobile applications that can help you develop focus and achieve more everyday. Some of my the best focus enhancing apps I recommend for researchers include:

• 1. Flora- Green Focus  : Monitor phone usage, build positive habits, clear to-do lists. Compatibility iPhone/iPad . Price: free, offers in-app purchases.
• 2. Forest Focus : Control phone usage, overcome phone addiction, plant seeds in Forest.  Compatibility iPhone/iPad . Price: free, offers in-app purchases.
• 3. Freedom : Block distractions, break bad habits, block apps and websites, focus sounds, locked mode. Compatibility iPhone/iPad . Price: free, offers in-app purchases.
• 4. Pomodoro : Focus timer, track progress, white noise sounds, customizable settings. Compatibility iPhone/iPad . Price: free, offers in-app purchases.
• 5. Focus Keeper : Task management, track productivity, adjustable timer, focus reminder. Compatibility iPhone/iPad . Price: free, offers in-app purchases.

9. Task management and to-do list apps

Besides enhancing focus, which I talked about earlier, your productivity can benefit a lot from having effective task management strategies in place. Juggling aimlessly among unfinished tasks and not being able to clearly articulate your research and academic priorities can decrease from the overall quality of your work. 

Creating to-do lists, setting reminders for important deadlines, strategic planning, effective tasks management are all practices (and skills) that you need to incorporate into your daily routine. And yes there are apps to help you do so. Consider the following:

• 1. Google Tasks : Create and edit tasks, set due dates, organize and manage tasks. Compatibility: iPhone/iPad . Price: free.
• 2. Things 3 : Create to-dos, set reminders, calendar integration, mail to Things, quick find. Compatibility: iPhone/iPad . Price: free, offers in-app purchases.
• 3. TickTick : To-do lists and task management, reminders, calendar integration, upload attachments to tasks. Compatibility: iPhone/iPad . Price: free, offers in-app purchases.
• 4. MinimaList : Focus timer, task management, reminders, calendar syncing. Compatibility: iPhone/iPad . Price: free, offers in-app purchases.
• 5. Microsoft To Do : Create to-do lists, add notes, sync lists, set reminders,  manage tasks. Compatibility: iPhone/iPad . Price: free.
• 6. Todoist : Create tasks, plan your day, set reminders, organize lists, collaborate with others. Compatibility: iPhone/iPad . Price: free, offers in-app purchases.

10. Apps for e-Signing Docs

Distant education is becoming a huge part of today’s education. From webinars to online conferences, so much of our work as researchers and educators is done online. With that being the case, we often find ourselves in situations where we need to remotely sign paperwork or request signature from others. Hence the importance of e-signature apps below. These are apps that enable you to fill in forms and sign documents electronically. 

• 1. DocuSign:  : Sign documents, create your own signature, see when documents signed, check signing status, support multiple signers. Compatibility: iPhone/iPad . Price: free, offers in-app purchases.
• 2. Signeasy  : Sign documents, send documents for signature, works with any document format, draw or import your signature. Compatibility: iPhone/iPad. Price: free, offers in-app purchases.
• 3. Smallpdf : Compress, edit, merge, and sign PDFs. Convert Word/ ppt/ JPG/ Excel/ to PDF.Compatibility:  iPhone/iPad /  Android . Price: free, offers in-app purchases.

11. Voice Transcription Apps

As a researcher, you get to work with multiple forms of data including audio transcribed data, that is, data you extract from audio or video content. Indeed, transcription is an arduous and time-consuming activity, but there are apps that make the whole process as simple as clicking on a button to automatically generate transcriptions. 

Of course, machine transcription is not 100% accurate and you always need to double check the accuracy of the final output. Some of  the best transcription apps for researchers include:

• 1. Otter : Record and transcribe audio in real-time, live captioning, highlight key points. Compatibility: iPhone/iPad and Android / Price: free, offers in-app purchases.
• 2. Voice to Text Pro:  : Convert speech to text, create notes, transcribe external audio files. Compatibility: iPhone/iPad / Price: free, offers in-app purchases.
• 3. Rev Voice Recorder: Record audio, order human transcripts/ automated transcripts, trim recordings. Compatibility: iPhone/iPad ,  Android / Price: free, offers in-app purchases.

12. Audio recording apps

As a researcher, you need to have a reliable audio recording app installed on your mobile device. Whether you want to record an audio note, a lecture, or a meeting, audio recording apps will definitely help enhance your productivity. Some of my favourite audio recording apps include:

• 1. Voice Memos : Record with built-in mic, edit recordings, organize into folders. Compatibility: iPhone/iPad . Price: free
• 2. Voice Record Pro : Unlimited recording, supports different audio formats, export/import audio. Compatibility:  iPhone/iPad . Price: free, offers in-app purchases.
• 3. Easy Voice Recorder : Record audio, transcribe recordings, share recordings with others. Compatibility:  iPhone/iPad . Price: free, offers in-app purchases.

Final thoughts

In conclusion, this curated collection of apps is specifically designed to boost the productivity and efficiency of researchers and graduate students. From note-taking and PDF annotation to cloud storage and task management, each category is filled with tools to enhance various aspects of academic work. By integrating these apps into your daily routine, you can effectively capture ideas on the go, manage extensive reading materials, safely store critical work, and streamline your research process.

