We do not always fully appreciate how powerful the alternative research tools can be.
Do you get annoyed when you have an important task to complete within a tight deadline, but the license of the research tool you need has just expired?
I know that feeling – I have been there myself as student and academic.
I remember like it was yesterday when I received comments on one of the research manuscripts that I produced at the early stage of my PhD. One of the reviewers has asked me to provide an additional set of results.
It seemed straightforward – I thought. After all, I had the process model ready; I just need to run another case study and make sure the results are valid.
But my eagerness was quickly put down when I realised the license to the software I was using had not been extended yet.
I was so frustrated and furious.
As the young PhD researcher, I was not yet aware that I can ask the editor for extension. Even when asking for one, I felt ashamed.
This wound not have happened if I decided to explore the open-source and alternative research tools to those I used during my PhD.
I do not want to say that the open-source software is better (or worse) than the commercial research tools. It is down to your personal preference (and most likely budget!)
Nevertheless, I believe it is at least worth to explore some alternatives and understand the benefits of using alternative research tools.
I compiled a list of 101 alternative research tools so that you are aware of the options that you consider to support various aspects of your research project, from writing and note-taking, through data analysis and visualisation, to project management and data management. This list includes both open-source and freemium tools that you may find interesting.
Table of Contents
Benefits of open-source and alternative research tools
The key benefits of using open-source and freemium tools are:
- free to download and use;
- being continuously upgraded and improved by their developers;
- more secure and better quality (quicker updates);
- available on multiple platforms and operating systems; and
- open to modifications by its users so you can flexibly adjust it to your needs.
Disadvantages of open-source and alternative research tools
Regardless of the advantages, you need to be aware of the following drawbacks of open-source and alternative r