12 Best Research Tools for Students

Finals week panic? 50-page readings due tomorrow? Research paper that's making you question your major?

Check out tried and tested research tools for students that actually make your academic life easier!

1. Anara (formerly Unriddle AI)

Anara is an AI-powered research tool for students, helping you understand complex academic papers in minutes, not hours. You can upload PDFs, handwritten notes, or videos, ask questions in plain language, and get clear summaries or structured answers with source citations, so you can spend less time in the library and more time living.

Why students love Anara

• Instant paper decoder: Upload any PDF and ask "what's the main argument?" and get a clear answer in seconds, not after your third coffee.
• Never lose a source again: Every answer comes with clickable citations showing exactly where the info came from. Your professor will be impressed, and you'll never stress about "where did I read that?"
• Works with everything: PDFs, lecture recordings, even your professor's handwritten notes. If it's readable (barely), Anara can help you understand it.
• The "Wait, these ideas connect?" feature: Anara automatically finds connections between your readings—perfect for those "synthesize three sources" assignments.
• Citation magic: Highlight any text and get instant citations in APA, MLA, Chicago, or whatever format your professor demands. No more citation generators that get it wrong.
• Study group superpower: Share documents with classmates and work together in real-time. Someone always understands that one confusing reading.
• Procrastinator's best friend: Ask questions like "what was that paper about climate change I read last month?" and Anara finds it instantly. Your messy desktop folder isn't a problem anymore.

Join 3 million students who've discovered that research doesn't have to be painful. Upload your first paper and see why students say Anara "saved my dissertation" and "the only reason I passed organic chemistry."

Use Anara for free (no credit card needed)

Pricing

• Students get 1,000 AI words/day for free.
• Upgrade to unlimited AI words for less than your monthly coffee budget ($18 a month or $11 if billed annually).

2. Google Scholar

Google Scholar is a classic academic research tool for students who need fast access to peer-reviewed papers, books, and articles. Think of it as Google, but filtered to show only academic sources. It's a must-use when you’re writing essays or research papers and need credible citations.

Key features

• Search engine for scholarly articles, theses, and books.
• Citation tracking and BibTeX export.
• Personalized alerts for new research in your field.

Pricing

• Free.

Looking to streamline your research process? See our step-by-step guide: how to use AI for literature review. Based on a real researcher who cut their review time from weeks to just 4-5 days.

3. LucidChart

Lucidchart is a visual research app for students, especially helpful for brainstorming ideas, mapping research processes, and structuring complex topics. It’s especially useful for graduate or PhD students working on theses or dissertations.

Key features

• Real-time collaboration for group research projects.
• Education-specific templates (e.g., for concept maps, flowcharts, timelines).
• Data linking and lconditional formatting for layered analysis.

Pricing

• Free plan available.
• Individual: $9/month.
• Team: $10/month per member.
• Custom pricing for schools and universities.

4. ChatGPT

ChatGPT is a versatile AI chatbot and academic assistant. Whether you’re writing essays, solving math problems, summarizing articles, or generating citations, it can handle it. You can even upload files or images and ask questions directly about them.

Key features

• Natural language Q&A on documents, images, and code.
• Summarizes readings, explains complex topics, and generates outlines.
• Customizable with plugins for academic workflows.

Pricing

• Free basic plan.
• Paid plans start at $20/month.

Still using ChatGPT for academic writing? Try Anara instead! We built it specifically for students doing research.

5. Bit.ai

Bit.ai is a collaborative research app for students and teachers. It combines smart writing features with project management to help you write, organize, and collaborate in one workspace.

Key features

• Real-time collaboration on documents and reports.
• Smart search and content management.
• Templates for research papers, theses, and presentations.

Pricing

• Free for up to 5 users.
• Pro at $12/member/month (or $8 if annually).
• Business at $20/member/month.

5. Litmaps

Litmaps transforms your literature review process. It lets you discover research papers, map citations visually, and track how ideas evolve. It's an ideal research tool for students working on term papers and theses.

Key features

• Interactive citation maps.
• Discovery tool for related research.
• Alerts for new papers in your field.

Pricing

• Free basic plan.
• Pro at $10/month (annual billing).

Check out AI tools for literature review.

6. Research Rabbit

Research Rabbit is a visual discovery engine and a free research tool for undergrad students. It helps you explore papers, find related work, and keep all your sources organized for group or solo projects.

Key features

• Visual citation network and research topic mapping.
• AI-driven discovery of related papers.
• Shared collections for teamwork.

Pricing

• Free.

Before you decide on Elicit, review this curated list of Research Rabbit alternatives to find the best fit for your workflow.

7. Scite

Scite doesn’t just show you how many times a paper is cited, it shows how. Did other researchers support it, contradict it, or just mention it? A must-have tool for students doing research and evaluating source credibility.

Key features

• Smart Citations show how papers are cited.
• Alerts for retractions and new citations.
• Custom dashboards to track topics.

Pricing

• Personal plan at $20/month.
• Enterprise from $5,000/year.
• 7-day free trial.

Need a tool that does more than Scite? Explore this guide to Scite alternatives for features like improved verification and multi-format support.

9. Statista

Statista is a data-rich research platform packed with verified statistics, charts, and infographics. If you need reliable numbers for your paper or presentation, this is your go-to.

Key features

• 1M+ datasets and charts.
• Reports by industry, country, and topic.
• Downloadable visuals for presentations.

Pricing

• Freemium with premium features requiring subscription.

10. Elicit

This AI research tool for students who need to extract key points from academic papers fast. It helps with literature reviews, citation hunting, and even hypothesis generation.

Key features

• Summarizes academic papers with citations.
• Extracts key data and methods from PDFs.
• Hypothesis testing and Q&A interface.
• Auto-generates research reports.

Pricing

• Free basic plan.
• Plus plan at $10–12/month.
• Pro at $49/month.

Not sure if Elicit is for you? This list of alternatives to Elicit compares tools based on accuracy, collaboration, and content support.

11. Mendeley

Mendeley is a powerful reference manager and academic social platform. It's built for organizing readings, annotating PDFs, and generating bibliographies. Especially useful when you’re working with large numbers of sources.

Key features

• Drag-and-drop PDF organization.
• Auto-generated citations and bibliographies.
• Group collaboration on shared folders.
• Annotate directly on documents.

Pricing

• Free (with optional storage upgrades).

12. Zotero

Zotero is a free, open-source academic research tool for students that makes citation management and research organization painless. It integrates directly with your browser to save sources instantly.

Key features

• One-click source saving from any browser.
• Supports all major citation styles.
• Collaborative folders for group research.
• Word processor plugins for seamless citation.

Pricing

• Free (with paid cloud storage options starting at $20/year).