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Meet Med Kharbach, PhD

Dr. Med Kharbach is an influential voice in the global educational technology landscape, with an extensive background in educational studies and a decade-long experience as a K-12 teacher. Holding a Ph.D. from Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax, Canada, he brings a unique perspective to the educational world by integrating his profound academic knowledge with his hands-on teaching experience. Dr. Kharbach's academic pursuits encompass curriculum studies, discourse analysis, language learning/teaching, language and identity, emerging literacies, educational technology, and research methodologies. His work has been presented at numerous national and international conferences and published in various esteemed academic journals.

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The best note-taking apps for graduate students: How to choose the right note-taking app

• September 20, 2022
• PRODUCTIVITY

As graduate students, we have to collect, consolidate, and absorb a great deal of information. It is rare for universities to train you on how to do this; therefore, keeping track of notes can quickly become a challenge.

I learned this the hard way. After desperately searching for a better note-taking app that has worked for me for more than six years, I learned that finding the  right  app can take a while. But it’s worth it in the end.

Several books discuss the importance of note-taking and provide ways and strategies to become an effective note-taker. Instead of covering all note-taking techniques, I will outline some modified methods I have developed over time.

Maintaining good grades requires taking excellent notes in class; keeping notes on books is essential for comprehensive exams, dissertations, and other publications. Keeping effective records of academic articles is crucial for all PhD programs.

By 2026, the note-taking tools market is expected to reach $1.35B. Good news: there’s an app for everyone. In addition, most of the best note-taking apps for graduate students are free. Not-so-great thing: new note-taking apps are popping up weekly, making it hard to decide which one you should use. This is the dilemma you have to face.

You don’t have to choose a note-taking app based on black-and-white criteria. Depending on your use case, you might need to combine two or more apps to achieve your goals, so you may need to use more than one. The goal should be to avoid creating a Frankenstein’s monster of a productivity system, which often would not be productive at all. It’s often better to keep things simple when taking notes and turning them into creative work.

The shiny toy syndrome is real, and using the “latest and greatest” wastes your time. It is worsened by the availability of different note-taking apps for graduate students.

Nothing is more valuable than a carefully selected note-taking app for a graduate student. It is imperative to stick with whatever tool you choose for a while before switching to another.

You probably have read articles that compare the best note-taking apps for graduate students in terms of features, with tables showing which ones offer which functionalities. 

I will take a slightly different approach in this guide. Considering features in isolation is pointless, so let’s examine the benefits of note-taking apps based on how you take notes.

Digital or analogue?

Analog note-taking.

When choosing the right note-taking app for graduate students, this is arguably the most frequently asked question for all the right reasons.

There is no harm in taking notes by hand. For some students, they work better than digital notes. However, I also think that it’s impossible to avoid digital note-taking in today’s digital world, where everything is digital, and many courses are also run digitally. 

You can be creative when it comes to handwritten notes. You can color coat them, draw boxes, and do many other things to customize each page.

In addition, sometimes, it’s easier to take notes by hand than with a tablet or laptop. It is especially true if you have to jot down quick notes.

It can also help with memorization because you’ll be able to visualize the page in your mind when you’re stuck on an exam question.

Digital note-taking

Digital note-taking offers the convenience of storing everything in one place.

As long as you have internet access, you should be able to access all of your notes, which is convenient, especially if you commute or are always on the go.

It’s also easier to organize digital notes since you can sort them into files, look up things with keywords, and find what you need faster than flipping through many pages.

With so many note-taking apps for graduate students available on the market, you will be able to find an app that works for you to take digital notes.

Digital and paper have different characteristics and their own use cases.

In addition to handwritten notes, I have seen some graduate students use Apple iPads to make notes digitally (but still handwritten).

In addition to digital note-taking, I take handwritten notes when necessary. I prefer digital note-taking because handwritten notes have never worked for me. 

I also prefer digital note-taking since I don’t like to carry physical items around all the time.

From now on, I will be focusing on digital note-taking. 

Find your inner note-taking persona

Are you a connecter.

You are an architect .

Architect enjoys planning and designing processes and frameworks, and a note-taking tool helps them organize their ideas.

Are you a databaser?

You are a librarian .

Libraries enjoy collecting resources and need a note-taking tool that makes it easy to retrieve notes.

Are you somewhat in between or have no idea at all?

You are a gardener .

Gardeners like to experiment, connect different ideas, and need a tool that helps them grow their imaginations.

My note-taking journey

Disclaimer .

I think that there isn’t an app that works for everyone. As a matter of fact, I think it’s nearly impossible because finding the best fit always depends on so many factors. It depends on your daily life and visual learning abilities. 

My note-taking app of choice is Obsidian.

Having tried so many note-taking apps over the past six years, I have decided to use Obsidian exclusively.

Here’s why… 

My six years of journey to find the best app

Of course, finding the right note-taking app for a graduate student is never a piece of cake. It takes time and lots of trial and error.

But if you know what to look for and where to look, you will find the best note-taking app in no time.

