project management software for phd students

Software, Tools, and Apps that PhDs Must Have

We often are asked to recommend some of the must have software programs, tools, and apps for PhD students, professors, and academics, so we have put together a comprehensive list. These selections are based on our experience using some of them and recommendations made by several of Stephanie’s colleagues via Facebook. Interestingly, for some of the tools listed, there was a lack of consensus about their usefulness so in some instances we provided a few pros and cons to help you make the best decisions based on your needs.

This post was written by Stephanie A. Bosco-Ruggiero (PhD candidate in Social Work at Fordham University Graduate School of Social Service) and Jessica Russell ( freelance writer) on behalf of Dave Maslach for the R3ciprocity project (Check out the YouTube Channel or the writing feedback software ). The R3ciprocity Project started out as a side-project, where David Maslach created an App to help others get feedback on their work (r3ciprocity.com – it is seriously inexpensive and easy to use. You have to try it!) , but it is beginning to grow into a real movement. R3ciprocity helps students, faculty, and research folk by providing a real and authentic look into doing research. It provides solutions and hope to researchers around the world.

As a PhD candidate, a professor, or academic much of your time is spent doing research, so it’s important to do as much as possible to ensure your projects and tasks run as smoothly as possible. The list below includes software, apps, and tools to help you take notes, manage projects, do statistical analysis, edit and cite your writing, convert files to and from PDF and eBook format, survey respondents, help you concentrate, and aid in graphic and art creation. We also threw in some tools to help with self care including mindfulness and meditation apps.

This list is not all inclusive. If there is another app or tool you think people should be aware of, let us know in the comments.

Check out this article on what PhD students do all day. You will be surprised.

Here’s a vlog Dave recording on how to speed up research productivity that you might want to check out as well.

Note Taking

There are times when an idea or inspiration pops up in the moment and you need to jot it down, or you’re focusing on one task and you think of something that will help with another. Note taking apps and software programs help you jot down those ideas to save for later. Check out this amazing post on how professors check for plagiarism – it is pretty helpful). They also help you organize your notes for teaching, research, and other projects. Get a program that is web based so you can sign on anywhere, including your phone. Most allow syncing via multiple OS and Browsers. Of course, you may always also benefit from a simple electronic post it app that you can install on your desktop (don’t go too crazy though, I once crashed my laptop by having like a hundred notes). Phones of course also have handy note taking and reminder apps. But we recommend the following apps and tools for more comprehensive academic note taking:

Google Keep

In July 2021, I polled the R3ciprocity YouTube community about the best note-taking software, and here is the results from 174 responses! Thank you! As you can see, the best note-taking software is OneNote or Evernote, but many people have others that they use.

Check out this article on how many years it takes to do a doctorate degree. It goes into quite a bit of detail.

Word Processing

Writing will take up a bulk of your time and using software that has a great UX and is easy to navigate will reduce the time you spend with unnecessary editing and fumbling with tools that slow you down. The software we recommend are staples of the industry and are most popular among writers. Make sure you explore Microsoft Word online as well. It is useful when you have work across multiple devices. Microsoft can be seamlessly integrated with OneDrive but make sure your settings are right so you don’t lose anything! The usefulness of Good docs and drive also cannot be understated.

Stephanie resisted Google Docs for a long time because I feared I would lose something or the document would not look as polished as a Word document, but you can download your file as a Word document, plain text, PDF, etc. The thing that really sold me on Google Docs though was the ability to work with a team to collaborate on writing, provide suggested edits, accept or reject edits, and be able to do all of this real time. You can also easily chat to the side of the document as you collaborate and edit. You can keep your documents in shared drive and designate who has permission to access and edit.

Microsoft office/Word

Google Docs/Drive

Libre Office – Open-source, but uncommon.

I did a poll on the R3ciprocity YouTube community in July 2021 on the most popular word processing software, and here are the results:

You might want to watch this video about writing Apps for PhDs:

Grammar Checking, editing, and Proofreading

Hey, did you hear about this neat proofreading and editing program called r3ciprocity 😉 It allows you to pay forward the favor of proofreading and reviewing by collecting credits which you can then use when you need your work reviewed. You can also buy credits if needed. Check out Dave’s platform at https://www.r3ciprocity.com/ The platform is also building a community of scholars that can be helpful to you when you need scholarly work reviewed or just need to bounce around some ideas.

(Here is a good blog post on getting feedback on your work – you will love it.)

Be careful using automated proofreading or editing software or tools as they may not pick up on the nuances of your work or the points you are trying to make. Also, try to use alternatives before you hire a pricey writing consultant, proofreader, editor, or coach. Sometimes hiring someone is needed, but if you need lighter editing and reviewing check out r3ciprocity.com and contact Dave if you have any questions about the platform.

Check out how to log-in to the R3ciprocity platform.

Here is Dave discussing how and when to purchase credits on his proofreading and editing platform R3ciprocity:

There are a number of other resources for grammar checker Apps and editing resources that you might want to check out in this blog post.

Statistical Analysis

Of course you are going to need statistical analysis software to complete that thesis or dissertation, and as an academic, analyze your data and produce manuscripts. Many doctoral programs train their students using IBM’s SPSS but some also or alternatively train their students in R or Stata. Stephanie personally prefers the point and click functionality of SPSS which also allows advanced coders to exclusively use syntax to conduct analyses. Personally, she prefers to use a mix of point and click and syntax. There is a plethora of guidebooks and manuals, print and online, to help you become fluent in SPSS. New versions are released regularly and students can purchase SPSS inexpensively (read more below). However, for those who prefer to code and use syntax R and Stata may be more challenging and enjoyable to use.

