Research Assistant

Research Assistant is a comprehensive software solution created to provide you with the means of storing, organizing and referencing articles in your field of study, also enabling you to access public resources from the web or load items from your own computer.

The utility features a fairly easy to handle interface, with a large yet resizable window where you can view, in several panels, the available ‘Libraries’ along with the comprised articles, as well as a series of keywords.

However, it could use a function allowing you to adjust the font size, as under certain screen resolutions, it appears quite large; similarly, it might be handy if it could let you adjust the dimensions of each panel.

Research Assistant features a wizard to help you get started with the first ‘Library’, offering a few sample articles to show you how the program is meant to function. Afterward, you can start creating your own ‘Library’, giving it a suitable name, then adding various ‘Titles’, ranging from ‘Books’ to ‘Conference Proceedings’.

You can import entries from other applications, from the web or locally stored PDFs and TXT files; you can add their contents to Research Assistant, thus enabling you to easily access all the information you posses whenever you need it. The tool allows you to reference the articles, books or other sources using a preferred style, for instance ‘Harvard’, ‘APA’, ‘Chicago’, ‘Vancouver’, ‘Stroke’ and others.

Moreover, Research Assistant features a function that lets you track certain RSS feeds and quickly learn of any new development in your field of study. While it comes with several BBC feeds on science, health or technology, you also have the option of adding your own.

To summarize, Research Assistant is a very useful and efficient application, which can successfully assist you in organizing your research material into well-structured ‘Libraries’, allowing you to access all the information you need from a single location and reference it appropriately.