Discovering something that works best for you is non-linear because your requirements also change over time. Therefore, it is a non-linear process on two levels. Choosing an app that suits you best also involves figuring out what you really want. By the end of this process, you will have a better idea of what you need from a note-taking app than you did before.

For example, I wasn’t sure what type of note-taker I was. I used to think I was an architect when I heard the concepts of  architect, gardener, and librarian . 

However, after six years and so many failed attempts later, I found myself between an architect and a gardener.

Available note-taking apps for graduate students

I started with Evernote , which was the obvious choice at the time. Also, Obsidian was not even released at this time. 

I had this idea of having an excellent note-taking system when I was an undergraduate student, and the most obvious option (Back in 2017) was Evernote so I went with it. As of now, I have more than 2000 entries in different notebooks in Evernote .

Then I realized something. I couldn’t build any connections between my notes using this app. It’s just a stack of notes piling up without giving me feedback. So I couldn’t “think” with Evernote .

So, I moved into OneNote, which had many more options than Evernote . But it has the same issue of not being able to link notes. Also, one note is just an infinite canvas, so it can sometimes be overwhelming.

Therefore, I moved into Notion , which I still use for different reasons. Although one can link notes and files in Notion , it is not built for that. Therefore, I worked against a system when I tried to link notes. And consequently, I felt mentally tired over time.

But still, Notion was one of my go-to apps at the time (But not for note-taking), so I stuck with it for a while.

Right before I graduated with my bachelor’s degree, I started questioning my judgment about the app I use for “ thinking “. To be able to think freely, the app I utilize should not be “ heavy “. Furthermore, I need to be able to “link my thinking” to make my notes more useful in the long run.

This is where I moved into Roam Research , which satisfied both of the requirements mentioned above.

I thought I found it after a handful of apps and three years of searching. But, mental fatigue developed each and every time I used Roam Research . Although this app had all the features I wanted, something was missing. And it took me another year to figure that out, just before I started my graduate degree.

Although Roam Research is a simple, elegant and lightweight app, the problem was we did not have much control over sorting the files and file management within the app. Because of this issue, I felt a resistance to thinking about “ ideas ” on this platform.

In the long term, the essential quality of a note-taking system is how efficient the sorting and file management functionality is. But the linking notes were one of the top features of Roam Research .

Therefore, the question was, what is the app I can use that already has the bi-directional linking option and better sorting and file management features?

This is when I first encountered Obsidian . And it has been my only note-taking app from that point onwards. 

Lessons I learned from six years of note-taking 

Visualized note-taking can be nothing but a huge mess in the long run if you do not know what you are doing. .

Visualized note-taking can be appealing at times, but it can be really hard to sort your notes in the long run when the data fill in.

There is no guarantee that something will be useful just because it is visually appealing. 

It is most effective to keep things simple.

In the long run, you should develop a system that works for you, not the other way around. 

The apps we use shape who we are

As I took notes in  Roam Research , I felt mental fatigue develop as I took notes, so I was always looking for alternatives. 

This is where I found the YouTube video by Nick Milo’s video, Why Obsidian Will Overtake Roam . At this time, I was partially using Obsidian but did not fully commit to it. 

Nick talks about a concept that I never thought of, which is that, the apps we use shape who we are . 

When you are interacting with anything in day-to-day life, it has a huge impact on us. It also applies to the note-taking apps we use.

The purpose of some note-taking apps is only to jot down notes, not to  write .

You are working against a system if you used one of these apps to write.

This is exactly what I was doing. I was working against the system.

This is why choosing the best note-taking app for a graduate student is not as straightforward as it seems.

I had already started my PhD at this point. The most accurate definition of a PhD holder is a person with a  license to write . Despite wanting to write, I could not do so using an app designed for just jotting down notes. My mental fatigue piled up because of this.

As Nick mentioned in the video,  at the end of the day, people will have to write .

The first app isn’t always the right app

When you find a visually appealing app, you are always reluctant to try another, even if it does not feel right. 

This is a form of rebellion against the system. You are actually working against the system. You should be audacious enough to try something new until you find the best app. 

But how do you know if you have the right app that works for you?

Well, the feeling that makes you want to use that app more and more will tell you if you like it or not.

I’ve been using Obsidian for the past two months, for example. Every day, I spend more than two hours on it, on average.

How to get the absolute most out of digital note-taking

I prefer non-visualized note-taking methods as a writer and since I like to organize my notes as a thinking hub .

My experience as a person coming from visually-oriented note-taking apps made me realize that non-visualized note-taking requires a different skill set.

Typing skills

Typing fast is a superpower for anyone who spends much time at the computer. It surprises me how many people ignore this simple logic. 

Let’s say you can type 40 words per minute (which is about the same speed as an average writer). Writing 80 words per minute will make you twice as productive as writing notes by hand. It really is that simple. 

This is clearly one of the advantages of digital note-taking over handwritten note-taking. 

But, you have to invest time in increasing your typing speed to have that added benefit of digital note-taking.

Touch typing (typing without looking at the keyboard) was difficult for me at first. I typed 21 words per minute. Therefore, I would have been half as efficient as someone who takes notes by hand.

My typing speed needs to be increased at this point. I was able to increase my typing speed to 80+ words per minute after a couple of months. 

