4 Best Student Online Tools for Research and Academic Papers
These are the best online tools for research and finding academic papers as a college or university student. You can use these online tools to organize, plan and create assignments at the highest level.

Student Online Tools for Research and Academic Papers
Whether you’re writing a paper, prepping for a thesis, or just trying to find one decent source that isn’t behind a paywall, it gets frustrating fast.
So here’s a better plan. These 4 underrated online research tools can save you hours of Googling, help you actually find quality papers, and even make referencing less painful.
1. Connected Paper
Imagine you’re writing a paper on artificial intelligence in education, but all the articles are too technical, and you have no clue where to start. Enter Connected Papers.
You can see what came before, what came after, and what’s most relevant to your topic.
2. ResearchRabbit
ResearchRabbit is a research discovery tool that helps you find academic papers related to what you’re already reading. Start by adding a few articles, and it quickly recommends more that fit your topic or area of interest.
You can create collections to organize papers, follow specific authors, and explore visual maps that show how different studies connect. It’s designed to make tracking and exploring research easier and more engaging, so you can build a strong reading list without endless manual searches.
3. Core.ac.uk
If you’ve ever clicked on a Google Scholar link only to be told, “Access Denied – Please Pay $45,” then you need CORE in your life.
4. Elicit
If you’re drowning in a million search results and don’t have time to read them all, Elicit is like having a nerdy friend who reads everything and gives you the gist.
It also tells you the methods, sample size, and conclusions, so you’re not wasting time reading stuff that doesn’t fit your assignment. It’s like ChatGPT for academic research—but backed by real sources.
Doing research doesn’t have to feel like climbing Mount Doom with a broken ankle. With the right tools, it can actually feel kind of... manageable? Maybe even interesting (okay let’s not go that far).
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