best apps for reading research papers

Your personal research assistant

Zotero is a free, easy-to-use tool to help you collect, organize, annotate, cite, and share research.

Available for Mac, Windows, Linux, and iOS

Just need to create a quick bibliography? Try ZoteroBib .

Meet Zotero.

Collect with a click..

Zotero automatically senses research as you browse the web. Need an article from JSTOR or a preprint from arXiv.org? A news story from the New York Times or a book from a library? Zotero has you covered, everywhere.

Organize your way.

Zotero helps you organize your research any way you want. You can sort items into collections and tag them with keywords. Or create saved searches that automatically fill with relevant materials as you work.

Cite in style.

Zotero instantly creates references and bibliographies for any text editor, and directly inside Word, LibreOffice, and Google Docs. With support for over 10,000 citation styles, you can format your work to match any style guide or publication.

Stay in sync.

Zotero can optionally synchronize your data across devices, keeping your files, notes, and bibliographic records seamlessly up to date. If you decide to sync, you can also always access your research from any web browser.

Collaborate freely.

Zotero lets you co-write a paper with a colleague, distribute course materials to students, or build a collaborative bibliography. You can share a Zotero library with as many people you like, at no cost.

Zotero is open source and developed by an independent, nonprofit organization that has no financial interest in your private information. With Zotero, you always stay in control of your own data.

Still not sure which program to use for your research? See why we think you should choose Zotero .

Ready to try Zotero?

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• Recommended Apps

Apps for Research & Writing: Recommended Apps

• EBSCO eBooks
• Overdrive eBooks
• Internet Archive
• Research Articles
• Note-Taking
• Group Work/Collaboration
• Mind-Mapping
• Help This link opens in a new window

Using This Guide

This guide will cover apps that I find useful for research, ebook reading,  and organizing references and notes.

iPhone/iPad Apps

• Evernote Create text, photo and audio notes ● Auto-synchronize your notes to your Mac, PC, and Web ● Magically makes text within snapshots searchable ● All notes include geo-location information for mapping and search
• Dropbox Dropbox is a free service that lets you bring your photos, docs, and videos anywhere and share them easily.
• QR Reader Barcode and QR code scanning app.

Android Apps

• Xodo PDF Reader & Editor Xodo is an all-in-one PDF reader and PDF editor. With Xodo, you can read, annotate, sign, and share PDFs and fill in PDF forms, open .docx/.pptx as PDFs, plus sync with Google Drive, Dropbox and OneDrive.
• QR Droid Code Scanner Barcode and QR code scanning app
• Next: eBooks >>
• Last Updated: Jan 18, 2023 12:47 PM
• URL: https://library.mcla.edu/apps

Streamline Your Research Workflow

Seamlessly Search, Save and Organise findings across your papers. Complete your research up to 10x faster.

LOVED BY ACADEMICS

For literature reviews & collecting evidence

"Lateral is an AI-powered app for academics that will completely change the way you read and take notes."

"Lateral presents a visual table which not only allows me to quickly identify themes but also relevant quotes and phrases (with references!) that could have easily been overlooked without."

"Lateral is a necessary tool for academics! It has changed my research...I am good to go for all new opportunities."

"Lateral is an excellent tool for academics and one of the hidden gems among the many productivity tools available out there!"

SMART FEATURES

Your unified workflow

Take the stress out of document review. Find text fast. Stay organised.

Auto-Generated Table

Keep a clear overview of all your findings and never lose a reference.

AI-Powered Concepts

Name a Concept, and Lateral intelligently recommends relevant text across all your papers.

Super Search

Search across all your papers at once & see similar highlights for every search result.

Smart PDF Reader

Read & highlight in the browser. Find connections you may have missed.

Export Your Findings

From the Table View directly into a Word document or Excel file with references.

Find 30m+ research papers

Upload existing PDFs or find new papers through our integrated paper search.

Powerful OCR

Digitize text from documents from scanned PDFs to make the searchable & highlightable .

Collaborate & Share

Invite others to your workspace or share a limited public link of your project.

Zotero integration (coming soon)

Easily sync documents between Zotero and your project.

Literature Reviews

Find patterns and common themes across numerous papers quickly.

Dissertations

Organize thoughts and references to streamline the writing process.

Note-taking

Save text with notes and flags for more organized note-taking.

Collaborative Research

Work on shared project & documents and build on each other's findings.

Gather information across various sources for curriculum development.

Find connections and gather background information for stories.

Get to know Lateral for free.

500 Page Credits one-time

Speed up your research workflow.

21,600 Page Credits per year

Take your research to the next level.

60,000 Page Credits per year

Academic Discount

We offer a 20% Academic Discount on both Premium and Pro Tiers. Simply fill out the form on the pricing page in the app.

Team Pricing

Build a shared, AI supported knowledge repository or purchase multiple licenses.

1,800 Page Credits per month

5,000 Page Credits per month

What are Page Credits?

When you begin using Lateral and add PDF files, it uses up 'Page Credits' based on how many pages are in your PDFs. You start with 1,000 Page Credits when you join. Once you use them all, you’ll have to get a subscription plan, called Lateral Supreme, to get more Credits. If you delete any documents, this will not return Credits. If you have a Supreme subscription, you can buy extra Credits.

What is Lateral Supreme?

Lateral Supreme is a subscription that you can pay for every month or once a year. If you choose to pay each month, you can use up to 2,500 Page Credits within that month. If you decide to pay for the whole year at once, you can use up to 30,000 Page Credits for the entire year. Any unused Page Credits will expire; they don’t roll over to the next month or year.

When you add papers or documents to a project, Lateral does a lot of heavy lifting to make the content searchable and suggestible. Each page uses 1 page credit. Taking an average of 20 pages per paper for example, this means for Premium monthly 2,160 pages are around 108 papers and for Pro monthly 5,000 pages are around 250 papers.   Deleting documents does not re-add page credits, as the processing of the documents has already been completed.

Does Lateral use GPT?

No, Lateral does not use GPT. We have built our own machine learning technology (LIP API) to make content suggestions. Your content is not sent to Open AI servers.  

What happens to the documents I upload to Lateral?

When you upload documents, they stay private and only you can see them in your workspace. We don’t share them with other users. Also, we don’t use your documents to make our AI smarter. Our AI is already trained and it just helps you find related content across your documents.

What languages does Lateral support?

The app works best with English. You can keyword search for text in other languages, but the AI currently can only give suggestions if you're using English.

Does Lateral work on mobile?

Currently Lateral is only available on desktop.

Get into flow.

A free, AI-powered research tool for scientific literature

• Barbara L. Fredrickson
• Means of Production

New & Improved API for Developers

Introducing semantic reader in beta.

Stay Connected With Semantic Scholar Sign Up What Is Semantic Scholar? Semantic Scholar is a free, AI-powered research tool for scientific literature, based at the Allen Institute for AI.

R Discovery: Academic Research 4+

Access 100m+ research papers, cactus communications private limited, designed for ipad.

• 4.8 • 669 Ratings

Screenshots

Description.

R Discovery is a free app for students and researchers to find and read research papers. This literature search and reading app for researchers curates an academic reading library based on your interests so you stay updated on latest academic research with access to scholarly articles, scientific journals, open access articles, and peer reviewed articles. With R Discovery, you can do a literature search like on Google Scholar, refseek, Research Gate, or Academia.edu, or let our AI generate separate feeds of relevant scholarly articles for you. We search, you read. It’s that simple! R Discovery gives you access to: • 250M+ Research articles (journal articles, clinical trials, conference papers & more) • 40M+ Open access articles (world’s largest OA journal articles library) • 3M+ Preprints from arXiv, bioRxiv, medRxiv & other preprint servers • 9.5M+ Research topics • 14M+ Authors • 32K+ Academic journals • 100K+ Universities & Institutions • Content from Microsoft Academic, PubMed, PubMed Central, CrossRef, Unpaywall, OpenAlex, etc. See how R Discovery’s personalized research reading feed and unique features save time and improve your literature reading! Largest repository of open access articles Access the largest library of open access journal articles and preprints on mobile, with 40M+ open access articles from top publishers and global research databases. Unlock full-text papers with institutional access Use your university credentials to log in and access paywalled journal articles for your thesis research with our GetFTR & Libkey integrations. Most reliable, cleanest research database Read science articles from the most trustworthy global research paper database, cleaned to remove duplication, eliminate ambiguities in journal, publisher, author names, and exclude predatory content. Curated research feeds Benefit from our AI-curated research feeds dedicated to the Top 100 papers, open access articles, preprints, paywalled papers, journal feeds, etc. Coming up: New feeds on patents, conferences & seminars. Reading lists from the research community Access and share research recommendations by a community of peers in your field; these lists allow for quick, easy, relevant research discovery and better literature reading. Collaborative reading lists Save, view, and share your reading lists with co-researchers on your study. Easy knowledge sharing via our premium collaborative reading list feature helps accelerate innovation; so invite your peers to join now. Audio streaming Amplify your reading with audio listening for library lists, research paper titles & abstracts. This Prime feature lets you create audio playlists and delve into research articles on the go. Research paper translation Read research articles in your own language with our academic translation Prime feature. Choose a paper to read and click on the translate option to read in your chosen language. Auto sync library with Zotero, Mendeley Our auto sync Prime feature integrates your research paper topics and research library with Mendeley, Zotero, updating it every time you save or remove papers. Coming up: Endnote integrations! Easy accessibility, summaries & notifications Read research that matters with alerts on Just Published research papers and assess relevance with research summaries. Bookmark articles on the research app and read on the web. R Discovery partners with research publications, including Elsevier, Wiley, IOP, Springer Nature, Sage, Taylor & Francis, Hindawi, NEJM, Emerald Publishing, Duke University Press, Intech Open, AIAA, Karger, Underline.io, SAGE, JStage for the best content. Enjoy free research discovery or upgrade to R Discovery Prime to unlock unlimited use of our premium features. Join 3M+ academics and redefine the way you read on R Discovery, the highest rated app in this space (rated 4.6+ on App Store). Get it now!

Version 3.3.6

In this new release, you will get revamped experience for short stories and ask R Discovery along with bug fixes and performance improvements.

Ratings and Reviews

669 Ratings

Keeps improving

The app keeps getting better and provides a good UI. I like the fact that I get to pick concepts I am interested in and can focus on multiple areas at the same time.

Developer Response ,

Hi, thanks for sticking with the app and sharing about the improvements we keep making to it! We liked to hear that it fulfills your need to read about multiple areas of interest :) Do keep sharing feedback and suggestions for improvement by writing to us at [email protected].