I can type more than 90 words per minute on a good day. Taking digital notes, along with a million other things I do for my PhD, is made much easier by being able to type faster. 

The process of learning to type is similar to learning to drive. Once you learn it, it won’t leave you. It is, therefore, highly recommended that you speed up your typing if you wish to take digital notes.

Here are my typing stats:

Programming skills

While this is not a requirement for digital note-taking, it can be very useful if you have some coding skills (any language will do). 

So many great digital note-taking apps for graduate students are available for free. As a result, you can come up with macros or add-ins to customize your workflow.

Long-term benefits of having a note-taking app that works for you

It is almost autopilot.

A perfect note-taking system  works for you . You do not work for the note-taking system. 

In the long run, your system will grow into an  evergreen forest  that will work as a  second brain  for you. The more notes you have, the better.

However, if you did not have such a system and just stacked up all of your notes, you would be able to find anything. This is the last thing a graduate student wants. Having nothing organized when you are about to write your thesis is not very empowering. 

More thinking, less organizing

A modern way of  procrastinating  is spending more time on things than actually doing some work. With all the note-taking apps available nowadays, it is really easy to fall into this trap.

In the long run, when you look back, you just organize things without doing productive work. Having a proper note-taking system prevents this from happening.

The more notes you have, the more powerful they become

I realized down the road to finding the best app for note-taking because most of the apps I used work backwards.

The more notes I have, the more difficult it becomes to do constructive work, mainly because of the poor sorting capabilities of the app I chose.

Therefore, before choosing a note-taking app, you should ask,

Is this app suitable for sorting so I can use it long-term?

Finding the best app for note-taking that works for you is not easy. Ultimately, it’s worth your effort because it’ll be more rewarding than ever imagined.

Images courtesy : Image by storyset on Freepik

Aruna Kumarasiri

Founder at Proactive Grad, Materials Engineer, Researcher, and turned author. In 2019, he started his professional carrier as a materials engineer with the continuation of his research studies. His exposure to both academic and industrial worlds has provided many opportunities for him to give back to young professionals.

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The Best Apps For Ph.D. Students, Researchers, and Graduate Students

No doubt postgraduate studies are complicated, and there are definitely fewer platforms that can  write my papers online  for students pursuing advanced degrees. Nevertheless, you can find tools designed for Ph.D. students exclusively. For example, do you know, there are some Apps for Ph.D. Students, which helps in their research. Looks interesting, right? Then you are at the right place. In this article, we have discussed the top apps for Ph.D. Students. Go and read the article till the end to claim the complete information that helps you a lot.

Although there are many mobile apps available on the Android Play Store, very few are useful for researchers. Based on their daily activities, such as research collaboration, data collection, document reading, updating real-world issues, resource gathering, schedule maintenance, and journal reading, we identified the top 10 best apps for researchers. This article will explain how to use the 10 most useful mobile apps for Ph.D. Scholars. These are the best apps for Ph.D. students. You can buy essay if you need to get help with writing your paper faster.

10 Best Apps for Ph.D. Students

Video tutorial.

We Provided this Article in the form of a Video Tutorial for our reader’s convenience. If you are interested in reading, skip the video for now and watch it after the completion of reading this article.

1. Mendeley

1.1 what is the mendeley app.

Mendeley , a free PDF reader, and reference manager designed for researchers are available as a free download. It allows you to organize your literature in a way that you can use during your dissertation writing. Mendeley is available as a desktop and mobile application. It allows you to access your articles wherever you are.

1.2 How can you use it for research?

• Register at www.mendeley.com to create a free account and download a desktop edition for your system.
• All your journals, magazines, book chapters, thesis, and other materials should be organized.
• Segregate files using the TAG option to determine the year, author, publication, and domain.
• Log in to Mendeley Mobile Application and download Mendeley Mobile App.
• Allow the application to sync with your account.
• You can now see all files you have saved to your desktop in the mobile app.

2. Flipboard

2.1 what is flipboard app.

Flipboard is the most widely used mobile app that millions use every day. It allows you to keep track of domain-related information, read blog posts and follow trending topics in one place. Flipboard allows users to create and save posts based on their interests. You will enjoy reading more articles thanks to the user interface that is powerful and intuitive.

2.2 How can you use it for research?

• Get Flipboard mobile and create an account.
• Flipboard will provide a virtual tour that will allow you to see the basics of the application.
• Click the Flipboard icon and click “WHAT’S YOU PASSION?”
• Find your domain. Ex: Machine Learning.
• It will display many sub-categories within the topic. You can personalize the magazine according to your requirements. That’s it!
• The Daily Edition keeps you informed about the latest news in your domain each day.

3. Researcher

3.1 what is the researcher app.

Researcher , a free mobile journal-finding application, allows you to find new journal papers that are relevant to your research every day. This is the most used mobile app by over 3 million researchers and scientists to stay up-to-date with the latest academic literature.

3.2 How can you use it for research?

• Get the Researcher mobile app for your mobile.
• Search in the search bar for your journal.
• You can follow as many journals as you like and also read new articles.

4. Plagiarism Checker

4.1 what is the plagiarism checker app.

