Free and low cost resources for graduate
students, postdocs, and early career researchers

(or really anyone else)

Thanks to everyone who has contributed to this crowdsourced list!

If you wish to suggest other resources, please email me at jsiegel3@uwo.ca.

In order to protect this document, requests to edit will be denied.

Note: You will also likely have access to several other programs through your university. Check with your department chairs and library before purchasing.

Comprehensive software | Writing/Creating | Note taking | Storage | Editing | Reviewing | Free images | Statistics and data analysis | Other analysis | Transcription and qualitative analysis | Literature/systematic reviews | Collaborative workspaces  Teaching resources | Citations and references | Research/knowledge access  | Open science and preprints | Virtual meetings | Audio | Task managers | Networking and social media | Graphics, models, and figures | Conducting research | Anti-racism resources | Academic podcasts | Student discounts and free stuff | Helpful blogs and websites | Miscellaneous

Comprehensive software and operating systems

• Open Office: https://www.openoffice.org/
• Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/
• Libre Office: https://www.libreoffice.org/
• WPS: www.wps.com/
• Simul: https://simuldocs.com
• Ubuntu: https://ubuntu.com/
• Mint: https://linuxmint.com/

Writing/Creating

• Google docs: https://www.google.ca/docs/about/
• Google sheets: https://www.google.ca/sheets/about/
• Google slides: https://www.google.ca/slides/about/
• Google forms: https://www.google.ca/forms/about
• Scrivener: https://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener/overview
• Overleaf (LaTex editor): https://www.overleaf.com/
• Papeeria (LaTeX editor): https://papeeria.com/
• TeXMaker (LaTeX editor): https://www.xm1math.net/texmaker/
• TeXStudio (LaTex editor): https://www.texstudio.org/
• WPS Kingosoft: https://www.wps.com/pt-BR/phone/

Note taking

• Notion: https://www.notion.so/
• Evernote: https://evernote.com/
• Squidnotes: https://www.squidnotes.com/
• Onenote: https://www.onenote.com/
• Notability: https://notesapp.io/
• Notational Velocity: http://notational.net/
• Little outliner: http://littleoutliner.com/
• Free mind: http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
• Obsidian: https://obsidian.md/
• Don’t pad: http://dontpad.com/

Storage/Cloud-based operating systems/Syncing

• Google Drive: https://www.google.ca/drive/
• Dropbox : https://www.dropbox.com/h
• Ubuntu: https://ubuntu.com/
• Next Cloud: nextcloud.com
• Syncthing: https://www.syncthing.net

Editing

• Reciteworks (check references): https://reciteworks.com/
• Grammarly (check grammar): https://www.grammarly.com/
• ProWritingAid: https://prowritingaid.com/

Reviews and reviewing

• Publons: https://publons.com/
• Reviewer Credits: https://www.reviewercredits.com/
• JANE (where to submit paper): https://jane.biosemantics.org/
• LetPub (information about journals): https://www.letpub.com/index
• Sci-rev (review procedures): https://scirev.org/
• Post-peer review comments: https://pubpeer.com/
• Journal Reviewer (experiences at journals): http://journalreviewer.org/
• List of journals: https://scholar.google.com/citations?view_op=top_venues&hl=en&fbclid=IwAR09n7z9mdjNIuhOoE0jOr1czxxfvNj425bai_q3ociXVkU8n32ceqSQv38

Photos, videos, and images for presentations

• Pixabay: https://pixabay.com/
• Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/
• Unsplash: https://unsplash.com/
• Freepik: https://www.freepik.com/
• Wiki commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
• Noun project: https://thenounproject.com/
• Blender (image editor): https://docs.blender.org/manual/en/latest/editors/image/introduction.html
• Canva: https://canva.com 
• Flaticon: https://www.flaticon.com/
• For free PPT and Google Slides templates: https://slidescarnival.com
• More powerpoint backgrounds: https://slidesgo.com
• Photopea (image editor): https://photopea.com
• Powtown (videos): https://www.powtoon.com/