SPSS (Paid, easy to learn)

R (Free, open-source, and powerful)

Stata (Paid, combination of open source and paid, powerful) – Dave’s Pick

Since, there is confusion and it matters a lot about what software you should choose early in your career, I (Dave) polled the R3ciprocity community on YouTube in February, 2021 to find out the most common statistical software that researchers use. 106 people responded. Here are the results:

I was actually quite surprised by these results. I knew that R and SPSS would be rated fairly high, but I was surprised by the fact that Stata only got 16.2% of the votes. Stata is such a powerful, and underrated tool. However, I suspect that it is fairly uniquely used by more economics, finance, and business folks. As someone who has used all of these software (other than R), I would highly suggest it. The instructions material alone is a great benefit.

EBook Converter/PDF Converter

Publishing your manuscript may require turning it into a readable digital format that will translate easily to multiple electronic devices. Whether you are self-publishing, want to convert your work into a polished format, or need this capability for another reason we’ve found that these are some of the best tools out there.

Epubor Ultimate

Foxit Phantom PDF Editor/Reader

MikTex LaTex – LaTex is preferred in the basic sciences.

Project Management/Task Management

Research and writing can be overwhelming with the minutia of details you need to record and track. You may also need to keep these details on behalf of or with a writing or research team. Project and task management software will help you stay on task and warn you when you are falling behind. Additionally these programs help when you’re collaborating with a team. Everyone using these tools can get both a big picture view of the project timeline as well as dive into the details to understand how to best manage the project.

Survey Research/ Experience Management

At some point you will send out a survey for your research, or perhaps for another purpose. These survey and experience management tools help you gather that data as well as measure and analyze the results. They both allow you to export to statistical analysis software and have different levels of functionality and pricing. Make sure your university does not have a license before you spend your own money on these tools. Survey Monkey might be more accessible for beginners but Qualtrics is not difficult to use. You might even give Google forms a try for quick, basic surveys of students or another smaller group of respondents.

Survey Monkey

Google Forms – Great for small tasks.

We conducted a poll of the R3ciprocity YouTube community about the most popular survey tool in March 2021. 56 people responded. The most popular survey tool for researchers is Google Forms. 55 percent of the respondents preferred Google Forms. Honestly, this surprised me because I thought it would be Qualtrics, however this might be explained by the younger and more international audience on the R3ciprocity channel.

Qualitative Data Collection and Analysis

Stephanie does not have a whole lot of experience with qualitative data analysis but has heard that the following programs are quite helpful. They provide some free training and practice modules as well as manuals and guides. Find out which software your department uses and whether you can use it on campus to complete your research. A personal license may be expensive. If you are doing qualitative data collection such as interviews or focus groups you should also download a handy recorder for your device such as Audacity.

Reference/Citation Managers

Make your life easier by using a citation manager. These programs help you to manage your sources as well as help you build your reference lists. Doing this task manually is silly if you are an advanced researcher. You must have a citation manager if you are completing a dissertation and it is highly recommended for a thesis. Your university may offer a specific program for free so you might go with that one, but others are often either free or low cost, especially the web based versions. Endnote has Endnote Web and Zotero is very easy to integrate into your word processing programs, use collaboratively, and use only. Some people feel that Mendeley and Endnote are clunky. Stephanie personally really likes Endnote but recommends taking some in depth tutorials to learn how to use it properly.

Endnote (Dave’s and Stephanie’s preference)

Don’t know which is best for you? Check out our survey on the best citation software for PhDs.

Illustration/Graphics

Your writing may require graphics, diagrams, and other forms of art. Some people rely on the tools native to Microsoft products, but we’ve found that the following programs help further and enhance creativity. Additionally they make creating graphics to support your writing easier and look more professional. Stephanie especially recommends Canva. She discovered it when her students kept mentioning that they were using it to create graphics, brochures, and other illustrated products for social policy advocacy class. It is super easy to use and the library of images is great. You can make business cards, social media posts, infographics, brochures, and more! It’s the hot tool in illustrated document creation today.

If you need a website for your organization or you want to develop an academic profile site you could use Canva for ideas, photos, and structure. WordPress takes some getting used to but it is inexpensive and versatile. For an academic profile/portfolio you might simply use Academia.com’s template which allows you to feature your writing, projects, interests, experience, etc.

Strata 3D Modeling

Canva (Dave’s pick).

Microsoft Visio (Good for schematics).

Lucidchart (Dave’s pick).

AutoDesk (A favorite for CAD).

Meeting Software

These days we are all familiar with meeting online. From job interviews to meeting with colleagues, the following are the most used software programs for online collaboration with video and sharing tools. One of these platforms may be available to students for free so investigate before paying for any of them. Stephanie prefers Zoom but has heard great things about Teams. WebEx is great for delivering webinars.

Microsoft Teams

Google Meet (reliable, but less functionality than Zoom)

Skype (Seems to be losing ground)

FaceTime – Reliable, but only works with other FaceTime users.

In July 2021, I (Dave) polled the R3ciprocity YouTube community about the meeting software that they most use. It turns out that Zoom is a by far the most popular, with 67% of responses selecting Zoom. Most PhDs tend to use Zoom. However, 17% use Google Meet as well.

Programming

What would a PhD without programming? It seems that more and more of us are doing programming during grad school. Here are some best picks that you will use:

Python (Open-source).

Microsoft Visual Studio C++

MatLab (Scientific computing – Dave’s pick).

MapleSoft (Scientific computing).

MathCad (Pretty awesome Engineering software).

In August 2021, I polled 124 PhDs on the R3ciprocity community on YouTube on what is the best programming language for PhDs. Here it is: The most common programming language for PhDs is Python. Around 60% of PhDs use Python as their favorite programming language for their research projects. Python is preferred to Matlab 4 to 1.

Self Care/ Mindfulness

It’s important to practice self care during your doctoral studies or as a professional academic. Taking time out daily with these self care apps will help you center yourself and reduce stress. In addition they will help you stay on task and make your life one in which you can find a calm space to just be mindful wherever you are. If you have a VR headset there are some mind blowing meditation apps you can use to fully immerse yourself in a blissful meditative state.

White Noise Generator

Some people need complete silence when writing, while some need a portion of their brain to be occupied by music or white noise. When it’s important that nothing distracts you from focusing, especially outside noise from loud environments, we recommend the following to help you stay focused and block out the noise.