Plagiarism Checker is a free app that can detect duplicate content in papers from more than five search engines, including Google, Yahoo!, Babylon, Google Scholar, and Google Books.

4.2 How can you use it for research?

• Download Plagiarism Checker mobile application.
• You don’t need to register so that you can access the app directly.
• With a single click, scan your article, term paper, or dissertation.
• You can also use voice support or directly link to it.
• You can save the HTML, PDF, and EPUB results. That’s it!

Related: 9 Best Grammar checker tools

5. Google Keep

5.1 what is google keep app.

Google Keep is a free rest application by Google LLC. It allows researchers to quickly capture their thoughts and receive a reminder at the right time or place.

5.2 How can you use it for research?

• Download Google Keep mobile application.
• Log in to your Google account.
• Keep will record a voice memo, and Keep will transcrib it for you later.
• Take quick notes.
• Make a daily schedule and allow for rest.
• Take handwritten notes.
• Save important images with the camera
• It is also available on your laptop or desktop computer.

6. Curiosity

6.1 what is the curiosity app.

CuriosityStream is a popular mobile app that allows researchers to explore new scientific discoveries in more detail using videos.

6.2 How can you use it for research?

• Get the Curiosity mobile app.
• Register to gain access to the app
• Find inspiration in articles related to your topic.
• You can watch smart videos by millions of creators.
• Follow your favorite categories and personalize your favorites.

7. Paperity

7.1 what is paperity app.

Paperity is a mobile application that allows you to access multiple open-access journals from your mobile device.

7.2 How can you use it for research?

• Get Paperity mobile app.
• Check out the most recent articles.
• Browse journals and their Tables of Contents of Open Access publications
• For specific keywords, phrases and countries of origin, search papers provide full text.
• Full-text PDFs for more than a million articles are available to view and print. All this for free!

8.1 What is the Slack App?

Are you doing Collaborative Research? This mobile app Slack can help you get more done. It combines team communication with collaboration so that you can work together with other researchers from around the world. Use #TAG to have a productive conversation about different topics.

8.2 How can you use it for research?

• Get the Slack mobile app.
• Use their Email-ID to include your lab members.
• Talk to your lab mates, organize your conversations according to topics, projects, and other relevant information.
• You can message or call any member of your team.
• Incorporate into your workflow the tools and services such as Google Drive, Salesforce and Dropbox, Asana and Twitter.
• You can customize your notifications to help you remain focused on the important things.

9.1 What is Dropbox?

Dropbox is another free mobile app for researchers that allows them to create creative collaboration spaces, store all files in one place and sync them across all their devices.

9.2 How can you use it for research?

• Dropbox Mobile App.
• Register for Dropbox and get a free copy. Limited space, but sufficient for document files.
• Use shared folders to collaborate on files.
• You can use the document scanner for receipts, whiteboards and notes to be converted into PDFs.
• To share your feedback with your team, comment on the files.
• Sync, share, edit, and modify Word, Excel, PowerPoint files.

10. Camscanner

10.1 what is camscanner app.

Camscanner , a mobile document scanner and sharing app, allows you to scan, store and sync various contents across your smartphones, iPods, and tablets.

10.2 How can you use it for research?

• Install Camscanner and create an account.
• You can scan all types of paper documents with your smartphone camera.
• Smart cropping and auto-enhancing are used to ensure that the text and graphics are preserved in scans.
• You can easily share PDF and JPEG documents with your friends in many ways.
• AirPrint allows you to instantly print any document in CamScanner using a nearby printer.

This article will help you learn about the 10 Best Apps For Ph.D. Students.

All the apps listed in this article are a few of the topmost apps for P.h.D Students to make their research easier. Every app has a unique feature and specialty to assist Ph.D. students in their research. Some apps help you in gathering the required information and some help in organizing the gathered information.

I hope this tutorial helped you to know about The Best Apps For Ph.D. Students, Researchers, and Graduate Students . If you want to say anything, let us know through the comment sections. If you like this article, please share it and follow WhatVwant on Facebook , Twitter , and YouTube for more Technical tips.

The Best Apps For Ph.D. Students, Researchers, and Graduate Students – FAQs

Is doing a Ph.D. hard?

In the United States, only 57% of Ph.D. Students obtained their Ph.D. 10 years after enrollment. Contrary to popular belief, a Ph.D. is not intellectually difficult but it calls for discipline and stamina.

Is a Ph.D. stressful?

Doing a Ph.D. is stressful and isolating under the best of circumstances.

How many Ph.D. students drop out?

Doctoral attrition rates are high in North America: an estimated 40% to 50% of candidates never finish.

Does a Ph.D. guarantee a job?

Of course, if you get online and search why getting a Ph.D. is a mistake you’re going to find a thousand unemployed PhDs blaming their failure on the system.

What merits a Ph.D.?

One of the big benefits of a Ph.D. is adding knowledge to your field of study. There is great satisfaction to be had from challenging the status quo and gaining recognition from your peers.

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15 practical free apps for your college laptop

College can be extremely expensive — not just with tuition and dorm costs, but with materials, books, software, and more. You might think you have to spend lots of cash on apps to get you through your degree.

But, really, you don’t have to spend any money at all! (Except in rare situations where you need a very specific software for class, in which case your college should ideally provide you with a license for it.)