I want to love this app…

The app is great and has a lot of features that are great for students and researchers. I love that I can select topics and journals that are relevant to me and that it provides me plenty of OpenAccess options. However, the app is super clunky and slow. It seems bloated on the back end and it makes the app almost unusable. I think I may just use it to get a reading list going and then read the articles on another app like Zotero or Reader.

Hi! Thanks for taking the time and sharing your feedback with us. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience you faced with R Discovery. We request you to please write to us at [email protected] with your registered email ID, and we will try to fix this as soon as possible for you. Regards.

Great info and very helpful

Hi there, thanks so much for the review and for rating our app 5 stars. We're happy to know that you're finding R Discovery helpful. Please do let us know if you have any other feedback/suggestions/feature requests to share with us by writing to us at [email protected]. We'd love to hear from you!

App Privacy

The developer, Cactus Communications Private Limited , indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .

Data Used to Track You

The following data may be used to track you across apps and websites owned by other companies:

• Contact Info
• Search History
• Identifiers

Data Linked to You

The following data may be collected and linked to your identity:

Data Not Linked to You

The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity:

• Diagnostics

Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More

Information

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Five online tools that aim to save researchers time and trouble

From investigating a lab’s publication history to scanning manuscripts for statistical errors, these apps can help streamline some of the most time-consuming tasks.

Dalmeet Singh Chawla

Credit: erhui1979/Getty Images

23 June 2021

erhui1979/Getty Images

An expanding kit of digital tools and apps helps researchers automate certain processes and make others less burdensome.

Nature Index has selected five recently launched or revised tools that aim to make academic life easier, whether you’re thinking of relocating to a new lab, organizing your references or readying a manuscript for submission.

1) Choosing the right lab

Job-hunting can be tough, particularly if interstate or overseas relocation is on the cards. Before you commit to a new position, it’s useful to have some insight into your prospective supervisor, as well as the kind of lab culture you’d be stepping into .

A new tool called Super Researcher aims to make it easier for doctoral and postdoctoral candidates to compare lab leaders based on their productivity and impact.

Described in a bioRxiv paper published in February 2021, the app allows academics to run searches on specific researchers to see their numbers of annual publications, citation counts and details on their most frequent collaborators. The tool pulls publication data from the Scopus database.

The team behind the app, led by co-creator Sheah Lin Lee, a cancer researcher at the University of Southampton in the UK, is working to move it beyond the pilot stage. One challenge, she says, is that it’s hosted on a free (and sometimes unreliable) server, which means it’s prone to the occasional crash – something the team is hoping address in the future.

Lee says she hopes her tool will give researchers a ‘rough and ready’ indication of a lab’s publication culture, which could factor into their decision to take up a new position there. But she urges users to take other factors into consideration, too.

“We don’t think that people should judge whether you want to go to a lab solely based on publications,” says Lee.

2) A spell-checker for statistics

What if there were a way to automatically scan a manuscript for statistical errors while writing your manuscript ?

Statcheck, launched in 2015, aims to do so by recalculating p-values — a controversial but commonly used technique to measure statistical significance.

It initially received mixed reactions from academics, but has since gained more acceptance after a preprint study found that it was correct in more than 95% of its recalculations of p-values.

Statcheck has become a popular way to check manuscripts before submission to a journal, says co-creator Michèle Nuijten, who studies analytical methods at Tilburg University in the Netherlands.

It’s also being used by journals such as Psychological Science and the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology to weed out statistical mistakes during the peer-review process.

In 2020, Nuijten and her team expanded the functionality of statcheck by creating a free plugin to be used within Microsoft Word that works like a statistical spell-checker.

Nuijten cautions against using the tool as a means to imply fraud or wrongdoing, emphasizing how easy it can be, even for experienced researchers, to make mistakes in their calculations.

“We all make mistakes. It doesn’t mean we want to,” she says.

3) Spot the difference between preprint versions

Comparing different iterations of a manuscript on preprint servers such as arXiv can be a time-consuming process, says Sharvil Nanavati, a software engineer based in Mountain View, California.

After trying to find a tool to address this, Nanavati and Sergei Taguer, a software engineer in California, decided to build one themselves, which they launched in May 2021.

ArXiv Diff , which was built on top of an existing open-source tool, allows users to view manuscript updates by replacing the word “arxiv” in the URL of a paper to “arxivdiff” then clicking “Show Diff”.

So far, feedback on the new app has been mixed, Nanavati admits. Some academics have praised its usefulness, while others have pointed out that it doesn’t work on all manuscripts.

Nanavati says he’s tweaking the tool’s code to cater for cases where users flag errors. He says the tool, which is a labour of love, will continue to be available for free, but is limited to manuscripts posted to arXiv for now.

4) Find references to papers flagged on PubPeer

It’s becoming increasingly difficult to keep up with the commentary around new papers. Some of these discussions take place on Pubpeer, an online platform where researchers debate the veracity and robustness of specific papers.

While it’s possible to manually check a paper on PubPeer to see if people are talking about it, doing that for an entire reference list can be laborious.

In 2019, PubPeer launched a free plugin on Zotero, an open-source reference-management system that is popular among academics because it hosts a number of plugins with functions such as helping users find free versions of paywalled papers and flagging papers that have been retracted.

The new PubPeer plugin flags any references in a researcher’s paper shortlist — where they save studies that are potentially of interest and may be worthy of citing — that are being discussed on PubPeer, listing the number of comments.

PubPeer also has a browser extension that alerts researchers if they are citing a paper that is being discussed on the platform.

Boris Barbour, co-organizer of PubPeer and a neuroscientist at the Ecole Normale Supérieure’s Institute of Biology in France, says that while there are no immediate plans to expand the new plugin to reference management systems other than Zotero, “there are fairly significant incremental improvements and polishing that could be done”.

5) Scanning for predatory references

In May 2021, Edifix, a bibliographic referencing tool run by Boston-based publishing software firm Inera, expanded its capability to automatically flag references to papers published in predatory journals.

Inera teamed up with Cabell’s International , a scholarly-services firm headquartered in Beaumont, Texas, to access its list of predatory journals, which is usually pay-to-view .

When users check their references using Edifix, in addition to automatically formatting them and fixing any errors, the tool will flag any publications that Cabell’s has identified as predatory. Users can click on those references for an explanation of why the particular journal has been flagged as questionable .

However this new functionality will be free to use for Edifix subscribers until the end of 2021. After that, users will need to pay for a subscription to Cabell’s, says Elizabeth Blake, director of business development at Inera.

The decision to delete or retain references to flagged publications lies with the researcher, says Blake, as it’s possible for subpar journals to publish solid research, and there may be legitimate reasons to cite such work.

Edifix also highlights any references that have been retracted – which a growing number of other bots also do .

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10 Best Apps for PhD Students | 2024

Best Mobile Applications for Researchers

There are millions of mobile applications available in the Android play store, but still, there are very few useful apps only available for researchers. We analyzed more than 50 applications and identified the 10 most appropriate applications for researchers based on daily activities like research collaboration, data collection, document reading, updating real-world issues related to their domain, resource gathering, daily schedule maintenance, and journal reading. This post gives an explanation to use the top 10 Useful Mobile Apps software 2024 for PhD Scholars that are really the best apps for PhD Students.

Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose   – Zora Neale Hurston

10 Best Android Apps for PhD Students

Here are 10 of the best Android apps that can be extremely helpful for graduate students in their academic pursuits. I’ll also provide some insights on how these apps can benefit you.

• These apps are essential for creating, editing, and presenting documents, spreadsheets, and presentations.
• Store and sync your documents, making them accessible from any device. Collaboration features are a plus for group projects.
• A reference manager and academic social network. It helps you organize your research, collaborate with peers, and discover the latest research.
• An excellent note-taking app that allows you to capture and organize ideas, research notes, and web clippings.
• Another robust reference manager that simplifies the process of collecting, organizing, and citing research materials.
• Enhance your writing by checking grammar, spelling, and style. It’s an indispensable tool for proofreading.
• Manage your projects and tasks effectively. Great for keeping track of deadlines and staying organized.
• Boost your productivity by using the Pomodoro technique. Stay focused and limit distractions during study sessions.
• Access a wide range of educational content in various subjects, making it a great resource for learning beyond your coursework.
• Turn your smartphone into a portable scanner. Scan and digitize documents, notes, and books for easy reference.

10 Best iOS Apps for PhD Graduate Students

Here are 10 iOS apps that can be incredibly helpful for graduate students:

• An excellent note-taking app that allows you to write, draw, and annotate PDFs.
• A reference management tool that helps you organize and cite your research materials.
• A writing assistant can help you improve the clarity and correctness of your writing.
• Another powerful reference manager with a mobile app for on-the-go access to your research library.
• A versatile note-taking app that syncs across devices and allows you to organize your thoughts and research.
• If you struggle with staying focused, this app helps you stay on track by growing virtual trees when you avoid your phone.
• A comprehensive digital notebook that’s great for organizing your research notes.
• Access a vast database of scholarly articles and research papers.
• A project management app that can help you organize your tasks and deadlines.
• If your research involves multiple languages, this app can help you learn and practice them.

These apps cover a range of functions, from note-taking and reference management to productivity and language learning. They can be valuable tools for graduate students in various disciplines.

Best Apps for PhD Students

1. mendeley.

What is the Mendeley App?

Mendeley is a free reference manager and PDF reader crafted especially for researchers. It helps you to organize your literature in a proper manner so you could effectively use it during your thesis writing or dissertation. Mendeley is available in both mobile and desktop applications, It will help you to read your collected articles wherever you go.  

How to Use it for Research?

• Create a free account at www.mendeley.com and download a desktop version in your system.
• Add all your Journals , Magazines, Book Chapters, Thesis , and other materials in an organized manner.
• Segregate the files based on year, author, publication, and domain using TAG option.
• Download the Mendeley mobile application and log in with the same account.
• Allow the application to synchronize with your account.
• Now you can see all the files that you saved on your desktop that will appear in the mobile application.

Organizing Resources is the first step towards the solution

2. Flipboard

What is Flipboard App?

Flipboard is the most popular mobile application used by millions of people every day, It helps you to keep yourself updated with your domain-related information and also read the daily news, blog posts, and trending topics all together in one place. Flipboard allows the user to collect posts based on their passion and interest. The powerful and smooth user interface gives a pleasant feel to reading more articles.  