MyNoise.net

Don’t forget that your finances are super important during your PhD. You have to keep your financial life together to get through your PhD Program. Here are some that Dave suggests:

Mint.com (Free, Dave uses it everyday).

Every Dollar (Dave Ramsey’s product).

Data Transparency

Don’t forget to use tools for data transparency. For example, the Open Science Foundation (OSF) offers a suite of tools designed to facilitate transparent and collaborative research. These tools include project management platforms, data repositories, and preprint archives, all aimed at enhancing the rigor and reproducibility of scientific work. Check it out: Open Science Foundation website .

Gaining access to software and tools for free

We hope you found this list of suggestions helpful. Remember, do not spend a lot of money on software or other tools if you can get them for free through your university. Most schools now provide a Microsoft suite of tools, including OneDrive, to students for free. Check your IT department’s web page and list of free downloads. Of course, Google apps are free as well. Often, you can’t go wrong with Google but there are apps and tools that may be better that you have to purchase, just don’t spend a whole lot of money, especially if you’re a student.

When it comes to survey or data analysis software your university may have purchased a license making the software free for students, faculty, and staff users situated on campus. In certain cases, you may also be able to access these software programs for home. What comes to mind is a university wide or department based Qualtrics license or a comprehensive Zoom license. Just check with your department or university before you purchase anything. If you must purchase SPSS for use at home as a student or university affiliated researcher go to studentdiscounts.com . They offer a full array of options for purchasing SPSS licenses for personal use on your own PC or Mac at a deep discount. You just have to provide proof of your university affiliation.

One more recommendation is to definitely take advantage of a cloud based file storage tool such as OneDrive or Dropbox. If you are not in the habit of backing up your local computer files on a thumb drive, you must back them up on the cloud. Stephanie likes Google Drive, OneDrive, and Dropbox. Which one works best for you might depend on whether you often collaborate, which word processing software you are using, where you access your files, and which one you use for free. Many universities include limited free OneDrive storage as part of the Microsoft Suite offerings.

Did you benefit from this post? Do you know of anyone at all that could use feedback on their writing or editing of their documents? I would be so grateful if you read this post on how to get feedback on your writing using R3ciprocity.com or let others know about the R3ciprocity Project. THANK YOU in advance! You are the bees knees.

If you enjoyed this blog, you might be interested in reading these other posts on blog.r3ciprocity.com .

Self-Care for Ph.D. Students: 10 Tips to Reduce Stress and Boost Productivity While Writing Your Dissertation

R3ciprocity.com is Built by a Community of Writers and Editors

How To Analyze Data From A Questionnaire For A Research Paper?

R3ciprocity_Team

Project Management resource for PhD students and supervisors

2018 Nov 27 | Resource , Soft Skills | 0

This article is not only a blog post but also a resource linking to other good blog posts and to free downloadable templates of project management tools for PhD students and supervisors .

To create this resource I asked around me and on Twitter if people had good references. I got a few nice ones, but actually I got many suggestions about self-organization and time management. It then appears to me that we tend to mix up what project management is versus time management, and even for me today it’s still not 100% clear.

In this research and student-supervisor relationship context, I would like to suggest the following:

time management is a personal skills : you manage your own time, you decide what to do Tuesday at 10 AM, maybe you agree to meet with someone at this time, but ultimately you’re the one who decides when for example you want to have lunch or coffee (at least I hope you can). This also means that, to some extent, it doesn’t matter if your time management style does not align perfectly with your colleagues. Again, I wrote to some extent .
on the other hand, for project management and in this context, there are at least two persons involved: the student and the supervisor. In my views, project management is as much about planning and conducting a project as about finding a compatible way for two persons to work together . Project management is a team skill.

Therefore, what I’ve been looking for are references to help both PhD students and supervisors to first understand what the underlying principles of project management are, and secondly to get an overview of different tools available to help them work together.

Below you will find interesting blog posts, whenever possible I selected those giving concrete advice on how to implement project management in research, and I also looked for free ready-to-use templates .

Click on each drop-down item below to see the content.

1. Understand the underlying principles of project management for researchers

Project management for scientists - blog post.

by Stanley E. Portny and Jim Austin in 2002 on the Sciencemag website

meant toward supervisors

This article tries to define what project management is, argues that it can be applied to research and introduce the principles for how to do so:

“Projects can be large or small, planned and tracked formally or informally, and defined by a legal contract or an informal agreement.”

“Project management allows–indeed, insists–that the components of a project be constantly revised as new information arises.”

How Project Management Techniques Can Improve Research - blog post

by Donna Kridelbaugh in 2017 on the website labmanager.com

“research project management as a subdiscipline that can provide the tools and resources for researchers to better organize projects, but with flexibility in the planning process to evolve with the project as needed”

“Creating a road map to guide successful project implementation create a culture of shared ownership toward research goals and open communication throughout the project life cycle.”

A PhD as a project - blog posts

from Fiona Saunders on her website and on the Thesis Whisperer website in 2013

meant toward PhD students

Introduction from the Thesis Whisperer : “Fiona Saunders is a Senior Lecturer in the Management of Engineering Projects at The University of Manchester and a part-time PhD student. Her research interests are in the management of projects in safety-critical industries. Prior to academia, Fiona enjoyed a successful 15 year industry career in project management.”

In the article first part :

“It strikes me that, at least in the early days, most PhDs are akin to “Lost in the Fog” projects .”

She recommends to “Have a plan – even it only stretches out over the next six months and changes frequently”

In the second part:

“Having a documented PhD scope can help guard against a loss of focus, or drift in what the aims and objectives of the PhD are.”

“The third and final lesson from project management that is highly relevant to a PhD is the importance of communication .”

“One of the hardest lessons for new PhD students to learn is that the PhD is your project as such you are the project manager and you must take responsibility for managing the various communication channels on the project.”