Here’s a truly useful collection of free apps that are must-haves for students like you, allowing you to outfit your college laptop with the essential tools to get your work done and do more.

Related: Choosing the right laptop for your college major

Bitwarden for safer passwords

Chris Hoffman / IDG

A password manager is one of several essential cybersecurity tools for college students . You’ll probably accumulate lots of different logins for various school accounts and resources, right?

Well, a password manager not only keeps all of those logins in one place, but also conveniently fills out login forms on your behalf. You’ll never have to remember your passwords again, which means you can freely use long, strong passwords that are unique to each account for maximum online security with close to zero effort.

Bitwarden is our favorite free password manager . It’s open-source and can sync between your devices, so you can access all your passwords with convenient auto-fill whether you’re on your laptop, your phone, or any other device. All of its important features are truly free.

Further reading: The best free password managers

ProtonVPN for network privacy

A VPN can be really useful when you’re on a college network. Whether your access to a certain site is blocked or your internet speeds are throttled for certain activities, a VPN can help you get around many restrictions and limitations imposed upon you.

Furthermore, VPNs are important for data privacy and security, especially if you’re frequently on the go and constantly using public Wi-Fi networks with your laptop or phone (e.g., at coffee shops).

While most trustworthy VPNs cost money, there are some excellent free options if you don’t need all the bells and whistles. ProtonVPN is our favorite free VPN because it’s from the same privacy-focused company that created the famous ProtonMail email service.

Further reading: The best free VPNs that don’t suck

Microsoft OneNote for taking notes

Did you know one of the best note-taking apps is already installed on your PC? It’s called Microsoft OneNote and it’s excellent for students. Whether you want to type notes, insert images, write with a stylus, or even record audio during a lecture, OneNote can do it all.

OneNote is extremely flexible, so it’s as powerful as you want it to be. It’s also cross-platform, so you’re leaving yourself open to options by choosing it. If you later switch to a MacBook or Chromebook, you’ll still have full access and functionality. It also works well on iPads and other tablets, in case you like to review notes on such devices.

Further reading: The best note-taking apps for college students

Microsoft Office for assignments

Microsoft’s full-blown Microsoft Office suite with Word, Excel, and PowerPoint normally costs money, but many colleges provide it to students free or charge as part of an agreement with Microsoft.

Check with your college acquiring a free educational license for Office. You can also head to Microsoft’s Office 365 Education website and plug in your school email address to see if you get it for free that way.

Even if you can’t get Office for free, you can still use Word and other Office apps for free in a web browser or subscribe for $3 per month with a student discount .

Microsoft To Do for task management

A task management app is essential for keeping track of due dates and staying on top of deadlines. If you’re deep into Google apps, you may want to use Google Tasks which is built into Gmail and Google Calendar. Otherwise, I recommend Microsoft To Do .

This 100% free to-do app comes included with Windows, and it’s also available on Android and iPhone devices. It’s a powerful, easy-to-use tool that’s packed with features, including collaboration. (You can create a shared task list with a roommate or project partner!)

Grammarly or Microsoft Editor for writing assistance and suggestions

Many students use writing assistants to polish up their essays, and Grammarly is the premier writing assistant. It’s available both as a browser extension and a Windows app, with the Windows app conveniently integrating with other apps like Microsoft Word.

Anyone can use Grammarly Free to get instant access to basic grammar checking and suggestions, but Grammarly Premium with AI writing suggestions costs extra. Some schools offer Grammarly Premium for free to students , but not all of them do.

You can also use the Microsoft Editor browser extension , which is completely free and provides similar writing suggestions in your browser.

iCloud for Windows to sync your iPhone and Apple services to PC

If you’re an iPhone user, I highly recommend installing Apple’s iCloud for Windows app . It provides several integrations with the Apple services you’re probably using on your phone.

With it, you can see your iCloud Photos in the Windows Photos app, browse your iCloud Drive files in File Explorer, access your bookmarks in your web browser, and get access to your iCloud Keychain passwords.

Quick Share and Phone Link to sync your Android phone to PC

If you’re an Android phone user, check out the Google Quick Share app . It integrates your Windows PC with the Quick Share functionality on Android phones so you can wirelessly send files back and forth between PC and phone. It works with Samsung Galaxy, Google Pixel, and more.

Microsoft’s Phone Link feature , which is included with Windows, is also very useful if you have an Android phone. You can send text messages, take calls, manage notifications, and view/download photos from your phone’s camera roll, all from your PC. (It kind of works with iPhones too, but it works best with Android phones.)

DaVinci Resolve for video editing

Blackmagic Design

When it comes to video editing, your mind likely goes right to professional software like Adobe Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro. Those may cost a pretty penny, but there’s an excellent alternative that’s just as good (mostly) and completely free: DaVinci Resolve .

DaVinci Resolve is an extremely capable, industry-standard video editing and post-processing tool that’s actually used by professionals. It might actually be overboard if you’re just looking to edit a few clips, although I know some hobbyists who prefer it anyway.

If you’re interested in video editing or post-production work and you’re on a tight budget, you owe it to yourself to try DaVinci Resolve.

