Free Academic Tools

Google Scholar provides a simple way to broadly search for scholarly literature. From one place, you can search across many disciplines and sources: articles, theses, books, abstracts and court opinions, from academic publishers, professional societies, online repositories, universities and other web sites. Google Scholar aims to rank documents the way researchers do, weighing the full text of each document, where it was published, who it was written by, as well as how often and how recently it has been cited in other scholarly literature.

Zotero is a free, easy-to-use tool to help you collect, organize, cite, and share your research. It lives right where you do your work—in the web browser itself. Zotero can automatically sense research on the web and allows you to add it to your personal library with a single click. Whether you're a student, researcher, or scholar, Zotero helps you manage and cite your sources efficiently. It supports various citation styles and integrates seamlessly with word processors, making it an invaluable tool for academic writing.

Grammarly's free version offers essential writing assistance, helping you improve your grammar, spelling, and punctuation. It provides real-time feedback as you type, highlighting errors and suggesting corrections. While the free version has limitations compared to the premium version, it's still a valuable tool for students and academics who want to ensure their writing is clear and error-free. It helps catch common mistakes and improve overall writing quality, making it a useful resource for academic papers and other writing assignments.

Mendeley is a free reference manager and academic social network that can help you organize your research, collaborate with others online, and discover the latest research. It automatically generates bibliographies, allows you to easily import papers from other research software, and helps you find relevant research based on your interests. Mendeley Desktop, Web, and iOS apps keep you in sync so you can access your research anytime, anywhere. It's a useful tool for researchers and academics looking to streamline their research process.

LibreOffice Writer is a free and open-source word processor that offers a comprehensive set of tools for writing and formatting documents. It's a great alternative to commercial word processors, providing similar features without the cost. Writer supports various file formats, including Microsoft Word formats, making it easy to collaborate with others. It includes features like styles, templates, and a table of contents generator, making it suitable for academic writing and research papers. The software is actively developed and supported by a large community.

Overleaf is a collaborative, online LaTeX editor used for creating professional-looking documents, particularly in scientific and technical fields. It simplifies the process of writing and formatting complex equations and technical content. Overleaf allows multiple users to work on the same document simultaneously, making it ideal for collaborative research projects. It offers a free plan with limited features, which is suitable for many academic users. Its real-time collaboration and version control features make it a popular choice among researchers and students.