Tools for academic writing

Writing and word processing tools

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Word provides several benefits for academic writing and research projects. It is user-friendly, provides formatting options, collaboration and sharing tools, citation and referencing features, templates, spell and grammar check, auto-save, and ease of access. 

Microsoft Word is available for desktop, or via mobile app or online. Aalto students can access a free version of Office 365 (including Microsoft Word). You can also install Microsoft Office on own device by following the Aalto instructions: 

One useful feature of Microsoft Word is the “Researcher” feature which makes searching while writing easier. On the Reference tab, in the Reference group, choose Researcher. With the Researcher, you can close your web browser and search for information. This avoids having to toggle between your document and browser. The results of your search provide you with relevant topics and top sources. It uses Microsoft's Bing Knowledge Graph to query content from the internet and then pull it straight into Word. When you select the source you want, you can see an overview, history, location, images, and other important details. Also, if you add source material, it will even automatically create the citation in your bibliography as part of your research paper. In addition to viewing the details for your topic, you can start an outline for your paper as well as adding and citing text. Click the main subject or one of the information sections and add it directly to your document.

-> More information on the Researcher feature of Microsoft Word 

-> Guideline on how to format text, lay out pages, insert visuals, share/co-author, and improve accessibility in Microsoft Word

-> Information about other Microsoft tools that are available at Aalto

-> Self-study materials for using the Office 365 tools on Microsoft Training Center

Google Docs

Google Docs is a cloud-based platform which enables real-time collaboration from any device with an internet connection. Google Docs uses Google Drive for storage of files.

Google Docs may not be ideal for longer documents (i.e. theses) but is an ideal collaborative writing tool for shorter assignments. The text editor provides a number of features academics need, like footnotes and tables. Export formats include docx, odt and pdf, making it easy to take your text and continue working in some other environment. Comments are associated with specific portions of the text and others can weigh in on each comment. There is fine-grained rights management, so you can allow any collaborator to view, comment, or edit the text.

Note: When using Google Docs with internal, confidential and secret content, access rights to the information should be confined to persons authorized to use the information. Such information should not be shared with an open link, but personally instead.

Writer (LibreOffice)

Writer, via LibreOffice is a free, open-access word processing tool. It offers much of the same functionality as Microsoft Word, including compatible file formats. Layouts and functions are similar to Microsoft Word, and there’s support for DOC and DOCX file types. Writer does not allow co-authoring of documents. 

-> Writer documentation

Overleaf

Overleaf is a web-based collaborative writing tool and LaTeX editor. Aalto University provides free Overleaf Professional accounts for all students and staff who would like to use a collaborative, online LaTeX editor for their projects.

Overleaf Professional accounts provide real-time track changes, unlimited collaborators, and full document history. Overleaf is designed to make the process of writing, editing and producing your research papers and project reports much quicker for both you and your collaborators. Overleaf can also be linked to other services (including Zotero, Mendeley, Git, Github and Dropbox) to best fit into your workflow.

Register/login to Overleaf via https://www.overleaf.com/edu/aalto with ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID). To register for ORCID, click on “Register using ORCID” -> “Access through your institution” -> “Don't have an ORCID ID yet? Register now”.

-> If you're new to Overleaf and LaTeX, check the help guides and templates.

LaTeX

LaTeX is a system for typesetting documents and is ideal for including mathematical formulas in your writing. LaTeX markup describes the content and layout of the document, as opposed to the formatted text found in WYSIWYG word processors such as Microsoft Word. 

LaTeX is free to use. You can use Aalto official LaTeX template to write your thesis. The template default setup creates a PDF/A-2b-compatible file. Do not use other, perhaps older, templates from the internet or those given to you by your peers or colleagues. If you use a template available in Overleaf, ensure it is the same version as that on the official site.

-> Information on getting LaTex

-> LaTeX documentation

GitBook

GitBook is mainly useful for technical writing, but can be used for other types of writing as well. GitBook uses the git version control system to keep track of changes in the document. The GitBook Editor lets you edit/create pages online on the web browser without needing a separate desktop application. You can use it on most popular platforms such as Linux, Windows, or macOS. It also enables several users to collaborate and import data from Canva, Figma, Google Docs, and more. You can choose a free account or pay if you need the collaboration feature. Also, you can choose to create a public space or a private space.

NOTE: GitBook has not been security checked and approved by Aalto. Use it only with content classified as public. Do not use it with internal, confidential or secret information.