Time management

• Forest app (pomodoro/block social media): https://www.forestapp.cc/

• Block social media: https://www.selfcontrolapp.com

• Tomato timer (pomodoro): https://tomato-timer.com/
• Tomatoes (pomodoro): http://www.tomato.es/
• Cuckoo (pomodoro for teams): https://cuckoo.team/
• Toggl: https://www.toggl.com/
• Read “Rescue Time”: https://osf.io/tzaeh/

Statistics software

• Google Data Studio: https://datastudio.google.com/
• JASP (similar to SPSS): https://jasp-stats.org/
• Jamovi (similar to SPSS): https://www.jamovi.org/
• R: https://www.r-project.org/

• R Studio: https://rstudio.com/
• Tex Studio:

• Process (Macro for SPSS or SAS; Beta version for R): https://www.processmarco.org/download.html
• Stata (may have access through institution): https://www.stata.com/
• G Power: https://stats.idre.ucla.edu/other/gpower/
• PSPP: https://www.gnu.org/software/pspp/
• Stats Cloud; statscloud.app
• Gretl: http://gretl.sourceforge.net/
• QGIS (geospatial analyses): https://www.qgis.org/en/site/
• pgAdmin (based on postgreSQL): https://www.pgadmin.org/

Image processing/Phonetics analysis/DNA editing/Video coding

• Fiji: https://fiji.sc/
• Qupath: https://qupath.github.io/
• Praat: https://www.fon.hum.uva.nl/praat/
• Solomon Coder: https://solomon.andraspeter.com/
• A Plasma Editor: https://jorgensen.biology.utah.edu/wayned/ape/
• Text mining: https://khcoder.net/en/
• Slicer: https://www.slicer.org/

• SlicerMorph: https://slicermorph.github.io/
  

Qualitative data transcription and analysis/Archival data

• Otter (transcription): https://otter.ai
• Taguette (similar to NVivo): https://www.taguette.org/
• Tropy: https://tropy.org/
• Datavyu: https://datavyu.org/
• TAMSYS Analyzer: http://tamsys.sourceforge.net/
• ELAN (annotations/transcriptions): https://archive.mpi.nl/tla/elan

Organizing and planning literature and systematic reviews

• Research Rabbit: researchrabbit.ai/signup
• Obsidian: https://obsidian.md/
• Phrasebank: http://www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk/
• Spreadsheet of psychology papers by BIPOC authors: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1i7Eacoyv9VVg2lBbCV-KJZg4nSGvR_VZFOysOyOGG8g/edit#gid=666010790
• Rayyan (systematic reviews): https://rayyan.qcri.org/
• Cochrane Handbook of Systematic Reviews: https://training.cochrane.org/handbook
• ProMeta (systematic reviews): https://idostatistics.com/prometa3/
• Covidence (systematic reviews): https://www.covidence.org/home
• Bibliometrix (shiny app): https://bibliometrix.org/Biblioshiny.html
• Connected papers (systematic review): https://www.connectedpapers.com/
• NIRO: https://niro-sr.netlify.app/

Collaborative workspaces

• Slack: https://slack.com/intl/en-ca/
• Discord: https://discord.com/
• Basecamp: https://basecamp.com/
• Asana: https://asana.com/
• Guilded: guilded.gg
• Github: https://github.com/

Teaching resources

• Kahoot: https://kahoot.com/schools-u/
• Mentimeter: https://www.mentimeter.com/app
• Open Textbook Library (accessible textbooks): https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks
• Open Stax: https://openstax.org/
• OER Commons: https://www.oercommons.org/
• Lumen learning: https://lumenlearning.com/
• More open textbooks: https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/
• MERLOT: https://www.merlot.org/merlot/
• OE consortium: https://www.oeconsortium.org/
• CUNY Open Works Repository: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/
• Teaching Assistant guide: https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/teachingassistants/
• How We Teach Now: http://teachpsych.org/ebooks/howweteachnow-transformative#free
• Psychology Teaching Guide: https://teachpsych.org/page-1603066
• SPSSI teaching activities: https://www.spssi.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=page.viewPage&pageID=1974&nodeID=1
• Dr. Kim Case’s teaching resources: https://www.drkimcase.com/resources/
• Psychology of WOmen Quarterly resources: https://journals.sagepub.com/topic/collections-pwq/pwq-3-supplemental_teaching_and_research_resources/pwq
• SPSP teaching resources: https://www.spsp.org/resources/teaching/classroom-resources