• Download the Flipboard mobile application and create your account.
• Flipboard will give a virtual tour to learn the basic features of the application.
• Click  “WHAT’S YOUR PASSION?” Next to the Flipboard icon.
• Search for your domain. Ex: Machine Learning.
• It will show many sub-categories inside the topic. Based on your requirement personalize the magazine. That’s it!
• Keep up with the news related to your domain every day with The Daily Edition.

Don’t be outdated, Because you are working for the future!

3. Researcher

What is a Researcher App?

Researcher is a free journal-finding mobile application that helps you to read new journal papers every day that are relevant to your research. It is the most popular mobile application used by more than 3 million scientists and researchers to keep themselves updated with the latest academic literature.

• Download Researhcer mobile application on your mobile.
• Open and search for your required journal in the search bar.
• You can follow any number of journals and you can read new articles as well.

4. Plagiarism Checker

What is Plagiarism Checker App?

Plagiarism Checker is a free application that works with Plagiarisma.net. It will detect duplicate content in your papers from more than five popular search engines like Google, Yahoo, Babylon, Google Scholar, and Google Books.

• Download Plagiarism Checker mobile application.
• No need for registration so you can directly go into the app.
• Scan your essay, article, term paper, or dissertation with a single tap of your smartphone.
• It also has voice support and direct URL support.
• Save results to HTML, PDF, EPUB. That’s it!

5. Google Keep

What is Google Keep App?

Google Keep is a free remainder application from Google LLC, It helps researchers quickly capture what’s on their mind and get a reminder later at the right place or time. 

• Download Google Keep mobile application.
• Log in with your Google account.
• Record a voice memo and Keep will transcribe it so you can find it later.
• Take quick notes.
• Schedule your daily plan and enable the remainder.
• Take handwritten notes.
• Capture important results using the camera and save them.
• Access it when you working on a desktop or laptop as well.

6. Curiosity

What is Curiosity App?

Curiosity is a very popular mobile application from curiosity.com, it helps researchers to learn new scientific inventions in a more detailed way with videos.

How to Use it for Research? 

• Download the Curiosity mobile application.
• Create an account to access the app.
• Read inspiring articles from your topics.
• Watch smart videos from millions of creators.
• Personalize your favorites, then follow your favorite categories. 

7. Paperity

What is Paperity App?

Paperity is a free mobile application for researchers from www.paperity.org. It helps you to aggregate various open-access journals through your mobile.

• Download Paperity mobile application.
• Browse the most recent articles.
• Browse journals and their Tables of Contents of Open Access papers.
•  Search papers and their full text for specific keywords, phrases, authors, publication dates, languages, and countries of origin. 
• View and read full-text PDFs of more than one million articles. All for FREE!

What is Slack App?

Are you doing Collaborative Research? Then Try this useful mobile application Slack it brings team communication and collaboration into one place so you can get more work done, whether you belong to a small lab or doing collaborative research with researchers from another part of the world. Make effective conversations on different topics using #TAG. 

• Download Slack mobile application.
• Include your lab members using their Email-ID.
• Communicate with your lab mates and organize your conversations by topics, projects, or anything else that matters to your work.
• Message or call any person or group within your team.
• Integrate into your workflow, the tools, and services you already use including Google Drive, Salesforce, Dropbox, Asana, Twitter, and Zendesk.
• Customize your notifications so you stay focused on what matters.

What is Dropbox?

Dropbox is a free another free mobile application for researchers to make creative collaboration space, store all files together in one central place, and safely sync them across all your devices.

• Download Dropbox  mobile application.
• Create a Dropbox account and choose a free version. (Limited space only but more than enough for document files).
•  Work on files with others through shared folders.
• Use the document scanner to turn receipts, whiteboards, and notes into PDFs.
• Comment on files to share feedback with your team
• Sync, share, and edit Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files.

10. Camscanner

What is Camescanner App?

Camescanner is a mobile document scanning and sharing application, It helps you to scan, store, sync and collaborate on various contents across smartphones, iPads, tablets and computers.

• Download the Camscanner application and Create an account.
• Use your mobile camera to scan and digitize all kinds of paper documents.
• Using smart cropping and auto-enhancing ensures the texts and graphics in scanned documents.
• Easily share documents in PDF or JPEG format with friends in various ways.
• Instantly print out any documents in CamScanner with a nearby printer via AirPrint.

Hope, this article would help you to know about the 10 Best Apps for PhD Students.

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100 Connective Words for Research Paper Writing

Phd supervisors – unsung heroes of doctoral students, anna’s archive – download research papers for free.

[…] 10 Useful Apps for PhD Scholars […]

[…] Earth Institute Postdoctoral Research program provides innovative postdoctoral scholars with the opportunity to build a foundation in one of the […]

[…] tool also available as mobile applications in Android and iOS […]

[…] 10 Useful Apps for PhD Scholars | 2020 […]

Hello, I loved this article! All of your resources listed here are spot on, thank you for taking the time to write this. I sent you an email about a tool we created by (a team of researchers) that is free for PHD and graduate students to use. We started this no-code app to help our own academic research students and faculty, and would love to help more people. Thanks again! – Pathverse Team

Mendeley App was removed in 2021 – the mobile web version is sadly close to unusable. If anybody finds a proper workaround or a usable third party app, please include that in the article.

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iLovePhD is a research education website to know updated research-related information. It helps researchers to find top journals for publishing research articles and get an easy manual for research tools. The main aim of this website is to help Ph.D. scholars who are working in various domains to get more valuable ideas to carry out their research. Learn the current groundbreaking research activities around the world, love the process of getting a Ph.D.

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Audemic Scholar

Audemic Scholar enables PhDs and researchers to transform stale research PDFs into a time-saving reading and listening experience.

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Audemic Insights

Audemic Insights app summarizes open research articles and reports into brief written and audio summaries for the non-academic.

Access any academic research via audio

A powerful tool that enables Ph.D. students and researchers to save time and organise their knowledge

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Used by 10,000+ users at top leading institutions

Upload your paper

Upload the PDF of any academic paper or import it from your reference manager.

Listen to it

Listen to any academic paper. Choose between the full text or key statements.

Organise yourself

Built for researchers.

Speed up your reading

It will allow you to read and understand papers in much less time, especially for getting to grips with some of the knottier papers.

Inspiration

More 'Aha' moments

Need help reading academic papers, taking notes or organising your research? Audemic allows you to do all of this from one place, so you don’t miss a thing.

Multi-device

Accessible from anywhere

Audemic arrives with the ability to use across devices. Listen when you drive, exercise and even when you rest!

Text-to-speech

No robotic but neural voices

Well read, no stumbling over tricky words and with the possibility of choosing between different voices.

Translation

Language is no longer an obstacle

Scientific knowledge is mostly communicated in English, which may pose a barrier for non-native English speakers. Upload any paper and choose the language you want to translate it into*

* English to Spanish currently available

Need another language? Let us know

Crafted to be accessible

Reading papers can be challenging, especially for those with learning disabilities. We offer features that might support your reading style.

Want to go faster or slower? Not a problem! You can now change the speed of audio playback, sloth to cheetah!

VISUAL IMPAIRMENT

Order sections

Organise the sections of any paper you upload, according to your every whim, from the left-hand sidebar.

Background colour

Change your background colour to one of four handsome options. We know that little visual details can make a big difference.

COLOUR BLINDNESS

Dyslexic font

All of these changes will join our classic dyslexic font option, so you can set up your Audemic experience exactly the way you want it.

No hidden charges. Pick your plan.

Try it for free. If you like it, upgrade to Premium and enjoy unlimited access.

• Free forever
• Full interactive reader access
• Access to summaries
• 5-paper credit

• Unlimited highlights
• Up to 16 papers

• Dedicated account manager
• Potential integration with LMS or knowledge platform

billed at $118/yr 

• Unlimited papers

No unresolved doubts!

Things you probably wonder.

Get the most out of academic papers, whilst spending less time on them. Audemic allows you to ditch clunky PDFs to provide better listening with intuitive navigation across different sections of the paper, smart summaries, and gives you the ability to easily take and sync highlights across all your devices.

You can use Audemic for free , receiving 5 credits to start ! To use Audemic for more papers you can upgrade to premium.

PDF’s of research papers

Yes, it is currently available as a web app, so it can be accessed via mobile on Google Chrome, Safari and other browsers.

You can email [email protected] .

Not currently, but we are working hard on this!

You can email  [email protected] , or use the chat-bot available right on the App.

The best way to do this is through our Product Road site but you can also contact us at [email protected] or or tag us to a post on social media! (i.e. LinkedIn ,  Instagram , TikTok or X ).

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The best AI tools for research papers and academic research (Literature review, grants, PDFs and more)

As our collective understanding and application of artificial intelligence (AI) continues to evolve, so too does the realm of academic research. Some people are scared by it while others are openly embracing the change. 

Make no mistake, AI is here to stay!

Instead of tirelessly scrolling through hundreds of PDFs, a powerful AI tool comes to your rescue, summarizing key information in your research papers. Instead of manually combing through citations and conducting literature reviews, an AI research assistant proficiently handles these tasks.

These aren’t futuristic dreams, but today’s reality. Welcome to the transformative world of AI-powered research tools!

This blog post will dive deeper into these tools, providing a detailed review of how AI is revolutionizing academic research. We’ll look at the tools that can make your literature review process less tedious, your search for relevant papers more precise, and your overall research process more efficient and fruitful.

I know that I wish these were around during my time in academia. It can be quite confronting when trying to work out what ones you should and shouldn’t use. A new one seems to be coming out every day!

Here is everything you need to know about AI for academic research and the ones I have personally trialed on my YouTube channel.

My Top AI Tools for Researchers and Academics – Tested and Reviewed!

There are many different tools now available on the market but there are only a handful that are specifically designed with researchers and academics as their primary user.

These are my recommendations that’ll cover almost everything that you’ll want to do:

Want to find out all of the tools that you could use?

Here they are, below:

AI literature search and mapping – best AI tools for a literature review – elicit and more

Harnessing AI tools for literature reviews and mapping brings a new level of efficiency and precision to academic research. No longer do you have to spend hours looking in obscure research databases to find what you need!

AI-powered tools like Semantic Scholar and elicit.org use sophisticated search engines to quickly identify relevant papers.

They can mine key information from countless PDFs, drastically reducing research time. You can even search with semantic questions, rather than having to deal with key words etc.

With AI as your research assistant, you can navigate the vast sea of scientific research with ease, uncovering citations and focusing on academic writing. It’s a revolutionary way to take on literature reviews.

