If you are an academic researcher, then meeting deadlines is one of your main concerns. The constant pressure of producing the required amount of data within a specific timeframe is necessary to ensure that you get the right credit and validation.
Unfortunately, if you combine this major task with all the other things you need to do, you will always end up struggling to make things work. Fortunately, there are digital tools that can speed up your productivity and efficiency. Listed below are five of these tools and how they can benefit your work as a researcher.
Speech to text transcription service
Between attending lectures, discussions, and poring through mountains of files to find the information you need, the last thing you want to do is spend time transcribing. Converting audio into text format is tedious and time-consuming. What you need is a transcription service that uses speech-to-text technology. For example, academic transcription with Verbit makes use of sophisticated AI technology that listens to audio and video files then automatically types a written transcript. Regardless of the number of files you need transcribing, these services are fast, accurate, and also quite affordable.
Free online research tool
A search engine dedicated to academic papers is valuable for researchers, and Google Scholar does not disappoint. You can use this tool to look for relevant journal articles, white papers, and other publications. Although there are similar tools to Google Scholar, you cannot beat the extent and scope that the biggest search engine has to offer.
Related: How Does Technology Affect Education in the Classroom
A social network for academic researchers
For researchers, collaboration is key to finding references within the same field or across other fields within the academic profession. While you can rely on your network of colleagues, joining a social network for academics like Mendeley connects you to millions of users worldwide. Aside from being a social network, it is also a search tool you can use to find papers that are free to access for all registered users.
Optical character recognition device
While most recent academic papers researchers use as references are already found online, there are still instances when you need to use older references that are not yet digitized. In this case, you will need to use a scanner that can convert written text into a digital format. Look for a handheld device that can also easily fit inside your bag. Make sure that it is also compatible with your mobile device or laptop for added convenience.
An editing and writing tool for academic researchers
Writing journal articles, dissertations, and research papers does not only need impressive content but a readable format too. If reading your work is a difficult experience, your peers, reviewers, and validators will not spend time checking your work. An editing and writing tool like Scrivener can help in choosing the right format from a wide range of templates. The tool also allows you to work on your paper in stages without following a particular order. This way, you can skip less important parts and focus on the body of your work. Later on, you can go back to the rest of the sections and complete your work.
