If you are a student looking to author your first research paper, the sheer volume of tasks can seem intimidating! However, following a strategic plan to publish your paper along with well-informed investments in the right academic tools and services can ease the process tremendously. 
 
With numerous academic tools—such as various AI-based digital tools—and academic services at your disposal, how do you decide the most affordable ones? Should you go for freely available writing tools or consider making affordable investments? Read on to discover some of the best practices to maximize acceptance rate for a successful paper submission.

Factors Deciding the Choice of Academic Tools and Services

Purpose

First, consider why you need academic tools/services and what purpose they serve. They can come in handy for literature search and review, writing and polishing papers, and formatting. Once you have identified the purpose, selecting the tool or service becomes easier. 

User friendliness

Next, focus on the ease of use of the tool.  

• Are the tool’s features easy enough to understand? 

• Is the user interface complicated and would require a high level of expertise? 

• How popular is the tool among your peers for you to seek help in case of crisis? 

• Do you have access to the tool’s tutorials?  

Answering these questions can help determine whether the choice of tool is accurate. 

When it comes to services, verify the reviews and check if the service providers are authentic. Customer satisfactions ratings along with recommendations from your peers or professors can help you choose the best service available. 

Cost-effectiveness

Another factor is the pricing of the tool/service.  

• Naturally, your first instinct would be to choose tools that are available for free. However, you might not have access to all of the tool’s features, which might impact your work. Therefore, look for low-cost academic tools that offer maximum features that are relevant to your research process. If a tool can serve multiple purposes at a reasonable cost, it might be worth the investment. 

• Service providers often charge fixed rates. However, look for services available on discounts or offers that can fit well within your budget. 

Time saving

Finally, check if opting for the tool/service can really save you time. Remember that you not only want tools and services to simplify your work but also allow you to focus on crucial aspects of your research while they manage the more mundane tasks.

AI Tools for Academic Research

Let’s look at some useful tools for (a) literature search/review and (b) writing and polishing academic papers. 

Literature Search and Review

Reviewing existing literature is one of the most time-consuming tasks in research publication! Typically, literature review entails  

• sifting through numerous works related to your research, 

• identifying research gaps,  

• determining the works most relevant to your research, 

• staying updated on latest works published in your research area, and 

• summarizing the content from papers. 

This is where tools like SciSpace, ResearchRabbit, RDiscovery, and Scholarcy can be extremely useful.  

Pro Tip: See if you can get a free demo or use the trial version of the tool/app before investing in a subscription. 

Writing and Polishing Papers

Another area of research publication where tools play a key role is writing and polishing your academic papers. While there are numerous AI-based tools available for writing, not all of them are suitable for academic or scientific writing.

1. Note-taking: You will often need to take notes or record ideas related to your research even when you are not actively working. Tools like AudioPen and NotebookLM help you record, transcribe, and summarize text.  

2. Writing & Polishing: When it comes to academic writing, Paperpal is one of the best tools in the industry. It provides you with outlines of different sections of your paper without offering the entire content. This means that your learning curve remains unaffected as your inputs will still be necessary to complete the paper! This tool can also help you brainstorm ideas, paraphrase text, check for plagiarism, and rewrite your content in an academic style. 

3. Tables & Figures: Tabular data and graphical illustrations are common elements in a research paper. Tools like Julius AI and Mind the Graph can come in handy in preparing your tables and figures. 

Affordable Academic Services

One of the areas where professional services can be helpful is research paper editing. While it sounds like an added expense, editing services offer benefits that go far beyond the monetary investment.  

But how do you identify authentic yet affordable editing services? 

• As a student, reach out to your professors and peers to get information on editing services they have used before. More than online reviews, these first-hand opinions will give you much more clarity on the authenticity of the service. 

• Identify which aspects of your publication process would benefit the most from external services. For instance, if you are unfamiliar with the formatting of research paper for a particular journal, it might be ideal for you to opt for manuscript formatting services. If you are a non-native speaker, getting your paper reviewed and edited by native speakers through professional editing services might be useful. 

• Look for discounted pricing and student offers. Do a thorough research and compare prices, packages, services offered, turnaround time, and overall reviews before selecting the best editing service to accompany you on your research journey! 

Academic Submission Tips

In summary, here are some tips for a successful research publication. 

• Recognize that at some point in your research journey, you might require help from external sources. So set aside a reasonable budget just for manuscript preparation. 

• Identify tasks that can be simplified using AI tools. Learn to smartly integrate these tools into your research process to save valuable time. 

• Writing and formatting papers consume the maximum amount of time in manuscript preparation. Choose tools like Paperpal to assist you in academic writing and go for professional manuscript formatting services if you are unsure of journal guidelines. 

• Do not hesitate to seek the help of professional editors. Insights from an external eye can help spot errors in your paper that you may have missed! Another advantage of using editing services is that you can minimize the risk of paper rejection owing to their experience and expertise in the field. 

Submitting a research paper publication can be a long journey. Plan well and strategize your submission process to ensure higher acceptance rates. 

Give more time for your research, spend less time formatting! Check out Editage’s Manuscript Formatting Services and get professional support for journal formatting.