• Elicit –  https://elicit.org
• Litmaps –  https://www.litmaps.com
• Research rabbit – https://www.researchrabbit.ai/
• Connected Papers –  https://www.connectedpapers.com/
• Supersymmetry.ai: https://www.supersymmetry.ai
• Semantic Scholar: https://www.semanticscholar.org
• Laser AI –  https://laser.ai/
• Inciteful –  https://inciteful.xyz/
• Scite –  https://scite.ai/
• System –  https://www.system.com

If you like AI tools you may want to check out this article:

• How to get ChatGPT to write an essay [The prompts you need]

AI-powered research tools and AI for academic research

AI research tools, like Concensus, offer immense benefits in scientific research. Here are the general AI-powered tools for academic research. 

These AI-powered tools can efficiently summarize PDFs, extract key information, and perform AI-powered searches, and much more. Some are even working towards adding your own data base of files to ask questions from. 

Tools like scite even analyze citations in depth, while AI models like ChatGPT elicit new perspectives.

The result? The research process, previously a grueling endeavor, becomes significantly streamlined, offering you time for deeper exploration and understanding. Say goodbye to traditional struggles, and hello to your new AI research assistant!

• Consensus –  https://consensus.app/
• Iris AI –  https://iris.ai/
• Research Buddy –  https://researchbuddy.app/
• Mirror Think – https://mirrorthink.ai

AI for reading peer-reviewed papers easily

Using AI tools like Explain paper and Humata can significantly enhance your engagement with peer-reviewed papers. I always used to skip over the details of the papers because I had reached saturation point with the information coming in. 

These AI-powered research tools provide succinct summaries, saving you from sifting through extensive PDFs – no more boring nights trying to figure out which papers are the most important ones for you to read!

They not only facilitate efficient literature reviews by presenting key information, but also find overlooked insights.

With AI, deciphering complex citations and accelerating research has never been easier.

• Aetherbrain – https://aetherbrain.ai
• Explain Paper – https://www.explainpaper.com
• Chat PDF – https://www.chatpdf.com
• Humata – https://www.humata.ai/
• Lateral AI –  https://www.lateral.io/
• Paper Brain –  https://www.paperbrain.study/
• Scholarcy – https://www.scholarcy.com/
• SciSpace Copilot –  https://typeset.io/
• Unriddle – https://www.unriddle.ai/
• Sharly.ai – https://www.sharly.ai/
• Open Read –  https://www.openread.academy

AI for scientific writing and research papers

In the ever-evolving realm of academic research, AI tools are increasingly taking center stage.

Enter Paper Wizard, Jenny.AI, and Wisio – these groundbreaking platforms are set to revolutionize the way we approach scientific writing.

Together, these AI tools are pioneering a new era of efficient, streamlined scientific writing.

• Jenny.AI – https://jenni.ai/ (20% off with code ANDY20)
• Yomu – https://www.yomu.ai
• Wisio – https://www.wisio.app

AI academic editing tools

In the realm of scientific writing and editing, artificial intelligence (AI) tools are making a world of difference, offering precision and efficiency like never before. Consider tools such as Paper Pal, Writefull, and Trinka.

Together, these tools usher in a new era of scientific writing, where AI is your dedicated partner in the quest for impeccable composition.

• PaperPal –  https://paperpal.com/
• Writefull –  https://www.writefull.com/
• Trinka –  https://www.trinka.ai/

AI tools for grant writing

In the challenging realm of science grant writing, two innovative AI tools are making waves: Granted AI and Grantable.

These platforms are game-changers, leveraging the power of artificial intelligence to streamline and enhance the grant application process.

Granted AI, an intelligent tool, uses AI algorithms to simplify the process of finding, applying, and managing grants. Meanwhile, Grantable offers a platform that automates and organizes grant application processes, making it easier than ever to secure funding.

Together, these tools are transforming the way we approach grant writing, using the power of AI to turn a complex, often arduous task into a more manageable, efficient, and successful endeavor.

• Granted AI – https://grantedai.com/
• Grantable – https://grantable.co/

Best free AI research tools

There are many different tools online that are emerging for researchers to be able to streamline their research processes. There’s no need for convience to come at a massive cost and break the bank.

The best free ones at time of writing are:

• Elicit – https://elicit.org
• Connected Papers – https://www.connectedpapers.com/
• Litmaps – https://www.litmaps.com ( 10% off Pro subscription using the code “STAPLETON” )
• Consensus – https://consensus.app/

Wrapping up

The integration of artificial intelligence in the world of academic research is nothing short of revolutionary.

With the array of AI tools we’ve explored today – from research and mapping, literature review, peer-reviewed papers reading, scientific writing, to academic editing and grant writing – the landscape of research is significantly transformed.

The advantages that AI-powered research tools bring to the table – efficiency, precision, time saving, and a more streamlined process – cannot be overstated.

These AI research tools aren’t just about convenience; they are transforming the way we conduct and comprehend research.

They liberate researchers from the clutches of tedium and overwhelm, allowing for more space for deep exploration, innovative thinking, and in-depth comprehension.

Whether you’re an experienced academic researcher or a student just starting out, these tools provide indispensable aid in your research journey.

And with a suite of free AI tools also available, there is no reason to not explore and embrace this AI revolution in academic research.

We are on the precipice of a new era of academic research, one where AI and human ingenuity work in tandem for richer, more profound scientific exploration. The future of research is here, and it is smart, efficient, and AI-powered.

Before we get too excited however, let us remember that AI tools are meant to be our assistants, not our masters. As we engage with these advanced technologies, let’s not lose sight of the human intellect, intuition, and imagination that form the heart of all meaningful research. Happy researching!

Thank you to Ivan Aguilar – Ph.D. Student at SFU (Simon Fraser University), for starting this list for me!

Dr Andrew Stapleton has a Masters and PhD in Chemistry from the UK and Australia. He has many years of research experience and has worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow and Associate at a number of Universities. Although having secured funding for his own research, he left academia to help others with his YouTube channel all about the inner workings of academia and how to make it work for you.

Thank you for visiting Academia Insider.

We are here to help you navigate Academia as painlessly as possible. We are supported by our readers and by visiting you are helping us earn a small amount through ads and affiliate revenue - Thank you!

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Top 11 Apps for Researchers in 2023

Published on 01 May 2022

The evolution of new technologies has caused a digital transformation in almost every industry and field of interest, including academia. Technology has changed the way that academics conduct research, document findings, and collaborate with peers. 

Academics can now rely on new avenues of collaboration that didn’t even exist when they launched their careers. Networks like SSRN and Mendeley provide opportunities for researchers to share their work for increased collaboration, and abstract management tools streamline the peer review process required by legitimate academic conferences and journals. 

As this digital transformation accelerates, researchers can now access a vast array of apps aimed at simplifying their workflows and facilitating information sharing. While these apps have the potential to improve the way scientists conduct and share their research, the selection can be overwhelming. 

Based on our experience and extensive research, here are the 11 best apps available for researchers in 2023.

1. Fourwaves 

Fourwaves is a conference management software for researchers. Their free web application allows you to create a complete event website, manage abstract submissions, peer reviews, host virtual poster sessions , manage registrations and more. 

It’s the easiest way to organize scientific events as the tool was crafted with researchers in mind every step of the way. 

Fourwaves can be used not only for in-person events but also for hybrid and virtual conferences . They offer a complete virtual venue to access live streams, chat or call other participants and attend virtual poster sessions.

You can go as far as mass email your attendees, automatically generate your event schedule or even print out your name tags; everything you need for your event is in one place.

Most interesting features:

• Ready-to-go event website ; all you have to do is enter your event’s content and you’re ready to publish. 
• Abstract management & Peer review tool ; you can easily collect submissions, review them according to your criterias, email authors and publish your material and the full conference schedule online.
• Registration and payment management ; attendees can easily register to your event and pay online on your Fourwaves event website. 

2. R Discovery: Academic Research

R Discovery is a free app that empowers researchers to save time wading through a sea of academic research papers by finding the articles that are most relevant to your work and delivering them to you each day. It curates over 96 million research articles which includes over 24 million open access articles. 

The app is mobile-only, available for download on the Google Play App Store and the Apple App store for mobile use on your Android device, iPhone or iPad. The app scans papers from all major disciplines in the arts and sciences. 

• As soon as you sign up and submit your areas of interest, R Discovery will serve you the top three related articles in a news feed each day.
• R Discovery uses AI to learn your reading interests over time and populate your news feed with content increasingly tailored to your specific interests.
• The app provides export functions for easy integration with reference managers to organize your citations.

3. LabArchives  

LabArchives is a web-based application that acts as a digital lab notebook, helping researchers keep their work and notes organized to improve productivity in their labs. Users can access LabArchives to make notes, store images and data, and use the search feature for simple access to all of their material. 

There are also Android and iOS versions of this app available in the Apple App Store and Google Play App Store that allow users to access their digital notebooks from their Android devices, iPhones and iPads and have instant access to all of their data, from anywhere. While there are Premium and Enterprise versions of the platform for more advanced use and collaboration, individuals and small teams can access a free version that still includes unlimited notebooks and 1GB of storage. 

Most interesting features: 

• Makes it easy to store and share data between your team members, with user-friendly search functions. You can even share DNA sequence files in over 30 formats! 
• Access information from your desktop or your phone, thanks to the free iOS app for your iPhone or iPad. There is also an Android app available in the Google Play store, but based on reviews it appears that functionality is limited. 
• Data security that lets you determine file access and sharing limitations, so you know exactly who is viewing your files and when.

Typeset is a web-based application that was created to help researchers write, collaborate, format and submit research papers for publication. Typeset allows you to upload your work to their platform, and use their AI to reformat your research and submissions to meet the publication requirements of various journal and conference organizers. 

Typeset works seamlessly with reference management software like Mendeley, Zotero, Paperpile and more. It allows users to choose from over 45,000 verified journal formats and export your work to Word, LaTex and PDF formats. 

Typeset does not offer mobile apps for Apple or Android devices. There are a variety of subscription levels available with pricing ranging from free to $20 per month. 

• Editing features that increase the chances of being published.
• Integrations that enable you to submit research for publication directly from the app.
• Plagiarism and grammar checker for increased quality and peace of mind.

5. BenchSci

The BenchSci platform was built to use advanced biomedical AI to help source the materials that scientific researchers need to move forward with their work. 