Adobe Photoshop Express for simple photo editing

The Photos app built into Windows is a surprisingly capable tool for performing basic photo edits. But Adobe’s free Photoshop Express app is another great tool for quick photo touchups.

With Photoshop Express, you can crop images, apply effects and filters, fix red-eye issues, and touch-up blemishes. This free photo-editing tool is meant to be simple and quick, so keep your expectations in check.

For more powerful photo editing, you’ll have to look elsewhere. Adobe Photoshop isn’t free for students, but Adobe does offer a student discount on its Creative Cloud plans .

Spotify for music streaming

While Spotify has competition, it’s still the music streaming service. It has a high-quality Windows app (not just a web player) that integrates nicely with your PC. Unlike some of its competitors, Spotify offers free music streaming to everyone — you just need to listen to some ads.

If those ads are a problem, you can get a student discount with the Spotify Premium for Students plan , which is $5.99 per month and comes with Hulu. (The bundled Hulu account does have ads, but the Spotify Premium account you get doesn’t have ads.)

VLC for all-in-one video playback

Windows has a capable built-in video player these days, and there’s a good chance you don’t even need it because you’re probably doing most of your watching on YouTube, Netflix, and the like.

But if you do find yourself viewing a lot of video files — especially videos in many different formats — then I have to recommend VLC . It’s been the go-to video player for decades. It’s the Swiss Army knife of media players that can play anything you throw at it.

WizTree for freeing up drive space

While Windows provides some built-in tools for clearing up space on your computer’s storage , one of the best ways to find out what’s using up all your space is to use WizTree , a free disk space analyzing tool that shows you — visually — how your space is used up.

WizTree is the fastest way to analyze your disk space usage on Windows. With a quick scan, you can see exactly which files and folders are clogging up your drives, so you know exactly what you need to free up for the most impact right away.

Perhaps you need to uninstall a particularly massive video game? Or maybe you have big media files lying around from a project? WizTree makes it easy to spot it all at a glance.

VMware Workstation for virtual machines

Christoph Hoffmann

You may or may not need virtual machine software depending on your college major, but if you’re studying Computer Science or another along those lines, you might benefit from using virtual machines.

Virtual machine software lets you install an operating system within your current operating system, essentially running an isolated instance of that OS within its own sandbox environment. This is a great way to install a full Linux system without giving up Windows, for example. (Or use the Windows Subsystem for Linux feature to run Linux apps on Windows.)

VMware Workstation was, until very recently, a paid app. Broadcom now offers it free for personal use. It will likely be your best bet if you’re looking for a virtual machine application.

Further reading: How to set up virtual machines with VMware

Microsoft PowerToys for various useful tools and features

Microsoft PowerToys is a collection of useful power-user tools that you probably didn’t know you needed. It’s packed with nifty utilities that can make your life easier, and they all come bundled together in one convenient (and free) package that’s easy to install.

With PowerToys, you can do things like remapping keys on your keyboard (so they function as other keys), bulk rename lots of files at once, get a color-picking tool that gives you the color code for anything on your screen, and so many other useful things.

And there you have it! A full assortment of free apps that’ll make your life as a college student that much more productive and enjoyable. For more software recommendations, check out our roundup of useful free apps that are already installed on your Windows PC .

Author: Chris Hoffman , Contributor

Chris Hoffman is the author of Windows Intelligence, a free email newsletter that brings the latest Windows PC news, trips, and tricks to inboxes each week. He's also the former editor-in-chief of How-To Geek and a veteran tech journalist whose work has appeared in The New York Times, PCMag, Reader's Digest, and other publications.

Recent stories by Chris Hoffman:

• The 5 best note-taking apps for college students
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The Best Apps for Distraction-Free Writing

We are bombarded by distractions every moment of every day. Some of them are of our own making; others are basically unavoidable. As I sat writing this story my Fitbit reminded me to get up and move, I received well over 100 emails, Duolingo told me it was time for a lesson, Google let me know it was screening a suspicious call , and I received an alert to water my plants. All of this noise would make it hard to accomplish any task, but it’s particularly problematic when you’re trying to write.

Even the tiniest of distractions can completely disrupt your flow when you’re trying to put words down on a page, and so a whole cottage industry has cropped up around making tools for distraction-free writing. These apps can’t stop telemarketers from calling you or deflect the deluge of Instagram notifications, but they do strip away the extraneous nonsense found in traditional word processors like rulers, toolbars, and tables, and focus on what’s most important: words.

Distraction-free writing apps come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and at various price points. Here are a few of my favorites.

Google Docs

Sometimes the best tool is the one you’re already using. Google Docs wouldn’t qualify as “distraction-free” by most measures. It has all the bells and whistles you’d expect from an office suite. But if you go up to the View menu and click “Full screen,” you get a surprisingly clean and minimal interface.

In full screen mode, you see a page with words, rulers along the top and sides, and a document outline on the left. That’s it. The toolbar and most other interface elements are removed. You can hide the rulers and document outline as well; just go to the View menu.

To make Docs as close to the other distraction-free apps in this roundup, go to Tools, Preferences, and turn on Enable Markdown. This allows you to format your work with simple text cues like putting words between asterisks to style them with italics. My biggest complaint is that there’s no dark mode for Google Docs at the moment.