The Smart Way to Manage a Large Research Project - blog post

by Eva Lantsoght in 2013 on the nextscientist website

Tips on project management and also to manage data and files. Plus the article acts as a resource with an extensive list of tools to help you get organized.

“Planning consists of the following subtasks:

Identifying the tasks that need to be carried out.
Splitting the main tasks into their respective subtasks.
Considering how much time each task takes.
Determining which tasks run simultaneously.
Assess the consequences if a task takes more time.
Allow some air to breathe

Making the Right Moves - book - PDF

the book subtitle is: A Practical Guide to Scientific Management for Postdocs and New Faculty

meant toward postdocs and new faculty as the subtitle says

“Based on workshops co-sponsored by the Burroughs Wellcome Fund and HHMI, this book is a collection of practical advice and experiences from seasoned biomedical investigators and includes chapters on laboratory leadership, getting funded, project management, and teaching and course design.”

2. Get to know different project management techniques and tools

Gantt chart

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

Kanban board.

Each tool has its pros and cons. Therefore, one could combine them on different levels. For example, to visualize a complete PhD timeline I would recommend Gantt charts . To make this timeline, using WBS and SMART goals will help break down the project into smaller achievable tasks . Then to implement work and to track the progress throughout the project, one could use the Agile principles and use a shared Kanban board .

I don’t pretend that this resource is complete, there is surely much more which I don’t know about. Nevertheless, this was done to the best of my knowledge and it includes the project management tools which I’ve seen the most often in academia.

Gantt charts:

Academiac - blog posts and template.

With my complete unbiased objectivity, I think that my 2 articles about Gantt charts with a free downloadable template are the best ones to explain how to use these charts for a PhD project =)

In the first article, Are Gantt charts useful for PhD students? , I introduce what Gantt charts are and what are the drawbacks to keep in mind (i.e. lack of flexibility).

Templates by the I think well coaching team

on the website ithinkwell.com.au by Maria Gardiner and Hugh Kearns

Different templates and ready-to-use tools both for PhD students and for supervisors . For PhD students they have thesis planners and forms for different time scales, from a 3-year PhD to 6 months to a week to a one day plan .

I highly recommend supervisors and students to look at other materials which are available on their website like:

YourSupervisoryPracticeSelfAssessment.pdf
CareerPlanningDiscussion.pdf
ExpectationsOfResearchSupervision.pdf

Online planner to create a PhD road map

By Jeanine de Bruin and Brigitte Hertz

This is a tool where you can drag and drop pictograms onto a 4-year calendar to create a road map for your PhD. They have signs for things like writing, conferences, meeting, holidays, risk analysis, etc.

Templates for different PhD length by the University of Adelaide

This university seems to require doctoral students to draw a thesis road map as a Gantt chart. Nicely they provide templates for different PhD length, from 3-year up to 6-year-long program :

PERT charts

It happens that I don’t know much about PERT charts but I’ve seen it mentioned in many references (often together with Gantt charts) so I thought it would be good to put it here.

PERT charts - articles and templates

PERT means Program Evaluation Review Technique.

Like a Gantt chart there is the idea to draw a diagram for a project but instead of horizontal bars here it uses boxes and arrows. Again each technique has its pros and cons, have a look at these two articles to try to understand the differences between Gantt charts and PERT charts:

difference-gantt-chart-pert-chart
advantages-of-pert-charts-vs-gantt-charts

Here a template to see how to use PERT charts for a PhD thesis .

In this extensive article , they suggest a formula to calculate an estimate of how long a task might take:

“For each task, give three time estimates in days: the most optimistic completion time (O), the normal/most likely time (M), and the pessimistic time (P).
Calculate expected time (TE) using the formula (O + 4*M + P) ÷ 6 = TE.”

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) - articles and templates

It is often recommended to first break a PhD project into small tasks and make a Work Breakdown Structure before making a Gantt chart or PERT chart.

An introduction and templates for WBS from the University of Washington

“The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) organizes and defines the scope of the project, breaking it into manageable tasks.”

Definition, templates and examples on the website workbreakdownstructure.com .

SMART goals

Smart goals - blog posts.

A 1 page document subtitled For use with the Doctoral Student Yearly Reviews from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute:

“SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-bounded objectives.”

It provides a quick introduction and some examples.

An article entitled ‘Understanding SMART Objectives’ – for Your Project Proposals

“SMART objectives are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-related.”

Briefly the Agile method is to define a concrete goal (like SMART goals) to reach in a short period (typically <1 month), to work hard and focus toward this goal (as a sprint), then to analyze results and define a new goal for the next short period. In particular, it promotes communication and forces to regularly get feedback from stakeholders.

Be an Agile Academic - blog post

by coach Katy Peplin on her website katypeplin.com in 2017

An introduction to Agile and how she implemented the methodology in her PhD studies.

“I’ve isolated a few key concepts that really challenged how I thought about my work and helped me build systems to move quickly and efficiently through the dissertation process .”

“In Agile systems, being adaptive is a core value that underpins so many of the actual day to day practices.”

A drawback of Agile

One potential drawback is that it doesn’t force people to look at longer time goals and that consequently one might lose sense of the bigger picture . From a video by Fiona Saunders

In my PhD studies, setting up short time goals like performing experiments x, y and z for the coming month was not the difficult part. What I missed was a sense of longer time goals and the big picture. This is why for me using Gantt charts to create a PhD timeline and promote communication between students and supervisors seems like the most important project management tool to implement.

However, we do need to consider the two scales: the project long-term goals/big picture, and the short-term goals which make the project move forward step by step. Therefore, using Agile and SMART goals in combination with a PhD Gantt chart does sound like a great way to grasp hold on both scale .

The Agile Approach with Doctoral Dissertation Supervision - Publication & model

Tengberg L.G.W., 2015

I haven’t read it whole but this paper seems interesting . In figure 1, the author suggests a model for the doctoral dissertation:

In a Kanban board one creates different columns where tasks are placed depending on their status. The simplest way is with 3 columns To Do , Doing , Done but, of course, you can adapt this to your needs and I will even recommend having columns like Waiting For , or Someday/Maybe Ideas .