Citation creators and reference managers

• APA Citation Machine: https://www.citationmachine.net/style
• Mendeley: https://www.mendeley.com/
• Zotero: https://www.zotero.org/
• Citationsy: https://citationsy.com

Research, books, and scholarly articles

• Unpaywall: https://unpaywall.org/
• RBdigital: https://rbdigital.com/
• Kopernico: https://kopernio.com/
• Scribd: https://www.scribd.com/
• Audible: https://www.audible.ca/ OR https://www.audible.com
• ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/
• Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com
• Udemy (online courses): https://www.udemy.com/
• Libby/Overdrive (connect with local library): https://www.overdrive.com/
• Z library libgen (e-library): https://z-lib.org/
• Coursera (online courses): https://www.coursera.org/
• E-cancer (cancer-specific): https://ecancer.org/
• Code academy (learn to code): https://www.codecademy.com/
• She Codes (learn to code; but for women): https://www.shecodes.io/

Open Science and preprints

• Open Science Framework: https://osf.io/
• ArXiv: https://arxiv.org/
  PsyArXiv: https://psyarxiv.com/
• FOSTER: https://www.fosteropenscience.eu/

Virtual/video meetings

• Zoom: https://zoom.us/

• Best practices for keeping Zoom meetings secure: https://www.zdnet.com/article/make-sure-your-zoom-meetings-are-safe-by-doing-these-10-things/

• Skype: https://www.skype.com/en/
• Jitsi: https://jitsi.org/
• Doodle (meeting planning): https://doodle.com/en/
• When2meet (meeting planning): https://when2meet.com 
• Whereby: https://whereby.com/
• You Can Book: https://youcanbook.me/

Recording and audio editing software

• Audacity: https://www.audacityteam.org/
• Recorder (Android app): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.recorder
• TapeACall (iPhone app): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/tapeacall-call-recorder/id573751328

Conducting research

• PsychoPy: https://psychopy.org/
• Gorilla: https://gorilla.sc/
• ODK: https://getodk.org/
• Kobo: https://www.kobotoolbox.org/
• Qualtrics: https://www.qualtrics.com/
• Survey Monkey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/
• Enketo: https://enketo.org/
• Ona: https://ona.io/home/
• CommCare: https://www.dimagi.com/commcare/
• FormR: formr.org
• Open Sesame: osdoc.cogsci.nl
• Chicago faces: https://chicagofaces.org/default/
• jsPsych: https://www.jspsych.org/
• Cognition.run: https://www.cognition.run/
• The American Multiracial Faces Database: https://osf.io/qsdrp/

Task managers

• Trello: https://trello.com/
• Get Plan: https://getplan.co/login
• Pacemaker: https://pacemaker.press
• Habitica (gamified): https://habitica.com/static/home
• Notion.so: https://notion.so
• ClickUp: https://clickup.com/
• NTask: https://www.ntaskmanager.com/
• ToDoIst: https://www.todoist.com/
• Dynalist: https://dynalist.io/

Networking/Social media/Research identifiers

• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/
• Scientist: scientistt.net
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/
• ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/
• ORCiD: https://orcid.org/
• Academia.edu: https://academia.edu
• Hootsuite (for managing social media): https://hootsuite.com/
• Forest app (for blocking social media): https://www.forestapp.cc/

Create graphics/Figures/Images/Models

• Biorender: https://biorender.com/
• Inskscape: https://inkscape.org/
• Draw.io: https://app.diagrams.net/
• Biorender: https://biorender.com/
• Paint.net: https://www.getpaint.net/
• Lumion (free trial): https://lumion.com/
• Vector works: https://www.vectorworks.net/en-CA
• Adobe sketchup: https://www.sketchup.com
• GIMP: https://www.gimp.org/
• Wordle (word clouds): https://www.wordle.net
• Interaction (creates figures for two-way interactions): https://www.danielsoper.com/interaction
• Veusz: https://veusz.github.io/