Once the app user enters their protein target into the BenchSci platform, the app will sift through thousands of reliable information sources like websites and scientific publications, delivering options that will help determine the antibody or reagent needed. BenchSci is a web-based application that is not available for Android or iOS. It is used by more than 48,000 individual scientists and over 4,000 institutions. BenchSci boasts that their tools can accelerate projects through their AI-powered reagent and antibody selection process, cutting the selection time from 12 weeks to 30 seconds. By empowering researchers to find the antibodies and reagents they need easier and faster, BenchSci reduces the number of materials they need to purchase and experiment with, therefore reducing costs. 

• AI-Assisted Reagent Selection, which uses AI and automation to reduce the errors and inefficiencies in the reagent and model system selection for scientists. 
• AI-Assisted Antibody Selection, which follows the same principle as the reagent selection but focuses on antibodies. This feature is free for you to use if you are a student or researcher at an academic, government, or nonprofit institution. 
• Things change quickly, so the platform is constantly updated to add new antibody and reagent products to ensure that users can access everything available.

6. eLabJournal

There are many Electronic Lab Notebooks (ELNs) available on the market, but the eLabJournal takes the concept of ELNs to the next step. eLabJournal was designed to increase productivity and efficiency in your research lab and simplify the process of organizing and locating data, collaborating with peers, and exporting files into a variety of formats. 

This is a web-based application with mobile versions available on the Google Play and Apple App Stores. Academics can purchase a subscription to the eLabJournal for $15.55 per month, while Industry users are charged $41.95 per month. 

• This ELN uses a simple, intuitive interface that was specifically designed to meet the needs of those in the life science research and development field. 
• Facilitates the ability to link data with functionality to upload images (via the Android and iPhone apps) and a wide range of file types. 
• Seamlessly integrates with eLab’s other products through their SDK and APIs, providing extensive customization opportunities to meet the specific needs of your lab.

7. Connected Papers

Connected Papers is a web-based application that provides a uniquely visual representation of the published research available in a certain field. This helps researchers and scientists browse the information available related to their field of study and ensure that nothing is being missed as they prepare their work for submission. 

The app works when a scientist enters their research topic into the search bar. Within seconds, Connected Papers reviews tens of thousands of papers related to that topic, and creates a visual map showcasing all of the work available for the scientist to review and consider in their research. Connected Papers is currently not available on the Apple App Store or Google Play App Store. It is completely free to use. 

• The visual maps create an easy-to-follow pathway that showcases how closely related particular sources are to the work you’re conducting.
• The app creates clusters that groups papers based on their level of similarities, and pushes less relevant papers away.
• Connected works scans the citations used by various sources and classified papers to be closely related based on how many citations overlap. 

8. Papership

The Papership app allows you to store, annotate, manage and share research papers from anywhere. Available on your Mac, iPhone, and iPad, Papership syncs with popular web-based platforms Zotero and Mendeley to allow app users to access their curated research libraries stored in their Zotero and Mendeley accounts conveniently and remotely. 

• You can choose a free version of the app which can integrate with annotation apps like Evernote, or purchase the annotation function of Papership for $9.99 per month.
• Documents annotated through Papership can be shared via email, SMS, iMessage, Facebook and Twitter. 
• Papership provides quantitative measurements of the significance of a publication to alert the reader as to the legitimacy of the research. It measures both peer-reviewed and non-peer reviewed sources. 

9. GanttPRO

Ganttpro is a web-based project management application that helps research teams plan and organize projects through the use of collaborative Gantt charts. By providing the ability to create interactive Gantt charts online, GanttPRO makes it possible to plan and control many projects at the same time. It empowers researchers to organize and schedule tasks, set deadlines, identify dependencies and manage resources, all while making this information readily available to all collaborators. GanttPRO is available in a mobile version that can be downloaded for your Android and Apple mobile devices. The company offers a free trial and once that is complete different app packages are available that range from $7.99 to $19.99 per month. 

• Drag and drop capabilities to make it simple to organize and reorganize as inputs, outputs and priorities change
• Allows for the creation of multiple workspaces to separate personal tasks from overall team projects
• Collaborative functions make it easy to track the progress of each team member and step in to help whenever needed. 

Trello is an app that can be used by academics, researchers, marketers, computer scientists and basically any other student, professor or business person interested in seamlessly collaborating and managing projects on-the-go. Trello is organized in boards, lists and cards that are customizable and expandable as the project and team grows. Trello easily integrates with other popular apps like Dropbox, Slack, Chrome, Teams and more. It is available for Android and Apple mobile devices on the App Store and Google Play App Store. 

• Timelines that allow all team members to stay on track and be held accountable to deadlines
• Table views that connect work across a variety of related Trello boards
• A handy Dashboard that highlights usage and engagement stats for all of your boards.

11. Researcher

The Researcher app was built to make it easier for researchers to find academic articles relevant to their work. By aggregating over 19,000 sources that include peer-reviewed academic journals, blogs, podcasts and recordings from live events, Researcher helps scientists stay up-to-date on emerging trends and information related to any given field of study or interest. The creators of Researcher claim that their app is “like social media, but better.” The Researcher app is free to use and is available for download on the Apple App Store, the Google Play App Store and the AppInChina App Store. 

• Filter options that allow you to sift through tens of thousands of sources in seconds
• Notification options to ensure that any time a new source is published that relates to your stated interests, you’ll find out about it right away.
• Bookmarks that make it easy for you to come back to an interesting piece when the time is right, without having to search.

Conclusion 

The apps listed above can help you be more efficient, collaborate better with your colleagues, and get more organized. We hope one or more of them considerably help you with your research. Let us know if we missed any! 

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LITERATURE REVIEW SOFTWARE FOR BETTER RESEARCH

“Litmaps is a game changer for finding novel literature... it has been invaluable for my productivity.... I also got my PhD student to use it and they also found it invaluable, finding several gaps they missed”

Varun Venkatesh

Austin Health, Australia

As a full-time researcher, Litmaps has become an indispensable tool in my arsenal. The Seed Maps and Discover features of Litmaps have transformed my literature review process, streamlining the identification of key citations while revealing previously overlooked relevant literature, ensuring no crucial connection goes unnoticed. A true game-changer indeed!

Ritwik Pandey

Doctoral Research Scholar – Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning

Using Litmaps for my research papers has significantly improved my workflow. Typically, I start with a single paper related to my topic. Whenever I find an interesting work, I add it to my search. From there, I can quickly cover my entire Related Work section.

David Fischer

Research Associate – University of Applied Sciences Kempten

“It's nice to get a quick overview of related literature. Really easy to use, and it helps getting on top of the often complicated structures of referencing”

Christoph Ludwig

Technische Universität Dresden, Germany

“This has helped me so much in researching the literature. Currently, I am beginning to investigate new fields and this has helped me hugely”

Aran Warren

Canterbury University, NZ

“I can’t live without you anymore! I also recommend you to my students.”

Professor at The Chinese University of Hong Kong

“Seeing my literature list as a network enhances my thinking process!”

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium

“Incredibly useful tool to get to know more literature, and to gain insight in existing research”

KU Leuven, Belgium

“As a student just venturing into the world of lit reviews, this is a tool that is outstanding and helping me find deeper results for my work.”

Franklin Jeffers

South Oregon University, USA

“Any researcher could use it! The paper recommendations are great for anyone and everyone”

Swansea University, Wales

“This tool really helped me to create good bibtex references for my research papers”

Ali Mohammed-Djafari

Director of Research at LSS-CNRS, France

“Litmaps is extremely helpful with my research. It helps me organize each one of my projects and see how they relate to each other, as well as to keep up to date on publications done in my field”

Daniel Fuller

Clarkson University, USA

As a person who is an early researcher and identifies as dyslexic, I can say that having research articles laid out in the date vs cite graph format is much more approachable than looking at a standard database interface. I feel that the maps Litmaps offers lower the barrier of entry for researchers by giving them the connections between articles spaced out visually. This helps me orientate where a paper is in the history of a field. Thus, new researchers can look at one of Litmap's "seed maps" and have the same information as hours of digging through a database.

Baylor Fain

Postdoctoral Associate – University of Florida

Our Course: Learn and Teach with Litmaps

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Best Android apps in 2024

There are millions of apps on the Google Play Store, but these are the ones we think deserve a spot on your Android phone.

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Essential apps, customization apps, audio and video apps, communication apps, productivity apps, reading apps, sports apps.

The Google Play Store has millions of apps and games for you to download and make the most of your Android phone . Of course, not all the apps are worth downloading and installing on your phone, as most of them are duds that don't necessarily add any value to your smartphone experience. If you are new to the world of Android and don't know where to begin, then you've come to the right place. Read on to find a list highlighting the best Android apps across different categories like essential, customization, audio, and video apps, and more.

You'll eventually have your very own list of favorites once you get used to Android and find a footing, but the ones I've mentioned in the collection below will help you get started. I've included a good mix of both new and older yet popular apps in this list, so you get a pretty good mix overall. You'll also find both free and paid apps on the list, so be sure to explore the full list to check out all your options, complete with alternatives. Let's dive in!

Best Android games in 2023

I'll start with some essential apps for improving your Android experience, like VPN apps and password managers . These apps don't exactly fit into a particular category I'll mention later on, but they are very useful and are sure to improve your overall experience of using the phone. From easier file management to allowing you to automate your entire Android experience, these are definitely worth a look.

Solid Explorer

Many Android phones — including Google's Pixel phones — come with a default file explorer these days. But if you want an advanced file explorer that lets you do more than just browse the files on your device, then consider checking out the Solid Explorer. There's a lot to like about this particular file explorer, including its support for FTP, SFPT, WebDav, SMB/CIFS, and even cloud services. Solid Explorer also features Material Design, and it works very well on almost all devices out there. It comes with a 14-day free trial, after which you'll have to pay a one-time fee to use it, but it's worth considering if you happen to be a power user who needs more than just a basic file browser.

If you're looking for a reliable password manager to keep all your passwords in one place, then you might want to check out Bitwarden. It's a no-frills password manager that lets you access all of its core features without paying a fee. This includes some must-have features like a secure password generator and multi-device syncing. Alternatively, you can pay for the Premium tier to access additional features such as a built-in two-factor authenticator, file sharing, and more. The best part of all? It's open-source. Who doesn't love some good old open-source software?

Tasker is one of the most complex applications out there, as it has a bit of a learning curve to it. But once you get a grasp of it, you'll quickly realize that it's one of the most powerful applications that lets you automate a lot of things on your device. It can automate almost every aspect of your smartphone usage and have it work the way you want it to. This will reduce a lot of manual input and repetitive behavior by setting automatic actions to the parameters and conditions you want. It's also a Swiss tool of sorts and serves as a workaround for adding amazing smartphone functionality. If you can think of it, Tasker can probably pull it off. It's a paid app on the Play Store, but you can get it for free with the Google Play Pass.