The best feature of Google Docs though, is the price: Free.

At the other end of the price spectrum is iA Writer . The desktop app for macOS is $50. And if you want to use it on your iPad or iPhone, that’s another $50. Windows and Android users get a bit better of a deal at $30, but the experience isn’t quite as smooth, and features generally come to Apple’s platforms first.

That being said, I think it might provide the best experience of the bunch. Even in standard mode, iA Writer is a clean and minimal text editor with a decent amount of customization and support for simple Markdown formatting .

But the real magic happens when you click the focus mode button in the top bar. There are a few ways to customize focus mode, but by default the line you’re actively typing on is highlighted and centered. As you move on to the next line, the completed text fades to a dull gray and moves upwards. It’s not too different from what you’d experience with a typewriter.

iA Writer has dark mode and shortcut integration for macOS, iOS, and iPadOS. Plus it’s just plain pretty. Given the high price though, you have to be pretty dedicated to the idea of a distraction-free working environment to spring for iA Writer.

The basic layout and feature set of Ulysses isn’t terribly different from iA Writer. There’s a sidebar for navigating and organizing your files, and a large main pane for composing. But it’s definitely more feature-rich, including tools for goal tracking and proofreading. Thanks to its simple but thoughtful organization system, you could probably even use Ulysses as a note-taking app in a pinch.

Like iA Writer it has a typewriter mode with line highlighting and text scrolling. But you have to turn on the various parts of it individually the first time. One of its bigger draws is its styles that allow you to export documents using templates customized for scripts, novels, blog posts, and more.

The knock against Ulysses is that it’s available only as a $40 annual subscription. And it’s strictly for macOS, iOS, and iPadOS. If you’re a Windows user, you’re out of luck.

FocusWriter

This is perhaps the most bare-bones of the bunch, but it shouldn’t be overlooked. FocusWriter has all the basics you’d expect from a text editor, including spell check and the ability to have multiple documents open simultaneously. It also has tools for serious writers, like stat tracking and goal setting.

Unlike most of the other apps here, FocusWriter uses rich text (RTF) for formatting instead of Markdown. It probably has the most customizable interface of the bunch, though. You can meticulously choose the interface colors, fonts, and background.

One of the biggest draws will be that it’s free and open source, though right now it’s available for Windows and Linux only. While you can probably get it running on macOS if you know your way around a command line, it will take some legwork, and there’s no mobile client or file syncing.

The idea of distraction-free writing is, inherently, kind of gimmicky. But OmmWriter is probably the most gimmicky of the bunch. It doesn’t just strip away the extraneous nonsense; it aims to immerse you in an environment conducive to a flow state. That includes gentle soundscapes to help you focus and even various typing sound effects to enhance the vibes.

If you want more audible feedback while typing, but don’t want to invest in a nice mechanical keyboard, this might do the job. Though, the very slight lag between your fingers hitting the keys and the sound coming out of the speakers bugged me.

Otherwise, the UI is pretty bare, with a resizable text box in the center and a few buttons to the right for changing settings. It’s the cheapest of the commercial options here at $9.93 for macOS or Windows. But you can also give it a whirl in your browser by playing with a stripped down version for free.

Scrivener has a dedicated following among long-form writers, and for good reason. While the app does have an excellent distraction-free mode, complete with typewriter-style scrolling, it also sports advanced organizing tools that you’re sure to appreciate if you’re working on a book or a screenplay. It’s made specifically with longer writing projects in mind.

Its project outlines make it simple to collect research or rearrange ideas until you find what clicks. When it comes time to actually write, the full screen composition mode gets rid of everything but the text box. It’s the most minimal of editors.

Scrivener is available on macOS and Windows for $60, or iOS for $24. Unfortunately you will have to purchase a separate license for each platform, which could get expensive if you use multiple devices.

This is perhaps the best deal of the bunch if you’re looking for a true distraction-free experience without having to jump through a lot of hoops. For $15, Calmly offers some customization of the interface and basic stat tracking, but mostly it’s just focused on writing.

Like many of the other apps, Calmly is Markdown based, so your resulting files are just plaintext and easily transferred between apps. What you won’t find here are any file management tools or flashy export options, though it does allow you to insert images and add comments, which many of the other apps don’t.

Calmly is available as a desktop app for Windows, Linux, and macOS, but there’s also a stripped down web-based version that is free.

Obsidian isn’t really a distraction-free writing app; it’s a full-featured notetaker. But its clean UI and reliance on Markdown make it a pretty solid writing tool. Plus, its wealth of customization options and deep catalog of extensions mean you can turn Obsidian into the specific writing environment that suits your needs. You can add typewriter-like modes, or set up goal tracking to monitor your productivity. You can just as easily remove features and strip away any of the bits you don't want.

The best part is that Obsidian is free for personal use. If you want to use it as more than just a text editor, I highly recommend you spring for the $4 monthly subscription. This enables file syncing, which keeps all your work in order across all your devices. Obsidian is also platform agnostic and available for macOS, iOS, iPadOS, Windows, Android, and Linux. Just don't let browsing and trying out all those extensions become a distraction itself.

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