Other student discounts & free stuff

• Amazon Prime: https://www.amazon.com/Amazon-Student/b?ie=UTF8&node=668781011
• Spotify Premium (music, podcasts & free basic hulu plan): https://www.spotify.com/ca-en/student/
• Chegg (Used textbooks): https://www.chegg.com/
• Abebooks (Used books): https://abebooks.com/
• Better World books (Used books): https://www.betterworldbooks.com/
• PsyPAG (UK-based researchers): http://www.psypag.co.uk/

Anti-racism resources

• Academics for Black Lives: https://www.academics4blacklives.com/
• Your Black Friends are Busy: https://www.yourblackfriendsarebusy.com/
• How to Be an Ally: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1H-Vxs6jEUByXylMS2BjGH1kQ7mEuZnHpPSs1Bpaqmw0/preview?pru=AAABcqPaNWo*Mg4LEZBP-Klp_T3LUN6uJA#heading=h.kp9nlkcqhx65
• Google Doc of Places/Causes to Support (by @starstrickenSF): https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tL9_huJWJ_iekHzK5PShI00u-C25w0jrExhpJpuNHII/edit

Academic podcasts

• The Feminist Academic: https://www.jaclynasiegel.com/the-feminist-academic
• The Professor is In: https://theprofessorisin.com/category/podcast/
• Two Psychologists, Four Beers: https://fourbeers.fireside.fm/
• Black Goat Podcast: http://www.theblackgoatpodcast.com/
• Blackademia: http://blackademia.blubrry.net/
• PhDivas: https://phdivaspodcast.wordpress.com/
• Academic Woman Amplified: https://www.cathymazak.com/podcast/
• Cognitive Revolution: https://www.codykommers.com/podcast
• Talk Nerdy: https://www.carasantamaria.com/podcast
• ReproducibiliT: https://twitter.com/ReproducibiliT
• PhDrinking: https://twitter.com/PhDrinking
• Academic Dames Podcast: https://www.acadamespodcast.com/
• The Cult of Pedagogy: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-cult-of-pedagogy-podcast/id900015782?mt=2
• Psych Sessions: https://psychsessionspodcast.libsyn.com/
• Biking Grad School: https://www.blkingradschool.com/podcast
• Hello PhD: http://hellophd.com/
• Teaching in Higher Education: teachinginhighered.com
• Very Bad Wizards: https://www.verybadwizards.com/
• Dear Grad Student: deargradstudent.buzzsprout.com
• You Can Grad School: youcangradschool.netlify.app

Helpful blogs and websites

• PhD balance (mental health): https://www.phdbalance.com/
• Cecile Badenhorst: Cecilebadenhorst.wordpress.com
• Raul Pacheco: raulpacheco.org/blog/
• The Professor is In: http://theprofessorisin.com/
• Beyond Prof (alt ac): https://beyondprof.com/
• Author Aid: https://www.authoraid.info/en/
• Cathay Mazak: https://www.cathymazak.com/
• What is a postdoc and how do I get one: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dm9-6akTyacs3f6d2G_kUUimCH46idZLZDhBlLq1vPI/edit?usp=sharing
• Paid internships, virtual graduate school information sessions, resources for applying to graduate school: psychresearchlist.com 

Miscellaneous/Uncategorized

• Hypothesis.is (annotating projects): https://web.hypothes.is/ 
• I love PDF (merge/compress/alter PDFs): https://www.ilovepdf.com/
• TurboScan (free scanning): https://turboscan.com
• Musescore (composing): https://musescore.com
• TabulaPDF (extract tables from PDFs): https://tabula.technology/
• F/lux (reduce blue light): https://justgetflux.com/
• Personal Finance for PhDs: http://pfforphds.com/
• Survival Guide for Black, Indigenous, and Other Women of Colour in Academe: https://www.chronicle.com/article/A-Survival-Guide-for-Black/249118/
• Free and open source software recommendations: https://rishabhshah.netlify.app/