There are tons of customization apps on the Google Play Store that lets you change everything from your phone's homescreen to app icons. I am highlighting three of the best and most popular customization apps out there.

The Backdrops app is one of the best tools for customizing your smartphone and making it truly yours. It's a wallpaper app that gives you a ton of options to choose from. One of the best things about this particular application is that the wallpapers are curated into different categories, and you can set them directly from the app. Aside from some "premium" collections, the app is free to use so that you can get a variety of high-quality wallpapers. Changing the wallpaper goes a long way in customizing the look of your Android homescreen , and Backdrops is easily one of the best places to find some good options.

Nova Launcher

Nova Launcher is easily one of the oldest and most popular applications on this list. It has gotten better over the years and now comes with a host of features that let you take Android customization to a whole new level. Some noteworthy features of the Nova Launcher include the ability to back up and restore your homescreen setups, and theme icons, customize the app drawer, app dock, and more. Most of the Nova Launcher features are available for free, so you can put on your creative hat and go crazy on the customization without spending any money. Paying a one-time premium fee will get you features like gesture controls, unread count badges for apps, icon swipe actions, and more.

Zedge is yet another application that you may have heard of in the past. It's essentially a place to grab some good notification tones and alarms for your device. If you're one of the few users who still download and customize those aspects of your phone, then Zedge is a good app to check out. The app also offers other elements like wallpapers to theme your device, so I'd say it's a pretty good app with plenty of customization options. Zedge is a free application that lets you pay for some premium features, so be sure to check it out.

There's no shortage of music and video streaming applications on the Google Play Store, but I wanted to highlight some unique options for you to check out. These are my top picks for audio and video apps right now.

Plex is easily one of the top picks in this section, as it's an all-around media center app that lets you stream both video and audio on the go. The app lets you access your Plex server on your Android device, meaning you can carry your library of media files with you everywhere. All you have to do is install a Plex server on your own computer to stream from it when you're on the move. It comes with a ton of other useful features that'll take your streaming experience to a whole new level. You will, however, have to subscribe to Plex Pass or make a one-time purchase to unlock all the Plex features on your Android phone, so keep that in mind.

VLC for Android

VLC is probably the best app for watching downloaded videos that exist in your phone's storage. It's a pretty big deal on a PC, and it's also available for Android with the same feature set. VLC supports playing a wide variety of videos, an endless number of formats (no matter how ancient or non-standard they are), and closed captions (if you have a separate subtitle file). What's more, it's completely free and has no ads to hurt your media experience.

Poweramp is very similar to VLC, except this one is for audio instead of video files. This is one of the best apps for playing music files that are locally stored on your smartphone. It's probably not going to win any awards for UI design, but Poweramp focuses on function over form, and it works as advertised without any issues. It has a powerful audio engine with support for hi-res audio, a handful of music formats, a built-in equalizer, internal 64-bit processing, and a bunch of tweaks, so you can make sure your music sounds the way you want it to sound. You can have Poweramp for a $4.99 one-time purchase, and it's definitely worth it if you prefer sideloading your own music instead of relying on a streaming service.

You're probably familiar with a lot of communication apps like WhatsApp and Telegram, so I wanted to highlight some different options to consider. Check out the recommendations below if you want to try something new to stay in touch with your friends and your loved ones:

Signal is your best bet if you care about both security and privacy. It uses the same encryption protocol as WhatsApp, so you get the same end-to-end encryption you'd get there. Signal, however, is backed by a non-profit foundation instead of a "big tech" company, and they also have a less invasive privacy policy. It's definitely worth a look if that's something you're interested in, although you also have to bear in mind that it has considerably fewer users than Telegram or WhatsApp.

Textra is easily one of Android's best and most reliable texting apps. So if you text a lot, then this is an excellent messaging app to have on your phone. It's highly customizable and comes with a lot of themes to customize. In terms of features, you get chat heads, scheduled messages, the ability to copy part of a message, group messaging, and blacklisting. Textra is considerably better than many other SMS apps shipped by OEMs, so give it a shot in case you're looking to replace the stock SMS app on your phone.

As you probably already know, Discord is slowly becoming a popular player in the social media space. While originally geared towards the gaming community, it has gotten much bigger through 2020 and has started to host communities (called "servers" inside the app) of all kinds. The app is extremely flexible, allowing for voice and video calls similar to Google Meet. You can also create separate channels on the fly or even adds bots to your server to add various functionalities.

While a smartphone can't replace a fully-fledged computer for productivity, there's still a lot you can do on your phone when you're on the move. There are tons of applications out there that'll let you get a lot of things done on your phone, and here are the ones that are worth considering:

Evernote is a powerful note-taking app that'll help you organize your important notes across different platforms. This app lets you save all kinds of notes, including text, images, audio, or even a mix of them, and make them available across multiple platforms. One of the best things about Evernote is that it features optical character recognition, which makes the text in images searchable. This comes in handy if you happen to save a lot of images as your notes and need to copy text from them to your device.

Business Calendar 2 Planner

A good calendar app goes a long way in helping you stay organized, which is why I believe you should consider downloading Business Calendar 2. It's a powerful calendar app that acts as your complete personal organizer, giving you features of a calendar, schedule planner, and task organizer.

Spark is one of the best email apps out there that comes with a lot of awesome features. It can intelligently prioritize your emails, be smart about notifications, and even allow you to collaborate with your team over emails. Some other noteworthy features of this particular email client include intelligent search, quick replies, email scheduling, snoozing emails, and more.

Dedicated e-readers are, for the most part, not necessary anymore for people that like to store digital copies of their books. While dedicated e-readers still have their own set of advantages, you can grab any smartphone or tablet and have a very similar experience to e-readers. It is, however, important to pick the right apps, and I believe the ones mentioned below will help you access all of your content easily and painlessly and discover new books online.

Amazon Kindle

Kindle was formerly just a lineup of e-readers from Amazon, but there's now a Kindle app for Android devices that gives you the same functionality without having an e-reader. This app gives you access to Amazon's extensive library of books, comics, newspapers, and magazines and allows you to read what you want at any given moment easily. Some of them also have Audible narration if you're more into hearing than reading, and you can explore several genres, new releases, and more within the app.

If you prefer sideloading e-books to your phone manually instead of relying on a service like Kindle, then you might want to check out Lithium. This app will let you read the e-books that are locally stored on your phone. It's built based on Material Design guidelines and allows you to read e-books saved on EPUB files. It automatically detects which e-book you're reading, allows you to highlight, add notes to books, change to night/sepia themes for easier reading, and more. It's free of ads, which is great for an uninterrupted reading experience. You can also choose to pay a one-time fee to purchase the Pro version of the app and get some additional functionalities, custom themes, more highlight colors, etc.

Feedly is a bit different from other recommendations in this category. It won't let you read e-books, but it allows you to follow news websites and blogs to read in one place. It curates articles from various online sources; you don't have to download and install multiple news apps on your device. Feedly is simple to use and is available to download for free from the Google Play Store.

It's easy to fire up the Google app or ask Google Assistant for the latest sports updates. It's a pretty good way to get all the latest scores and updates about the sports you follow, but what if you need more details or something that gives you a detailed breakdown of the scores? That's exactly why you need a dedicated sports app that sends real-time updates with a more comprehensive look at the scores and statistics.

theScore aims to be an all-in-one hub for everything sports. It allows you to read news from various sports, such as football, soccer, basketball, and more. You can even use it to follow the major leagues and competitions such as the NFL, the NBA, the Premier League, La Liga, and UEFA Champions League, as well as a handful of others from different sports. theScore app gives you live coverage of games, complete with scores updated in real-time and stats throughout the game. It also gives you a curated feed based on your preferences and even allows chatting within the app.

The ESPN app gives you similar functionality to theScore app as an all-in-one hub for sports stuff. It allows you to read up on the news from a variety of different sports and leagues and gives you live coverage of sports matches. It's also from a more reputable sports outlet, and if you're an ESPN+ subscriber, you can watch live sports coverage and ESPN+ originals without cable or TV right from your smartphone.

CBS Sports, as the name suggests, is made by the CBS group, and the app allows you to keep track of your favorite sports and teams. You can watch some of your favorite games on CBS Sports, including the UEFA Champions League, Europa League, the NFL, and mixed martial arts tournaments. CBS All Access subscribers will be able to watch a variety of exclusives, as well as all major sporting events.

Finally, the NFL app is a must-have for football fans. This app is packed with a lot of features, including live local/primetime games as well as live Playoffs and the Super Bowl. It allows you to watch videos, highlights, and replays of every game, and it keeps football fans in the loop even throughout the off-season with news, highlights, stats, and more. If you only care exclusively about football and do not give as much thought to other sports, then this might be better than the other two options mentioned above. You can also stream on-demand videos through a Chromecast, although you cannot stream live games due to license restrictions. But there are plenty of other things to like about it, so be sure to check it out.

Lots of great apps to check out on Android

It's tough to pick the single best application out of all the options mentioned on the list. The essential apps are an absolute no-brainer, and the ones like Solid Explorer and Tasker help improve the overall experience whether you have one of the best phones , like the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra , or a solid budget phone like the Pixel 7a . Having a good file explorer on your phone with support for things like FTP, SFPT, WebDav, SMB/CIFS will go a long way in helping you access a bunch of different files right from your phone.

Similarly, password Managers like Bitwarden are also important to have if you have a ton of online accounts on your phone. I skipped the usual suspects like WhatsApp, Netflix, and others in favor of highlighting some unique applications under different categories to help you get a well-rounded experience on your phone, so be sure to check them out if you're looking for more suggestions.

Better Siri is coming: what Apple’s research says about its AI plans

Apple hasn’t talked too much about ai so far — but it’s been working on stuff. a lot of stuff..

By David Pierce , editor-at-large and Vergecast co-host with over a decade of experience covering consumer tech. Previously, at Protocol, The Wall Street Journal, and Wired.

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It would be easy to think that Apple is late to the game on AI. Since late 2022, when ChatGPT took the world by storm, most of Apple’s competitors have fallen over themselves to catch up. While Apple has certainly talked about AI and even released some products with AI in mind, it seemed to be dipping a toe in rather than diving in headfirst.

But over the last few months, rumors and reports have suggested that Apple has, in fact, just been biding its time, waiting to make its move. There have been reports in recent weeks that Apple is talking to both OpenAI and Google about powering some of its AI features, and the company has also been working on its own model, called Ajax .

