For several PhD dissertation researchers, the complete research process can be a very exhausting and daunting experience. Candidates for a PhD must gather data for their dissertation to analyze whether their hypothesis is supported and deduce future probabilities and trends. It is often time-consuming, as one must search the library and the internet for literature, conduct experiments, write and publish papers, and format these sources.
Given that a dissertation can contain up to 80,000 words, how do you efficiently collect and compile everything? With the world’s technological advancements, it makes sense to understand how to use the many available online tools to aid the research process.
What are the Top 10 Tools for PhD Dissertation Researchers in 2023?
The right tools can help you save time, effort, and energy while making your work more accessible and visually appealing. You may enjoy a better work-life balance due to these tools, which will make lengthy research easier. The list of the best research tools is given below:
- Connected Papers
- Citation Diversity Statement
- Unpaywall – OpenAccess
- Journal Rater
- The Academic Papers UK
- Credit
- APA Word Template
- Excel Journal Database
- Notion
- Canva
Let’s discuss these online research tools in detail in the article below.
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Connected Papers
Connected Papers can assist you in conducting a literature review and finding connections between published papers. When you enter a typical paper, they will display a visual graph of similar papers in your field.
The more you investigate, the more likely you will notice trends, popular works, and dynamics in your field. With new papers being published daily, Connected Papers keeps you updated on these important papers; you can also access their Prior Works to search for ancestor works in your field and Derivative Works to review literature in your field.
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Citation Diversity Statement
Citation bias refers to the tendency for a research study to demonstrate the benefit of being quoted more than neutral or negative. Another definition is a scientist who frequently cites research articles published in their preferred journals.
It can be exhausting to check and indicate the proportion of male and female first and last-name authors. A citation diversity statement reduces citation bias; you can easily add this effective and simple statement to your paper. It will facilitate the process of sifting through many resources to be cited in your dissertation.
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Unpaywall – OpenAccess
Unpaywall is a free scholarly database with 30,887,744 articles from over 50,000 publishers and repositories. It means you can easily find, track, and use Open Access content; it is legal.
Unpaywall searches for articles published in peer-reviewed journals using the DOI function; in fact, Unpaywall has already been integrated into many global library systems, search platforms, and other information products. To use Unpaywall, go to any closed-access article and click the green button to get the Open Access version.
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Journal Rater
Have you ever struggled to decide which journal to send your research paper to because you don’t know which journals have good or bad reviews? Worry no more, as Journal Rater will do the tedious guesswork for you.
This searchable database includes ratings for the quality of reviewers, the speed of the peer-review and publishing process, and whether you should submit to a specific journal, among other things. You can even include your comments and experiences while remaining anonymous; the best part is that you already know which journals are ideal for submission.
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The Academic Papers UK
Another online tool that can prove pretty helpful for a PhD dissertation research student is The Academic Papers UK. Although you can carry out the tedious research task on your own; however, if you find the entire process too boring, you can avail of the services of these The Academic Papers UK.
It is an online platform where you can get PhD dissertation help at reasonable costs. They have 1000+ stream-specified writers on their team who will help you with the research process of your dissertation. You will also be provided free sample papers to review and analyze their quality and hire the service after complete satisfaction. If you’re running short on time, hiring this service will prove the best decision for you!
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Credit
The goal of CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) is to recognize individual author contributions while reducing authorship disputes and improving collaboration. Authors can accurately describe their contributions to the published work using CRediT.
The following is how it works: the corresponding author should confirm that the descriptions are correct and that all authors have agreed on this; the various roles are listed according to the categories. The credit statement should be included with the submission; it will appear above the acknowledgment section of the published paper.
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APA Word Template
It can be difficult for researchers to format their papers in APA. Fortunately, the APA template in Microsoft word and its suggestion may relieve many researchers.
Type APA in the New Document Tab of Microsoft Word, and the APA template will appear. A word of caution: this template is based on the APA’s 6th edition, so you may need to make some changes now that the APA has released its 7th edition.
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Excel Journal Database
Excel Journal Database Webinar is yet another tool which can assist you if you want to easily compile your literature review sources. To utilize this tool, first, you will need to learn how to create an Excel database to organize your notes and bring them together for writing. Once you master this, Excel Journal Database can work wonders for you!
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Notion
We recommend using Notion if you have a lot of applications and want to keep them all in one place. The Notion is an all-in-one workspace where you can keep notes, tasks, wikis, and databases. It will assist you in keeping all the resources and citations in one place and using them when required.
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Canva
Finally, this design website is ideal if you need to prepare slides and figures for presentations. The free, professional, and attractive designs can improve the visual appeal of your presentations.
Conclusion:
Although it’s tough for PhD dissertation researchers to keep track of all the resources used in the research process, the tools listed above in the article will greatly help you. Use all the relevant tools and get the desired results per your needs.
Read: Systematic review in PhD dissertation – 10 important guidelines for PhD students