Free tools for researchers

Research Desk

Six small tools for the parts of research that usually cost money: vetting sources, checking citations, choosing where to publish, and reading what sits behind a paywall. Built to run on any phone, for people without institutional access.

Why this exists. None of these need a subscription, a login, or a library account. They run on free, open scholarly data so that cost is never the reason a piece of research goes unchecked or unread.

Before you submit

Vetting Desk uses AI

Research a journal for predatory signals, do an open-web text-match check, and see writing signals. A first-pass triage, honest about its limits.

Open

Journal Fit Finder

Paste your abstract and see which real journals publish work like yours, with indexing and fees shown.

Open

No-Fee Journal Finder

Find journals in your field that are free to read and free to publish in, so cost never blocks sharing your work.

Open

As you write and check

Reference Integrity Checker

Paste a reference list. Confirms each citation is real, flags retractions, and pulls clean metadata and a free-copy link.

Open

As you read and discover

Free Full-Text Finder

Hit a paywall? Find a legal free copy: open access, a repository manuscript, a preprint, or a PubMed Central version.

Open

Reading List Builder

Give it one good paper and map the field: what it builds on, what builds on it, and onward from there.

Open