When you search for tips on how to create Kanban boards, it’s likely that you’ll be suggested the online tool Trello. I also use Trello a lot and love it, but there are other software available, also paper and pen is always a good way to start!

Live a PhD life less disorganised with Trello - blog post

by a PhD student in 2015

“I’m an academic always looking for ways to manage my work and writing more effectively. I’m also in the thick of my PhD . For both of these I can recommend a very intuitive (and free!) web-based project management tool called Trello.”

“I then invited my supervisors (one of whom insists she is a technophobe) to access the Trello board, and waited to see what would happen next.

Using Trello in academia - blog post

by Christian Bettstetter in 2016

“I lead a team of 10–15 scientists and a nonprofit company. Over the past 15 years, I used various methods and tools to manage projects, keep track of the scientific work of doctoral students and postdocs, recruit dozens of people, and organize my own tasks in research, teaching, and administration.”

“I use group boards for all research projects and for some other processes with at least two persons involved, such as managing job applications.”

Progress tracking tool for managing PhD students - StackExchange

In 2016 a supervisor asked on StackExchange for “ Progress tracking tool for managing PhD students ”

“I am looking for good options for tools to manage my PhD students, in terms of seeing that they are on track in working out their PhD theses (…) So some basic features would be:

Collaborative software (preference of hosted on a server)
Task lists with deadlines
Timeline progression”

More ideas on StackExchange

More ideas of software and project management tools for researchers on StackExchange discussions:

What are some of the task planning tools people use in academia
What are some good project management tools for academics
Project management techniques applied to research
Project management and research

Take-home message:

There is not 1 and unique way to manage a project, everyone finds its own way, adapts it to the persons involved in the project and even makes its practice evolve with time. So the take-home message would be like Katy Peplin wrote in her article about Agile : “Google a lot of things and borrow what works for you!”.

I hope you find in this resource a list of relevant materials for you to figure out your own project management way :) I also highly recommend you to attend a project management or leadership workshop. If you’re in Switzerland 🇨🇭, make sure to check out the CUSO transversal program with whom I first learned about project management .

And if you’re looking for more solutions to help you communicate with your student or with your supervisor, have a look at my checklist to clarify students and supervisors long term expectations .

Do you like resources? I do! Have a look at the Resource menu up the page, I have been writing about social media for PhD students, YouTube , Instagram and Twitter , and also some specific resources for Switzerland ! From my experience, social media is one of the best ways to learn about subjects like project management and time management in academia!

Thanks! Please check your email inbox or spam folder and click the link to confirm your subscription.

Twitter @ and # for PhD Students – Resource

Lack of communication about soft skills training programs in academia

Academics: you already have more soft skills than you think and you can prove it

How to use retro-planning to plan your PhD graduation

Trackbacks/pingbacks.

How to PhD Productively: The Ultimate Guide for Project, Time and Data Management – Eat PhD - […] 4. Ask for help when you need it, 5. Have a positive approach and use the opportunities available.Project Management…

15 Essential Tools to Boost Productivity for PhD Students

Embarking on a PhD journey is both exhilarating and daunting. The path is strewn with rigorous research, endless readings, meticulous writing, and often, a constant battle against time. For many PhD students, productivity can be the key to navigating this challenging yet rewarding journey successfully. In this blog post, we will explore 15 indispensable tools designed to enhance productivity, ensuring you stay organized, focused, and motivated throughout your doctoral program.

PhD students, regardless of their discipline, face unique challenges that require effective time management, organization, and research efficiency. These tools are not just for those in academia but are beneficial for anyone in research-intensive roles, including professionals in the scientific, technological, and humanities sectors.

In this post, we will delve into 15 tools that can significantly boost your productivity as a PhD student. Each tool will be accompanied by a brief explanation of its benefits and how it can aid in overcoming common challenges faced during your doctoral studies.

Understanding the importance of utilizing the tools

Managing the vast array of tasks that come with a PhD can be overwhelming. With the right tools, students can streamline their workflow, reduce stress, and focus more on their research contributions. The following tools can help manage references, organize thoughts, facilitate collaboration, and ensure effective time management. Ultimately, they are crucial for maintaining a healthy work-life balance while excelling in academic pursuits.

Trello is a versatile project management tool that uses boards, lists, and cards to help you organize tasks and projects. For PhD students, it’s perfect for tracking research milestones, organizing literature reviews, and managing deadlines.

Trello’s visual approach to task management makes it easy to see what needs to be done at a glance. You can create boards for different aspects of your PhD, such as writing, research, and teaching, and then break these down into actionable tasks.

Evernote is a note-taking app that allows you to capture ideas, organize research, and collaborate with others. It’s particularly useful for keeping track of all the information you come across during your studies.

Its ability to store a variety of formats, from text notes to PDFs and web clippings, makes it an invaluable repository for all your research materials. Plus, its tagging system helps you find information quickly.

Zotero is a free reference management tool that helps you collect, organize, cite, and share research. It’s a lifesaver when dealing with extensive bibliographies.

Zotero integrates with your browser and word processor, making it easy to save citations directly from the web and insert them into your documents with proper formatting. It’s essential for maintaining accurate and comprehensive bibliographies.

Scrivener is a powerful writing tool designed for long-form documents. It’s perfect for drafting your dissertation, as it allows you to organize your work into sections and move them around easily.

Its ability to break down complex documents into manageable chunks and offer a corkboard view for rearranging sections is ideal for the iterative process of academic writing.

Mendeley is both a reference manager and an academic social network. It helps you organize your research, collaborate with others online, and discover the latest research.

Mendeley’s PDF management and annotation features make it easy to highlight and take notes on your readings. Additionally, its social network aspect can help you connect with other researchers in your field.

Slack is a collaboration hub that connects people and information. It’s great for staying in touch with your research team or lab group, especially when working remotely.

Its channels and direct messaging features keep all communications organized and searchable, making it easier to collaborate and share information quickly.

