Writing academic papers is not just putting words together. It involves extensive research on online and offline sources following instructions provided by the instructor. It takes a specific format that is different from blog writing.
Since the process can be tedious and time-consuming, you can use some incredible tools. These do not do the work for you but help with making writing academic papers enjoyable. Let us look at 10 of these tools and how each is used:
- Grammar Checkers
Some documents are large, and proofreading them manually can be time-consuming. Even with excellent grammar, it is easy to have some typos on your document that can be embarrassing. These typos can also create a different meaning to what you intended.
To avoid such incidences, grammar checkers come in handy. These tools make suggestions on what to improve and highlight misspelled and misused words. They scan documents in seconds compared to reading the entire document word for word.
With grammar checkers, editing your academic paper becomes easy. You are only left with a few errors to edit manually. However, some suggestions made by these tools are not accurate either, and you should go through them before accepting.
- Google Drive
It is a free online tool offered by Google. It is powerful in that you can share and edit documents with people you choose. For example, you can have a professional help you solve your algebra homework while taking you through the process. You create a google doc and work on it online. Both of you can write comments and edit the document as you solve the problem.
This tool is also great because it acts as your backup if you lose your computer or flash drive where you had your assignment. Documents stored here can never be lost as long as you keep your password safe.
Another interesting thing about this tool is it has many packages such as word, excel, slides, and forms. Moreover, you authorize who can view your work on Google drive!
- TypeSet
We mentioned that academic papers have specific formatting. This is where much energy is used. With TypeSet, you can focus on getting relevant information for your paper and use the tool to help you with formatting. In addition, it ensures you include all the sections in case you forget some.
It gives you different formatting versions for you to choose from. This tool can help you cite your sources if citations are needed for your work instead of filling them manually.
If, for example, you find your paper looking different from how you had set it, you can use this tool to track changes. Compare and contrast the old version with the current one and see what has changed. If it was something unintended, you can edit or format your document.
- CamScanner
This is a must-have tool for academic writers who want to be organized. It is compatible with different devices. With CamScanner, you can store, capture, annotate, and share information any time you want.
Data is kept safe for future purposes in an organized manner. For example, if you want to share your paper as an image, you can scan and send it within minutes.
- Plagiarism Checkers
Plagiarism is a huge crime that is not tolerated in the academic realm. Even though you did not copy someone’s work, it is good to be sure the papers you are submitting are unique. You can utilize plagiarism checkers to check for plagiarism. Usually, an institution suggests a tool to use.
Papers are run through thousands of materials online and highlight similar content. If no similarity is detected, your paper read 100% unique. But, if you had included your reference while checking, these come out as plagiarized. Avoid the temptation of changing the citation formatting. These cannot be changed.
- Scrivener
To write a winning paper, you need to do deep research. It includes reading books, journals, PDFs, and lots of other material. It means having multiple tabs running on your computer. When this is happening, you also have your document open to write your findings.
Scrivener makes it easy that you can split the pane and work simultaneously. That is, instead of going back to your document after reading your research material, you write as you read. This feature is cool since you can maximize your time while doing that paper.
This tool also allows comparing current and previous versions of the documents you are working on. The comparison allows you to go with the version you like best.
- Mendeley
It is a great tool that allows academic writers to network. Besides networking, Mendeley creates room for collaborations and discovering the latest researches. It means you write papers that have up-to-date data and other findings.
It can also be utilized as an organizational tool. For example, you can use it to ensure your research is well organized for easier analysis. Other things you can do with Mendeley include:
- Generating bibliographies automatically
- Collaborating with other researchers
- Reading papers on the go
- Accessing your papers online any time you want and from anywhere
- Quillbot
The first draft is mostly not appealing. It needs edits and paraphrasing to make your document more comprehensive. Quillbot comes in handy when paraphrasing your work. It has great features that give you synonyms that make your content better.
You paste your work on Quillbot, and after a few seconds, it generates paraphrased content. This amazing tool can be used on google docs or browser extensions.
- Google Scholar
We can also call it an academic library in one location. Google scholar provides academic materials that other researchers have shared. It has old and new content for writers to choose one that is most relevant to them.
Writers do not have to pay a fee to use Google scholar. They only need to be connected to the internet to browse thousands of publications, abstracts, articles, books, and so much.
There are search filters available to make getting relevant content fast. You can narrow by selecting the period you want the information to have been written, author and topic. Otherwise, you will end having materials from all ages, some of which might not be relevant to your studies.
- Evernote
Being neat and organized while writing your paper saves you time. After reading through numerous researches, it is not easy to process all that information at once. Evernote helps you keep short notes for what you have been finding for later use.
You can use folders to differentiate different types of data collected. This way, it is easy to know where to find what when compiling your findings.
With this tool, you are not limited to the type of information you have collected. It can include locations, infographics, images, quotes, dialogs, and others.
Are you an academic writer struggling with having your papers ready on time? It could be because you are not well organized. Or, you could be spending a lot of time making the paper look presentable while you should be researching. Consider using these tools to help you become more productive and produce better papers. Why should you continue spending so much time when you can do it faster?