10 Time-Saving Tools for Academic Writers

Writing an academic paper is often the last hurdle that stands between a student and their much-awaited bachelor’s or post-graduate degree. Much is often demanded of a final academic paper. Apart from being a comprehensive thesis on a relevant topic or theory, it also has to adhere to certain rules about grammatical structures and stating references.

While you can expect to spend a great deal of time cranking out a quality academic paper, there are ways in which you can work more efficiently also. Fortunately, there are quite a lot of tools that you can use to work out certain technical aspects of your paper so that you can concentrate better on developing your main idea.

These time-saving tools include the following:

1. Cloud Storage. Accumulating large amounts of data is pretty inevitable during the process of writing an academic paper. One of the worst things that could happen is if your computer’s hard drive or if your external hard drive were to crash in the midst of writing your paper. Having to begin your research all over again would definitely set you back by weeks or perhaps even months.

You can prevent this by registering for an online cloud storage account. A quick browse through your search engine of choice is sure to result in a couple of good cloud storage programs that would not only allow you to back-up different versions of your work, but also enable you to collaborate with your advisor or editor over a simple interface (The Book Designer).

2. Online Grammar Checkers. Even the strictest grammar stickler is bound to make a few mistakes over the course of writing a paper. The best online grammar checkers can find up to ten times more grammar and spelling mistakes than your typical word processor, and can even point out the usage of clichés.

You may have to shell out a monthly payment of about USD30, but it would be a pretty good investment if you don’t want to spend a great deal of time proofreading your work after each revision.

3. Note-taking applications. These applications not only conduct a spell-check on your notes, but they also allow you to organize them in a variety of effective ways such as through list-handling and syntax-highlighting. You can easily find a great number of such applications online, and the good ones function like a better-organized notebook. (PR Daily)
4. Website Blockers. Online distractions are one other culprit that can lead you to waste time during your academic paper-writing sessions. Website blockers can be installed on the browser of your choice so that they block distractions like social media websites or blogs that aren’t related to your paper topic during an active working session . You can even choose which websites to block and for how long once you install this tool.
5. Online ghost writers. There are many online agencies that allow you to hire the services of talented writers from different fields. This is especially useful when you need to get a lot of research done in a limited amount of time, or when you seem to have hit a slump during your writing process. (Papers for Sale)
6. Automated Citation Generators. One of the most time-consuming aspects of writing an academic paper is citing references according to your advisor’s preferred method. Certain websites enable you to implement the most popular referencing styles (e.g., APA, MLA, etc.) for free (Lifehack). All you need to do is register for an account on their website and then follow the succeeding instructions.
7. Audio and video transcription applications. This application transcribes your recordings into notes for you, sparing you the time and trouble. If your first draft happens to be recorded in audio format, you can simply sign up for a quality application (for a minimal fee of USD1) and have them translate your initial recording into a written draft.
8. Note organization applications. Having to organize all your notes and readings can be a very tedious process. Fortunately, you can download a good note organization application online and use it to tag your notes and ideas. Such applications can also be used to help you find the information you need at the click of a button.
9. Keyboard shortcut tools. These can be installed onto your computer so that you can use keyboard shortcuts in lieu of a mouse. This way, your fingers no longer need to move away from the keyboard as you type, helping you cut down on your writing time by as much as 30%.
10. Writing Environment Interface. Applications like this can be installed so that you end up with a less cluttered and more calming interface for your word processor. Such a simple and straightforward environment can help you focus better and thus get a lot more work done in less time.