Free tools
Free tools for PhD scholars
Small, practical tools for jobs every PhD involves. Free, no sign-up, and nothing you type is stored.
Tools
Writing & publishing
For references, templates and the other small works that take away half of your writing day.
Citation generator
Paste a DOI and get a formatted reference in four styles, ready to copy or export to your reference manager.
Thesis template builder
A Word file with your university’s margins, fonts, spacing and page order already set, so you write instead of fighting the layout.
Research title and keyword helper
Five title options and six keywords to choose from and adapt.
Reviewer comment explainer
What a reviewer comment is really asking, how serious it is, and how to prepare your reply.
Research question sharpener
Find vague objectives, check them against SMART, and see sharper versions to consider.
Abstract feedback
Word count, the five moves, and the sentences to fix. Feedback only; it never rewrites your abstract.
Journal cover letter generator
A clean, editable submission cover letter built from the facts you type in.
Reviewer response builder
Turn a block of reviewer comments into a numbered response table you fill in and download.
Literature review matrix template
A twelve-column Excel matrix for organising papers by theme, with every column explained.
Tools
Journals
Run these checks on a journal first. Only then send your paper to them.
Journal checker
Test a journal’s ISSN and jump straight to the official records that show whether it is really indexed.
Predatory journal risk checker
Twelve yes-or-no questions that show a journal’s risk signs, with what to check next.
Tools
Data & statistics
For sample size and which test to use. The full working is shown, so later you can defend your numbers.
Sample size calculator
Cochran’s formula, the small-population correction and the regression rules of thumb, with every step shown so you can defend the number.
Statistical test chooser
Up to five questions about your data, then the test to use, its non-parametric alternative and why.
Cronbach’s alpha calculator
Alpha, alpha if item deleted and item–total correlations, from data pasted straight from Excel.
Effect size and power calculator
Sample size or achieved power for t-tests, ANOVA and correlations, with the effect size explained.
Tools
PhD planning
Dates, milestones and rules you must follow, starting from the UGC 2022 PhD regulations till your own university’s rules.
PhD timeline planner
Your earliest and latest submission dates under UGC 2022, with a milestone plan you can add to your calendar.
PhD rules by university
Pick a university, or two to compare, and see its PhD rules on one card beside the UGC 2022 minimum.
PhD checklists
Tick-off lists for five PhD stages, each item linked to the guide section that explains it.
Fellowship stipend calculator
Your monthly fellowship, HRA, yearly total and tenure total, with the official document for every amount.
Viva question predictor
Twelve likely viva questions about your own thesis, from your abstract.
Viva practice
Random viva questions and a two-minute timer, for practising your answers out loud.
Research methodology quiz
Ten random questions a round, with the reason behind every answer and a link to learn more.
Our standards
How these tools work
Nothing is stored
All the tools are running inside your browser itself. We only note that a tool was used, nothing more. Whatever you type, it stays in your browser only.
The working is shown
Each tool mention the formula, rule or official source it is using. So you can check it yourself and cite it also.
Free, no sign-up
Anybody can use these tools and there is no account needed. Use them as many times you want.
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