Reference Manager
Mendeley
Cost: Free with premium options.
Description: Mendeley serves as both a reference manager and an academic social network, allowing researchers to collaborate and share their work. Users can organise their research, annotate PDFs, and generate citations and bibliographies in various styles. The platform also features tools for discovering new research and connecting with other scholars, making it ideal for collaborative projects.
Zotero
Cost: Free.
Description: Zotero is an open-source reference management tool that enables users to collect, organise, cite, and share research materials. It can automatically extract bibliographic information from web pages and supports a wide variety of citation styles. Users can create libraries to store references, add notes, and attach files. Its browser extensions make saving references from online sources quick and easy.
EndNote
Cost: Paid (one-time purchase or subscription).
Description: EndNote is a robust reference management software that offers extensive features for organising references, creating bibliographies, and managing research. It supports a vast range of citation styles and integrates with word processors for easy citation within documents. EndNote also allows for collaboration with colleagues and offers cloud storage for access across devices.
RefWorks
Cost: Paid (subscription-based).
Description: RefWorks is a web-based reference management tool that enables users to gather, manage, and organise references easily. It provides features for collaboration, allowing multiple users to work on projects simultaneously. RefWorks is compatible with various databases, making it straightforward to import references and format bibliographies.
JabRef
Cost: Free.
Description: JabRef is an open-source reference manager primarily designed for LaTeX users, utilising BibTeX as its native format. It offers a straightforward interface for managing bibliographic data, including searching for references in online databases and generating citations. JabRef also supports various export formats and allows for the organisation of references into groups.
Citavi
Cost: Paid (with a free version for limited use).
Description: Citavi combines reference management with knowledge organisation tools, helping researchers plan and manage their research projects. Users can import references, organise tasks, and write papers within the application. Citavi supports collaboration features and allows for the easy sharing of references and notes with colleagues.
Papers
Cost: Paid (subscription-based).
Description: Papers is a reference manager designed to help researchers organise and discover scientific literature. It features powerful search capabilities across multiple databases and allows users to annotate and highlight PDFs. Papers also facilitates collaboration, enabling researchers to share references and documents with colleagues.
Paperpile
Cost: Paid (subscription-based).
Description: Paperpile is a web-based reference manager specifically designed for users of Google Docs and Google Scholar. It simplifies the process of managing references and generating citations directly within Google’s ecosystem. Paperpile also allows users to collaborate in real time and provides tools for organising research materials efficiently.
BibTeX
Cost: Free.
Description: BibTeX is a reference management tool commonly used in conjunction with LaTeX documents. It enables users to create and manage bibliographies efficiently, supporting various citation styles. BibTeX is popular among academics in the sciences and engineering, particularly for producing well-formatted references in research papers.
EasyBib
Cost: Free with premium options.
Description: EasyBib is an online citation generator that assists users in creating citations in various styles, including APA, MLA, and Chicago. While primarily aimed at students, EasyBib offers features for managing and organising references, making it a useful tool for anyone involved in research writing.
Collaboration
Slack
Cost: Free with premium options.
Description: Slack is a communication platform that facilitates team collaboration through channels, direct messaging, and file sharing. It integrates with various apps and services, allowing for seamless workflow management and real-time communication.
Microsoft Teams
Cost: Free with premium options.
Description: Microsoft Teams is a collaboration platform that combines chat, video meetings, file storage, and application integration. It is particularly useful for organisations using Microsoft 365, enabling teams to collaborate efficiently in a unified environment.
Trello
Cost: Free with premium options.
Description: Trello is a visual project management tool that uses boards, lists, and cards to help teams organise tasks and collaborate effectively. It allows users to track progress, assign tasks, and set deadlines in an intuitive, easy-to-use format.
Asana
Cost: Free with premium options.
Description: Asana is a project management and team collaboration tool that helps teams plan, track, and manage their work. Users can create tasks, set deadlines, assign responsibilities, and monitor progress through various views, such as lists, boards, and timelines.
Google Workspace
Cost: Free with premium options.
Description: Google Workspace includes a suite of productivity tools like Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Drive that enable real-time collaboration. Teams can work together on documents, spreadsheets, and presentations simultaneously, with automatic saving and version control.
Dropbox Paper
Cost: Free with premium options.
Description: Dropbox Paper is a collaborative document-editing tool that allows teams to create, edit, and share documents in real time. It supports multimedia embedding and integrates seamlessly with Dropbox for easy file management.
Notion
Cost: Free with premium options.
Description: Notion is an all-in-one workspace that combines note-taking, project management, and collaboration tools. It allows teams to create databases, wikis, and task boards, making it easy to share information and collaborate on projects.
Zoom
Cost: Free with premium options.
Description: Zoom is a video conferencing platform that facilitates online meetings, webinars, and collaboration. It offers features like screen sharing, breakout rooms, and chat, making it ideal for remote teamwork and communication.
Monday.com
Cost: Free with premium options.
Description: Monday.com is a work operating system that helps teams manage projects, workflows, and collaboration in one platform. Its customisable boards allow users to track progress, assign tasks, and automate workflows.
ClickUp
Cost: Free with premium options.
Description: ClickUp is a project management and collaboration tool that offers a wide range of features, including task management, goal tracking, and document sharing. It allows teams to customise their workflow and collaborate effectively in one centralised platform.
Statistics
R
Cost: Free.
Description: R is a free, open-source programming language and software environment for statistical computing and graphics. It offers a vast array of statistical techniques and is widely used in data analysis, statistical modelling, and visualisation.
Python (with libraries such as Pandas, NumPy, and SciPy)
Cost: Free.
Description: Python is a versatile programming language popular for data analysis and statistical computing. Libraries like Pandas, NumPy, and SciPy provide powerful tools for data manipulation, statistical analysis, and scientific computing.
SPSS
Cost: Paid (subscription-based).
Description: IBM SPSS Statistics is a comprehensive statistical software suite used for data analysis, including descriptive statistics, hypothesis testing, and advanced modelling techniques. It offers a user-friendly interface and is widely used in social sciences and market research.
SAS
Cost: Paid (subscription-based).
Description: SAS (Statistical Analysis System) is a software suite for advanced analytics, business intelligence, and data management. It provides a robust environment for data analysis and is popular in various industries, including healthcare and finance.
Stata
Cost: Paid (one-time purchase or subscription).
Description: Stata is a powerful statistical software package used for data analysis, data management, and graphics. It is particularly popular among researchers in economics, sociology, and epidemiology.
MATLAB
Cost: Paid (subscription-based).
Description: MATLAB is a high-level programming language and environment used for numerical computation and data visualisation. It is widely used in engineering, scientific research, and financial modelling for statistical analysis and algorithm development.
Excel (with Analysis ToolPak)
Cost: Paid (part of Microsoft 365 subscription).
Description: Microsoft Excel is a widely used spreadsheet program that includes built-in statistical functions and the Analysis ToolPak add-in for advanced statistical analysis. While not as powerful as dedicated statistical software, it is user-friendly and accessible.
JASP
Cost: Free.
Description: JASP is an open-source software for statistical analysis that offers a user-friendly interface. It provides a range of classical and Bayesian statistical techniques and is ideal for users who prefer a straightforward approach to data analysis.
PSPP
Cost: Free.
Description: PSPP is a free software application for statistical analysis of sampled data, designed to be a free alternative to SPSS. It can perform descriptive statistics, T-tests, linear regression, and more.
GraphPad Prism
Cost: Paid (subscription-based).
Description: GraphPad Prism is a statistical analysis and graphing software widely used in the biomedical field. It provides a range of statistical tests and visualisation options, making it suitable for analysing and presenting scientific data.