If you look through Apple’s published AI research, a picture starts to develop of how Apple’s approach to AI might come to life. Now, obviously, making product assumptions based on research papers is a deeply inexact science — the line from research to store shelves is windy and full of potholes. But you can at least get a sense of what the company is thinking about — and how its AI features might work when Apple starts to talk about them at its annual developer conference, WWDC, in June.

Smaller, more efficient models

I suspect you and I are hoping for the same thing here: Better Siri. And it looks very much like Better Siri is coming! There’s an assumption in a lot of Apple’s research (and in a lot of the tech industry, the world, and everywhere) that large language models will immediately make virtual assistants better and smarter. For Apple, getting to Better Siri means making those models as fast as possible — and making sure they’re everywhere.

In iOS 18, Apple plans to have all its AI features running on an on-device, fully offline model, Bloomberg recently reported . It’s tough to build a good multipurpose model even when you have a network of data centers and thousands of state-of-the-art GPUs — it’s drastically harder to do it with only the guts inside your smartphone. So Apple’s having to get creative.

In a paper called “ LLM in a flash: Efficient Large Language Model Inference with Limited Memory ” (all these papers have really boring titles but are really interesting, I promise!), researchers devised a system for storing a model’s data, which is usually stored on your device’s RAM, on the SSD instead. “We have demonstrated the ability to run LLMs up to twice the size of available DRAM [on the SSD],” the researchers wrote, “achieving an acceleration in inference speed by 4-5x compared to traditional loading methods in CPU, and 20-25x in GPU.” By taking advantage of the most inexpensive and available storage on your device, they found, the models can run faster and more efficiently. 

Apple’s researchers also created a system called EELBERT that can essentially compress an LLM into a much smaller size without making it meaningfully worse. Their compressed take on Google’s Bert model was 15 times smaller — only 1.2 megabytes — and saw only a 4 percent reduction in quality. It did come with some latency tradeoffs, though.

In general, Apple is pushing to solve a core tension in the model world: the bigger a model gets, the better and more useful it can be, but also the more unwieldy, power-hungry, and slow it can become. Like so many others, the company is trying to find the right balance between all those things while also looking for a way to have it all.

Siri, but good

A lot of what we talk about when we talk about AI products is virtual assistants — assistants that know things, that can remind us of things, that can answer questions, and get stuff done on our behalf. So it’s not exactly shocking that a lot of Apple’s AI research boils down to a single question: what if Siri was really, really, really good?

A group of Apple researchers has been working on a way to use Siri without needing to use a wake word at all; instead of listening for “Hey Siri” or “Siri,” the device might be able to simply intuit whether you’re talking to it. “This problem is significantly more challenging than voice trigger detection,” the researchers did acknowledge, “since there might not be a leading trigger phrase that marks the beginning of a voice command.” That might be why another group of researchers developed a system to more accurately detect wake words . Another paper trained a model to better understand rare words, which are often not well understood by assistants.

In both cases, the appeal of an LLM is that it can, in theory, process much more information much more quickly. In the wake-word paper, for instance, the researchers found that by not trying to discard all unnecessary sound but, instead, feeding it all to the model and letting it process what does and doesn’t matter, the wake word worked far more reliably.

Once Siri hears you, Apple’s doing a bunch of work to make sure it understands and communicates better. In one paper, it developed a system called STEER (which stands for Semantic Turn Extension-Expansion Recognition, so we’ll go with STEER) that aims to improve your back-and-forth communication with an assistant by trying to figure out when you’re asking a follow-up question and when you’re asking a new one. In another, it uses LLMs to better understand “ambiguous queries” to figure out what you mean no matter how you say it. “In uncertain circumstances,” they wrote, “intelligent conversational agents may need to take the initiative to reduce their uncertainty by asking good questions proactively, thereby solving problems more effectively.” Another paper aims to help with that, too: researchers used LLMs to make assistants less verbose and more understandable when they’re generating answers.

AI in health, image editors, in your Memojis

Whenever Apple does talk publicly about AI, it tends to focus less on raw technological might and more on the day-to-day stuff AI can actually do for you. So, while there’s a lot of focus on Siri — especially as Apple looks to compete with devices like the Humane AI Pin, the Rabbit R1, and Google’s ongoing smashing of Gemini into all of Android — there are plenty of other ways Apple seems to see AI being useful.

One obvious place for Apple to focus is on health: LLMs could, in theory, help wade through the oceans of biometric data collected by your various devices and help you make sense of it all. So, Apple has been researching how to collect and collate all of your motion data, how to use gait recognition and your headphones to identify you, and how to track and understand your heart rate data. Apple also created and released “the largest multi-device multi-location sensor-based human activity dataset” available after collecting data from 50 participants with multiple on-body sensors.

Apple also seems to imagine AI as a creative tool. For one paper, researchers interviewed a bunch of animators, designers, and engineers and built a system called Keyframer that “enable[s] users to iteratively construct and refine generated designs.” Instead of typing in a prompt and getting an image, then typing another prompt to get another image, you start with a prompt but then get a toolkit to tweak and refine parts of the image to your liking. You could imagine this kind of back-and-forth artistic process showing up anywhere from the Memoji creator to some of Apple’s more professional artistic tools.

In another paper , Apple describes a tool called MGIE that lets you edit an image just by describing the edits you want to make. (“Make the sky more blue,” “make my face less weird,” “add some rocks,” that sort of thing.) “Instead of brief but ambiguous guidance, MGIE derives explicit visual-aware intention and leads to reasonable image editing,” the researchers wrote. Its initial experiments weren’t perfect, but they were impressive.

We might even get some AI in Apple Music: for a paper called “ Resource-constrained Stereo Singing Voice Cancellation ,” researchers explored ways to separate voices from instruments in songs — which could come in handy if Apple wants to give people tools to, say, remix songs the way you can on TikTok or Instagram.

Over time, I’d bet this is the kind of stuff you’ll see Apple lean into, especially on iOS. Some of it Apple will build into its own apps; some it will offer to third-party developers as APIs. (The recent Journaling Suggestions feature is probably a good guide to how that might work.) Apple has always trumpeted its hardware capabilities, particularly compared to your average Android device; pairing all that horsepower with on-device, privacy-focused AI could be a big differentiator.

But if you want to see the biggest, most ambitious AI thing going at Apple, you need to know about Ferret . Ferret is a multi-modal large language model that can take instructions, focus on something specific you’ve circled or otherwise selected, and understand the world around it. It’s designed for the now-normal AI use case of asking a device about the world around you, but it might also be able to understand what’s on your screen. In the Ferret paper, researchers show that it could help you navigate apps, answer questions about App Store ratings, describe what you’re looking at, and more. This has really exciting implications for accessibility but could also completely change the way you use your phone — and your Vision Pro and / or smart glasses someday.

We’re getting way ahead of ourselves here, but you can imagine how this would work with some of the other stuff Apple is working on. A Siri that can understand what you want, paired with a device that can see and understand everything that’s happening on your display, is a phone that can literally use itself. Apple wouldn’t need deep integrations with everything; it could simply run the apps and tap the right buttons automatically. 

Again, all this is just research, and for all of it to work well starting this spring would be a legitimately unheard-of technical achievement. (I mean, you’ve tried chatbots — you know they’re not great.) But I’d bet you anything we’re going to get some big AI announcements at WWDC. Apple CEO Tim Cook even teased as much in February, and basically promised it on this week’s earnings call. And two things are very clear: Apple is very much in the AI race, and it might amount to a total overhaul of the iPhone. Heck, you might even start willingly using Siri! And that would be quite the accomplishment.

The Mac vs. PC war is back on

Reddit brings back its old award system — ‘we messed up’, twitter is officially x.com now, grand theft auto vi is launching in fall 2025, sony’s new playstation pc overlay is a simple start.

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Microsoft Research Blog

Microsoft at chi 2024: innovations in human-centered design.

Published May 15, 2024

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The ways people engage with technology, through its design and functionality, determine its utility and acceptance in everyday use, setting the stage for widespread adoption. When computing tools and services respect the diversity of people’s experiences and abilities, technology is not only functional but also universally accessible. Human-computer interaction (HCI) plays a crucial role in this process, examining how technology integrates into our daily lives and exploring ways digital tools can be shaped to meet individual needs and enhance our interactions with the world.

The ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems is a premier forum that brings together researchers and experts in the field, and Microsoft is honored to support CHI 2024 as a returning sponsor. We’re pleased to announce that 33 papers by Microsoft researchers and their collaborators have been accepted this year, with four winning the Best Paper Award and seven receiving honorable mentions.

This research aims to redefine how people work, collaborate, and play using technology, with a focus on design innovation to create more personalized, engaging, and effective interactions. Several projects emphasize customizing the user experience to better meet individual needs, such as exploring the potential of large language models (LLMs) to help reduce procrastination. Others investigate ways to boost realism in virtual and mixed reality environments, using touch to create a more immersive experience. There are also studies that address the challenges of understanding how people interact with technology. These include applying psychology and cognitive science to examine the use of generative AI and social media, with the goal of using the insights to guide future research and design directions. This post highlights these projects.

Microsoft Research Podcast

Collaborators: Holoportation™ communication technology with Spencer Fowers and Kwame Darko

Spencer Fowers and Kwame Darko break down how the technology behind Holoportation and the telecommunication device being built around it brings patients and doctors together when being in the same room isn’t an easy option and discuss the potential impact of the work.

Best Paper Award recipients

DynaVis: Dynamically Synthesized UI Widgets for Visualization Editing   Priyan Vaithilingam, Elena L. Glassman, Jeevana Priya Inala , Chenglong Wang   GUIs used for editing visualizations can overwhelm users or limit their interactions. To address this, the authors introduce DynaVis, which combines natural language interfaces with dynamically synthesized UI widgets, enabling people to initiate and refine edits using natural language.  

Generative Echo Chamber? Effects of LLM-Powered Search Systems on Diverse Information Seeking   Nikhil Sharma, Q. Vera Liao , Ziang Xiao   Conversational search systems powered by LLMs potentially improve on traditional search methods, yet their influence on increasing selective exposure and fostering echo chambers remains underexplored. This research suggests that LLM-driven conversational search may enhance biased information querying, particularly when the LLM’s outputs reinforce user views, emphasizing significant implications for the development and regulation of these technologies.  