Microsoft OneNote

OneNote is a digital note-taking app that mimics a physical notebook, allowing you to organize notes in a structured manner.

Its flexibility in organizing notes into notebooks, sections, and pages makes it ideal for keeping detailed and organized research notes. Integration with other Microsoft Office tools is an added advantage.

Todoist is a task management app that helps you keep track of your to-do lists and deadlines.

Its simplicity and powerful features like recurring tasks, project labels, and reminders make it an excellent tool for managing daily tasks and long-term projects.

Google Scholar

Google Scholar is a freely accessible web search engine that indexes scholarly articles across various disciplines.

It’s an invaluable tool for finding academic papers, theses, books, and conference papers. Alerts for new papers in your field keep you up-to-date with the latest research.

Focus@Will is a music service that provides scientifically designed background music to improve concentration and focus.

Background music designed to enhance focus can help you stay productive during long study or writing sessions, making it easier to concentrate on your work.

Grammarly is a writing assistant that helps you write clear, mistake-free text.

It’s excellent for proofreading your writing, ensuring your dissertation, papers, and emails are free from grammar and spelling errors. It also provides style and tone suggestions to improve readability.

RescueTime is a time management app that tracks the time you spend on applications and websites.

By providing detailed reports on how you spend your time, it helps you identify distractions and improve your time management skills, making it easier to stay focused on your research.

EndNote is a reference management software that helps you manage bibliographies and references when writing essays and articles.

Its powerful features for organizing references and creating citations are essential for academic writing, ensuring accuracy and consistency in your bibliographies.

Forest is a productivity app that helps you stay focused by planting virtual trees that grow while you work.

Its unique approach to minimizing distractions by gamifying focus periods can motivate you to stay off your phone and concentrate on your tasks.

Pomodoro Timer

A Pomodoro Timer helps you break work into intervals, traditionally 25 minutes in length, separated by short breaks.

The Pomodoro Technique is a proven method to enhance focus and productivity by working in short, intense bursts with regular breaks, helping to maintain mental agility.

Earning a PhD is demanding and requires high productivity and efficient time and resource management. These 15 tools are designed to help you navigate this journey more smoothly, allowing you to focus on your research and academic growth. By integrating these tools into your daily routine, you can enhance your productivity, reduce stress, and achieve your academic goals more easily. It’s important to remember that using the right tools can make a challenging path more manageable and rewarding.

21 Best Project Management Tools For Research In 2022

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Best Project Management Tools For Research

Organizing your research and keeping track of deadlines with the right project management tool helps you achieve more with less.
We’ve listed 19 of the best tools for research, but it’s important to find one that works best for you.
Specify your needs and goals before testing the tools for managing a research project.
Take advantage of trial periods and online reviews to find a program that meets your needs.

Table of Contents

Why use a project management tool for research at all?

The process of managing an academic research project is challenging, especially for those who are new to research. Some of the common issues include:

Tracking multiple deadlines and tasks
Communicating with team members
Tracking the comments from professors, peer researchers, or vendors
Managing complex paperwork and data
Keeping on top of changes and revisions

Thankfully, there are a number of project management tools that can help.

By using the below project management tools for research, you can create task lists, set deadlines, track progress, and collaborate with other team members. This can help reduce stress and make the research process more streamlined.

What Features Should You Look For In A Project Management Tool For Research?

When looking for the right project management software for research, it is crucial to consider the most important features. Some essential elements to look for include:

Cost: The tool should be affordable enough for you.
Ease of use: How intuitive is the tool? Can you easily create tasks, subtasks, and milestones?
Features: The tool should have all the features you need to manage your research projects, such as task lists, deadlines, chat functions, and file sharing .
Compatibility with your individual environment: Is the tool available on Mac, PC, or both? Will it work with your other software?
Compatibility with your research environment: what tools does your institution or organization use? Will they work well together?
Collaboration: Can you invite other people to collaborate on your project? What features does the tool offer for collaboration?
Reports: Does the tool offer reporting, or is it more of a to-do list? Do you need this feature for reporting to others such as project sponsors?

Overviews Of The Best Project Management Software for Research

Asana – free project management software .

Asana is the best project management software for people who prefer to work with lists instead of boards.

It can be tailored to meet the demands of a wide range of academic research projects. Asana was created so that any size team can track their progress and address their research related issues in one location, eliminating the need for endless meetings, email updates, and notes.

Asana’s free version is excellent for keeping track of your assignments and responsibilities, as well as functioning as a central center for academic research and conferences.

Asana is very easy to use and can be learned quickly.
It has a clean and modern user interface that makes it easy to navigate.
It has a wide range of features, which makes it a versatile tool.
Asana can be challenging for teams with more complex workflows.
It can be difficult to track tasks when there are a large number of collaborators.
It is best suited for teams who will be working closely together.

Pricing/Free Version

Free version available
From $10.99/user/month

Trello – free project management software

Trello is the best project management software for people who like to work with boards and images vs. lists.

It is a great project management software that can be used for a variety of purposes, including research. It’s a very visual tool that allows you to create boards and cards to represent your tasks and projects. This can be helpful in organizing and keeping track of what you need to do.

Unlike Asana which is designed for customers who want more control and flexibility in the way they view their tasks, Trello is a simple task management tool based on the Kanban system for organizations.

Trello works in real-time. Members are free to work on the projects without interfering with the updates.
A user can add a new member by merely entering the new user’s email address and clicking “Add Member.”
The system for receiving notifications is excellent. Because every action performed on the platform can be viewed, this is one of Trello’s strongest features.
Trello’s commenting system should be better.
It’s not always the best tool for complex projects.
From $5/user/month
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Jira is a project management software that is used by teams of all sizes to manage their projects. It helps to track tasks, issues, and dependencies. Jira is popular because it is customizable and easy to use.

Jira Software is part of a suite of tools for managing work in teams of various sizes. Jira was created with the intention of serving as a bug and issue tracker. Jira has since evolved into a robust task management platform for various applications, ranging from requirements and test case management to agile software development.

