Recommended Tools
Every tool here is one I personally use in research contexts. Honest reviews, honest limitations, affiliate links disclosed.
Disclosure: Some links are affiliate links. I earn a small commission if you purchase — at no extra cost to you. I only recommend tools I use.
Matplotlib
The Python plotting library that produces the figures you see in top journals. Learn to create …
Overleaf
The most popular LaTeX editor for researchers. Write, compile, and collaborate on academic papers …
Elicit
The AI tool built specifically for literature review. Elicit searches, summarises, and extracts data …
Connected Papers
Generate a visual graph of papers related to any seed paper. Identify clusters of research, seminal …
RStudio
The standard integrated development environment for R. Essential for quantitative researchers doing …
Grammarly
AI-powered grammar, clarity, and style checker. Useful for polishing thesis chapters, grant …
Canva
Drag-and-drop design tool for conference posters, graphical abstracts, and presentation slides. No …
Diagrams.net
Free, open-source diagramming tool for flowcharts, system architecture diagrams, and methodology …
Paperpile
Browser-first reference manager with deep Google Docs and Overleaf integration. Fast, clean, and …
Inkscape
The best free vector graphics editor for creating publication-quality scientific figures. …
Zotero
The best free reference manager for researchers. Collect, organise, and cite papers with one click. …
Obsidian
The note-taking app built for connected thinking. Link ideas, build a knowledge graph, and use …
VS Code
Visual Studio Code isn't just for developers. Researchers use it to write LaTeX, Python, Markdown, …
ChatGPT
OpenAI's conversational AI for research brainstorming, literature synthesis, writing assistance, and …
Perplexity AI
An AI search engine that answers questions with cited sources. Replace exploratory Google searches …
Research Rabbit
Free AI tool that maps related papers from a seed reference. Visualise citation networks, find …
GitHub
Host, version, and share research code. GitHub makes your work reproducible, your collaborations …
Jupyter
The standard for exploratory data analysis and reproducible research. Combine code, output, …
Pandoc
Convert between Markdown, LaTeX, Word, HTML, and PDF from the command line. Write your paper once in …