Piet: Facilitating Color Authoring for Motion Graphics Video   Xinyu Shi, Yinghou Wang, Yun Wang , Jian Zhao   Motion graphic (MG) videos use animated visuals and color to effectively communicate complex ideas, yet existing color authoring tools are lacking. This work introduces Piet, a tool prototype that offers an interactive palette and support for quick theme changes and controlled focus, significantly streamlining the color design process.

The Metacognitive Demands and Opportunities of Generative AI   Lev Tankelevitch , Viktor Kewenig, Auste Simkute, Ava Elizabeth Scott, Advait Sarkar , Abigail Sellen , Sean Rintel   Generative AI systems offer unprecedented opportunities for transforming professional and personal work, yet they present challenges around prompting, evaluating and relying on outputs, and optimizing workflows. This paper shows that metacognition—the psychological ability to monitor and control one’s thoughts and behavior—offers a valuable lens through which to understand and design for these usability challenges.  

Honorable Mentions

B ig or Small, It’s All in Your Head: Visuo-Haptic Illusion of Size-Change Using Finger-Repositioning Myung Jin Kim, Eyal Ofek, Michel Pahud , Mike J. Sinclair, Andrea Bianchi   This research introduces a fixed-sized VR controller that uses finger repositioning to create a visuo-haptic illusion of dynamic size changes in handheld virtual objects, allowing users to perceive virtual objects as significantly smaller or larger than the actual device. 

LLMR: Real-time Prompting of Interactive Worlds Using Large Language Models   Fernanda De La Torre, Cathy Mengying Fang, Han Huang, Andrzej Banburski-Fahey, Judith Amores , Jaron Lanier   Large Language Model for Mixed Reality (LLMR) is a framework for the real-time creation and modification of interactive mixed reality experiences using LLMs. It uses novel strategies to tackle difficult cases where ideal training data is scarce or where the design goal requires the synthesis of internal dynamics, intuitive analysis, or advanced interactivity. 

Observer Effect in Social Media Use   Koustuv Saha, Pranshu Gupta, Gloria Mark, Emre Kiciman , Munmun De Choudhury   This work investigates the observer effect in behavioral assessments on social media use. The observer effect is a phenomenon in which individuals alter their behavior due to awareness of being monitored. Conducted over an average of 82 months (about 7 years) retrospectively and five months prospectively using Facebook data, the study found that deviations in expected behavior and language post-enrollment in the study reflected individual psychological traits. The authors recommend ways to mitigate the observer effect in these scenarios.

Reading Between the Lines: Modeling User Behavior and Costs in AI-Assisted Programming   Hussein Mozannar, Gagan Bansal , Adam Fourney , Eric Horvitz   By investigating how developers use GitHub Copilot, the authors created CUPS, a taxonomy of programmer activities during system interaction. This approach not only elucidates interaction patterns and inefficiencies but can also drive more effective metrics and UI design for code-recommendation systems with the goal of improving programmer productivity. 

SharedNeRF: Leveraging Photorealistic and View-dependent Rendering for Real-time and Remote Collaboration   Mose Sakashita, Bala Kumaravel, Nicolai Marquardt , Andrew D. Wilson   SharedNeRF, a system for synchronous remote collaboration, utilizes neural radiance field (NeRF) technology to provide photorealistic, viewpoint-specific renderings that are seamlessly integrated with point clouds to capture dynamic movements and changes in a shared space. A preliminary study demonstrated its effectiveness, as participants used this high-fidelity, multi-perspective visualization to successfully complete a flower arrangement task. 

Understanding the Role of Large Language Models in Personalizing and Scaffolding Strategies to Combat Academic Procrastination   Ananya Bhattacharjee, Yuchen Zeng, Sarah Yi Xu, Dana Kulzhabayeva, Minyi Ma, Rachel Kornfield, Syed Ishtiaque Ahmed, Alex Mariakakis, Mary P. Czerwinski , Anastasia Kuzminykh, Michael Liut, Joseph Jay Williams   In this study, the authors explore the potential of LLMs for customizing academic procrastination interventions, employing a technology probe to generate personalized advice. Their findings emphasize the need for LLMs to offer structured, deadline-oriented advice and adaptive questioning techniques, providing key design insights for LLM-based tools while highlighting cautions against their use for therapeutic guidance.

Where Are We So Far? Understanding Data Storytelling Tools from the Perspective of Human-AI Collaboration   Haotian Li, Yun Wang , Huamin Qu This paper evaluates data storytelling tools using a dual framework to analyze the stages of the storytelling workflow—analysis, planning, implementation, communication—and the roles of humans and AI in each stage, such as creators, assistants, optimizers, and reviewers. The study identifies common collaboration patterns in existing tools, summarizes lessons from these patterns, and highlights future research opportunities for human-AI collaboration in data storytelling.

Learn more about our work and contributions to CHI 2024, including our full list of publications , on our conference webpage .

Related publications

Piet: facilitating color authoring for motion graphics video, dynavis: dynamically synthesized ui widgets for visualization editing, generative echo chamber effects of llm-powered search systems on diverse information seeking, understanding the role of large language models in personalizing and scaffolding strategies to combat academic procrastination, sharednerf: leveraging photorealistic and view-dependent rendering for real-time and remote collaboration, big or small, it’s all in your head: visuo-haptic illusion of size-change using finger-repositioning, llmr: real-time prompting of interactive worlds using large language models, reading between the lines: modeling user behavior and costs in ai-assisted programming, observer effect in social media use, where are we so far understanding data storytelling tools from the perspective of human-ai collaboration, the metacognitive demands and opportunities of generative ai, continue reading.

Research Focus: Week of May 13, 2024

Research Focus: Week of April 15, 2024

Research Focus: Week of March 18, 2024

Advancing human-centered AI: Updates on responsible AI research

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• AI Frontiers
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• Microsoft Research Lab - Cambridge
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14 Apps That Actually Help Kids Learn to Read

T hese days, practically as soon as kids enter traditional kindergarten, they’re expected to be reading. Reading levels in school are deemed extremely important from the get-go, and the push for more academic early education has led to more kids underperforming in the earliest years of school. Because some kids may not be developmentally ready to read, have shorter attention spans or, in some cases, have learning differences that prevent them from reading, it can be a stressful experience.

As a mom who was told her daughter was falling behind in reading at the young age of five, I know the feeling well. While I didn’t exactly agree that my daughter needed to be a seasoned reader at five or even six, I worried most about how her confidence would be affected if she was falling behind her peers.

I tried to support her the best I could and found that a low-pressure approach worked best. We spent time reading together and practicing sounding out words, but playing reading games on an iPhone and tablet felt more like fun and less like work. I realized that when my kid was relaxed and playing games, rather than stressed or frustrated, she could absorb the information easier. Here are some of the best reading apps for kids that she still enjoys learning from and playing.

It’s all in the name. This app , which give access to 25,000 books with read-along technology, games and more, is truly epic.

Kids will have so much to do, they’ll never get bored reading stories of all kinds, learning phonics and just playing, as kids should.

Want to help kids reduce screen time and develop their imagination and creativity? Download Animopus from the App Store . Animopus is a drawing app for kids (ages 2 and up) that turns cartoon consumers into cartoon creators.

Another absolute favorite app is ABCmouse . The step-by-step learning path lets kids track their progress and earn rewards for their work.

While there’s tons of reading work to be done at various skill levels, there are more than 850 lessons overall. Those include digital books, puzzles, games, songs and animations that create a very interactive reading experience.

VocabularySpellingCity

Popular among homeschool families for its planning and tracking features, VocabularySpellingCity is not only filled with fun games, but is a quality reading tool to help kids learn to read.

Parents can set up year-long word study playlists and activities to keep kids busy, focused and constantly learning to read.

The creators of this app truly understood that fun makes learning easy, which is why it's filled with fun games that kids can choose based on their interests.

It’s designed for kids ages two to eight with age appropriate tasks for each level and grows with your child so they can start early as toddlers and keep the learning going into elementary school (and beyond).

The Starfall app offers multiple levels to encourage even the earliest readers to play along.

Beginning with ABCs to “I’m reading,” it lets kids practice with fun read-alongs, letter matching games and much more.

While not just for kids, this app is great for them. It allows you to download audiobooks from the local library instantly and listen on demand. Studies have shown that audiobooks are great for important reading skills, such as listening to sounds, as well as comprehension.

Even more, listening to stories is fun for timid readers, and with a world of books at their fingertips, Hoopla makes it easy.

Endless Reader

Kids love monsters, and with Endless Reader , they get to play with them.

The adorable creators will help them learn to recognize important sight words that are crucial to early reading with puzzles and letters that come alive and show them exactly what word they spelled. It's a good way to make the reading lessons memorable.

Hooked on Phonics

While Hooked on Phonics may be an oldie, the technology of the app is definitely a goodie. With more than 275 phonics activities, kids have tons to choose from, and it’s easy to find something that’s right for everyone.

The interactive games let kids practice essential reading skills while earning fun incentives at the same time. Plus, the app correlates to federal and state reading proficiency standards through first grade.

The best part about this app is the colorful and beautiful world of stories kids can choose from when playing. The narration brings each story to life and keeps kids engaged.

It’s been shown that kids read for longer periods of time when using it, and the read-along features make it easy to follow.

Amazon FreeTime

With access to tons of awesome and unique kids books, there is no shortage of reading time on this app .

And the best part? The parent dashboard feature makes it a unique experience, allowing you to set up educational goals and track your child’s reading from your own device.

Kids Academy

This app strikes the right note with kids because the experience is so personalized — something missing from most educational opportunities.

With Kids Academy’s engaging and adaptive experience, kids will get just what they need and find the learning course that engages them the most. With more than 5,000 activities, that could include educational games, interactive and printable worksheets, songs, puzzles and flashcards.

Dr. Seuss Treasury

Nobody does reading quite like Dr. Seuss, and the app is no exception.

With 55 Dr. Seuss books all in one place, kids can sort and search books, finding all their favorite characters, including the Cat in the Hat, the Grinch and the Lorax. It also allows them to record their own voice reading and learn new vocabulary with tappable words.

Reading Raven

This popular app for four- to eight-year-olds helps kids to read with its learning adventure guide.

It’s multi-sensory, has step-by-step lessons and hundreds of activities for kids to enjoy. The highly engaging content helps build confidence and reading skills at the same time.

Monkey Word School Adventure

This creative and intuitive app takes kids through phonics exercises to help their early reading skills begin to develop. They can trace letters, practice rhyming with a fun maze, practice spelling and more.

After every round, the game gives a reward — a plant or animal to add to a terrarium — making it even more fun to play, learn and earn!