Jira is a trendy project management software that many companies use.
There is a lot of support and help available.
Jira integrates with a variety of devices, including Mac, Windows, and Linux computers, as well as Android and iOS mobile devices.
Jira can be pretty expensive, depending on the features you need.
Jira can also be complicated to use and configure.

Free version available for 10 users
From $7.50/user/month
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Wunderlist is a cloud-based task management tool that helps you organize and manage your tasks. It offers a variety of features, such as the ability to create to-do lists, share lists with others, and set deadlines for tasks.

Wunderlist is a task manager and to-do list app that helps people get things done. Wunderlist makes it simple to capture, share, and finish your to-dos, whether you’re sharing a grocery list with a loved one, working on a project, or organizing a vacation.

Available on multiple platforms.
Cross-platform synchronization.
Integration with other apps and services.
Limited functionality compared to other project management tools
No invoicing or time tracking

Pricing/Free version

Free version available.
From $4.99/user/month.
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ClickUp is one of the best project management software for research. It is a great choice for both individual researchers and research teams. It is cost-effective, cross-platform, and easy to use.

ClickUp works to organize your research tasks into lists, and then drag and drop them to create a workflow that best suits your needs. It adds comments and attachments to your tasks to keep track of all the relevant information related to your project.

ClickUp also assigns tasks to specific team members and then tracks their progress as the project progresses.

It allows users to view their tasks in a list or board view.
Users can also add comments to tasks and projects.
ClickUp allows users to create tasks, projects, and subtasks. It also allows users to set due dates and priorities for tasks.
ClickUp does not allow users to create folders.
Some users have complained that the user interface is not very user-friendly.
Free version available.
From $5/user/month.
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Wrike is a cloud-based project management tool that helps teams manage projects from start to finish. It offers a variety of features, such as task management, file sharing, time tracking, and reporting. Plus, it’s easy to use and can be accessed from anywhere. This makes it a great choice for researchers who need a tool that’s both versatile and easy to use.

Wrike is extremely versatile and can be customized to meet the specific needs of your project.
It has a great user interface that is easy to learn and use.
Wrike is also very reliable and has a good track record for uptime.
The pricing can be a bit steep for some users.
Wrike can be a bit overwhelming for beginners, and it may take some time to get used to all of its features.
From $9.80/user/month.
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With proofHub all your work will be managed with the click of a button. You can seamlessly collaborate, no matter where you are or who’s participating in what tasks! Proofhub offers an array of features from Gantt charts to time tracking which makes managing projects easy even if their size varies greatly.

Whether you’re managing a team of 10, 50 or 500 members – ProofHub provides powerful tools to eliminate the need for dozens of other project management software.

ProofHub is a versatile project management software that can be used for various purposes, including research projects.
It is easy to use and can be accessed from any device or computer.
The pricing is very affordable.
There is no customer support available on the weekends.
The user interface could be improved upon.
Free trial available.
From $45/month.
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Zoho Projects

Zoho Projects is a web-based project management tool that helps you manage your projects efficiently and effectively. It offers a range of features such as task management, time tracking, document collaboration, bug tracking, and more.

You can also create custom workflows to suit your project requirements. Additionally, Zoho Projects integrates with other Zoho applications such as CRM, Invoice, and Meeting Scheduler, so you can manage all your projects from a single platform.

Zoho Projects is a very cost-effective tool. It is one of the cheapest project management software available on the market.
Zoho Projects is also a cross-platform tool.
The user interface of Zoho Projects is straightforward to use.
We have witnessed most complaints regarding the customer support which is not very efficient.

GanttPRO is a powerful project management software that helps you organize all types of projects from different areas. It has an intuitive interface and offers many features, such as sibling tasks or subtasks with set dependencies on milestones for more visibility when managing your work at hand efficiently in one place!

GanttPRO offers features to break down projects efficiently into subtasks, sibling tasks and subprojects with set dependencies. Users can also choose between different types of boards views or task dashboards for more visibility on their workflows throughout the process!

With a quick learning curve and an intuitive interface, you’ll be up and running in no time.
Various and adaptable project views.
Gantt chart templates for professionals.
Integrations aren’t overly important.
There aren’t many choices for creating repeating tasks.
14-day free trial
From $8.90/user/month

ProWorkflow

ProWorkflow will help your team stay organized and on top of their game. It’s a complete online project management solution that allows you to track projects from conception until completion.

It also aids you in reporting back as needed along with any activity with task detail such as start date/finish dates assigned hrs allocations rates for each employee. This is based on what tasks are currently active at a particular time and how much was allocated during the said period!

For arranging project information, there is an intuitive structure and navigation.
The system is very expandable thanks to custom fields and no user caps.
Powerful reporting capabilities make it simple to look back on previous efforts.
There are no asset/inventory management functions available.
Budgeting and cost tracking are largely based on hours worked, making profitability difficult to track.
14-day free trial.
From $20/user/month.

Codebox is a cloud-based platform that provides secure data storage and collaboration for businesses. It allows users to store and share files, create and manage projects, and collaborate with others in real-time.

Codebox is best for software engineering teams who want to centralize their code repositories and share them with others in real-time. It can also be used by development managers who need an easy way to track project tasks using a Kanban view or project managers who need tools to manage and track bugs and issues.

It is a great online project management tool that can help with organizing and managing your research projects.
It’s easy to use and can be accessed from any device.
One downside of Codebox is that it can be a bit pricey for some users.
Codebox can be expensive for larger teams.
From $5/user/month.

With Workzone, teams of 5+ members can keep their projects in sync and manage various tasks with ease. The software has been designed to answer real-world problems like marketing campaigns that need an operations plan or agencies with many clients at once–it’s powerful but still easy for anyone looking into adopting it!

The company has been developing its product for over 20 years, so it answers those real-world problems with features that make managing campaigns a breeze (even if you’re only working on one).

Good for managing tasks and projects and collaborating with team members.
Affordable pricing plans.
Easy to use and navigate.
Limited integrations with other software.
No free version.
From $24/user/month.

Paymo is a great project management software that can help you manage your research projects more effectively. It offers a variety of features such as task management, time tracking, and invoicing, which can help you stay organized and on track.

Additionally, Paymo is cross-platform and easy to use, making it a great choice for researchers who need a reliable and efficient tool to help them manage their projects.

It’s a great tool for managing projects, tasks, and team members.
The interface is very user-friendly and easy to navigate.
There are a lot of customization options available within the software.
It’s affordable and has a free trial available.
The reporting features could be improved upon.
There are not a lot of integration options available as of yet.
From $9.95/user/month.

Airtable is a project management tool that helps users manage their tasks and projects. It offers a variety of features, including the ability to create and share custom templates, collaborate with others, and track progress. It also integrates with other applications, such as Google Drive, Dropbox, and Evernote.

At its foundation, Airtable enables you to quickly create a database containing the data that matters to you, then use it to fuel the visualizations, workflows, and integrations that make up a custom application that is really unique to you.

Airtable is a great way to keep track of your research projects.
It’s easy to use, cross-platform, and best of all, it’s free!
It can be difficult to keep track of all the different cells in your table.
It can be time-consuming to create and edit formulas.
From $10/seat/month.

The TeamGantt tool is an excellent option for small businesses who need to plan and track projects but don’t want the bells-and-whistles of more expensive platforms. It offers free plans tailored precisely how you Like them or pay extra if necessary!

With TeamGantt, project managers can view their team’s progress on a Gantt chart. The software also tracks workloads and availability of collaboration features like chat or tagging to help teams work more efficiently together while staying in touch with what they are working towards at all times – no matter how many tasks you have open!

Projects can be set up and tracked in a variety of ways.
Share charts without requiring the receiver to log in.
Task duration can be easily dragged and dropped.
The functionality of dependencies might become sophisticated.
There are no in-app alerts.
Freemium version available.
From $24.95/month.

Kissflow Project

Kissflow’s project management system is designed to improve coordination, transparency, and productivity. The tracking features are streamlined to provide a clearer view of what matters most in your business or professional life!

With the customisable platform, you can easily manage your team’s projects. You’ll be able to create boards for different tasks with Kanban or List Views and swimlanes that divide up work amongst employees so they don’t get overwhelmed by all of their responsibilities at once!

Kanban, lists, and swimlanes are examples of many views.
For tracking progress, there are three states available.
Reporting features that are extremely powerful.
There is no Gantt chart.
There is no way to set up repeating tasks.
Not suitable for large-scale projects.
From $35/month.

MeisterTask

There’s no need to manage your projects manually anymore with MeisterTask. It’s a web-based task and project management software that can be used on simple, kanban style boards for agile software development teams looking for an easy way out of the laborious process!

Intuitive functioning and a user-friendly interface.
It’s possible to automate repeated tasks.
Timeline feature in the style of a Gantt chart.
Recurring tasks are only available to paying users.
There is no desktop application for Linux.
There are no subtasks available.
30-day free version
From $8.25/month

Workday is a cloud-based software company that provides financial management and human resources software to businesses. Workday offers a suite of applications, including payroll, time tracking, benefits administration, expense management, and performance management.

Workday offers analytics that are embedded, actionable, and available in real time and gives you a single, actionable view of your whole organization, from financials to employees. Workers can securely access insights as needed, collaborate, and take action without ever leaving Workday.

Workday is a cloud-based platform that is quickly gaining traction among businesses of all sizes.
It offers a comprehensive suite of tools for managing finances, HR, and other business operations.
The software is easy to use and can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection.
Workday can be expensive for smaller businesses.
The software can be complex for users who are not familiar with accounting and HR best practices.
From $99/user/month.

Evernote is a cross-platform note-taking application that helps you organize your life. With Evernote, you can take notes, capture ideas, and track tasks. The best part about Evernote is that it is available on various devices, including desktop and mobile devices.

Evernote groups your notes into Notebooks, which are similar to file folders. It’s meant to be used as a note-taking tool, so you can use it to jot down ideas or things you notice with a text, camera, or voice note.

Some people use it for project management, which is a wonderful concept because it keeps everything in one location. When you combine notes and tasks with others, though, it might get overwhelming.

Available on all devices.
Organizes notes in a variety of ways.
Great for collaboration.
Some features are not available on free accounts.
It can be slow to load on older devices.
It can set tasks and deadlines but no weekly report on who did what.
It can be challenging to collaborate with others on a research project.
From $7.99/month

Final Thoughts

Project management tools are a necessity for any researcher looking to streamline their work. In this roundup, we’ve looked at 19 of the best project management software tools for research . Each tool has its own unique set of features, so it’s important to choose one that will fit your specific needs.

We hope that this article has helped you find the right tool for managing your next academic research project.

There is more.

Check out our other articles on the Best Academic Tools Series for Research below.

Learn how to get more done with these Academic Writing Tools
Learn how to proofread your work with these Proofreading Tools
Learn how to broaden your research landscape with these Academic Search Engines
Learn how to manage multiple research projects with these Project Management Tools
Learn how to run effective survey research with these Survey Tools for Research
Learn how get more insights from important conversations and interviews with Transcription Tools
Learn how to manage the ever-growing list of references with these Reference Management Software
Learn how to double your productivity with literature reviews with these AI-Based Summary Generators
Learn how to build and develop your audience with these Academic Social Network Sites
Learn how to make sure your content is original and trustworthy with these Plagiarism Checkers
Learn how to talk about your work effectively with these Science Communication Tools

4 thoughts on “21 Best Project Management Tools For Research In 2022”

In my opinion, kanbantool.com is worth researching! I really like the tools. It’s easy to use and effective, and its price is quite good too.

If you want to use a good project management tool, I recommend kanbantool.com. I think research is a process like a lot of other tasks, so managing it with kanban can be helpful.

How come you missed some, like Smartsheet for example?

What makes it special?