Citation and reference management tools

Another important tool for academic writing is a citation and referencing tool. These tools can help you create and format citations and references for your sources, according to the style and guidelines of your discipline or publication. They can also help you avoid plagiarism. You can use these tools to store, organize, and manage your sources, as well as to generate citations and bibliographies automatically.

This table gives a quick overview of three popular referencing management software tools: 

EndNote

EndNote is a bibliography and database manager, which allows you to:

• Organize and create a personal database online
• Format bibliographies and manuscripts according to different output styles
• Import references from a variety of databases
• Attach files and notes to references
• Search references by author, descriptor and periodical indexes 
• Share references with other users having access to the same reference management software

When you install the EndNote program, the Cite While You Write (CWYW) add-in will be inserted into your word processing software. This add-in allows you to insert citations into your document, providing you use Microsoft Word or LibreOffice.

Aalto University IT Services provides the EndNote reference manager for the students, teachers, researchers and other staff of the university.

-> Learn more about EndNote reference management software  

Zotero

Zotero is a free, Open Source reference management software which can manage bibliographic data and related articles and files. You can install it on your computer or use it online. Zotero is unique in that it offers a web browser add-on which can create automatic citations from a webpage. It has a simple user interface that makes it easy to add references from online databases or manually enter them into the system. Zotero also provides features such as automatic formatting of citations and bibliographies in multiple styles, annotation tools for adding notes about specific sources, and integration with other writing tools like Microsoft Word.

You can download the software and create a free account on the Zotero website.

• The free account offers 300 MB storage of files such as PDFs, images etc.
• Additional storage available through paid subscription
• Aalto does not offer access to a paid subscription

-> Zotero help guides and Forums

Mendeley

Mendeley is a referencing tool you can install on your computer and use online. In addition to traditional citation support, Mendeley allows you to build a research profile and connect with other researchers. Mendeley Desktop is a workstation application for the management of referencing sources in the Mendeley service, and it can be set to operate within the Microsoft Word application. 

Mendeley Desktop can also be downloaded free of charge from Mendeley website. You can create a Mendeley account with storage of up to 2 gigabytes. Extra storage and collaborative features require a subscription

-> Mendeley help guide,  training videos, and blog 

Managing citations in Microsoft Word

To get instructions on adding or changing sources, and managing citations in Microsoft Word, check this page.

Citation guide

For more information about citation techniques, reference systems, reference management software: https://libguides.aalto.fi/citation_guide

Grammar and spell checking tools

Word processing features like spelling and grammar checkers can make it easy to find simple errors in our writing. AI-powered digital writing assistants like Microsoft Editor and Grammarly offer more advanced features and capabilities.

Microsoft Editor 

Microsoft Editor is an intelligent writing assistance, which comes with Aalto Microsoft 365 subscription. It offer the basics with free grammar, spelling, and punctuation proofing, as well as advanced style-checking for issues like clarity, conciseness, formality, vocabulary

With Editor, you can add custom words (like names you frequently use or acronyms) to create your personal dictionary; look for “Add to dictionary” when Editor makes a spelling suggestion. Your personal dictionary roams with you wherever you use Editor – across the web with browser extension and built-in to your Microsoft 365 apps.  We’ve also made it easy to skip all occurrences of a spelling correction by selecting Ignore All, or skip unwanted grammar suggestions by selecting Ignore. Editor will now automatically correct misspelled words as you type. A new green highlight will show you that a word has been autocorrected. In addition, Settings gives you a way to fine-tune your preferences for writing suggestions and personalize it even further.

If you want Editor’s assistance in the Office apps where you write the most, open Word or Outlook on the web or desktop and select Editor from the menu.

In addition, Editor can be run as an extension on Edge or Chrome. You can get it from your browser's app store: Edge, Chrome

-> Information about Microsoft Editor browser extension 

-> Information about Editor in Word web version

-> Information about Editor in Word desktop version

Grammarly

Grammarly is a writing assistance tool, offering a range of features such as grammar and spelling checks, plagiarism detection, as well as improving vocabulary utilization. It also offers an AI-powered assistant. The basic function of Grammarly is free, which helps identify most spelling and grammar errors, but for a more advanced check a paid upgraded version is needed.

NOTE: Grammarly has not been security checked and approved by Aalto. Use it only with content classified as public. Do not use it with internal, confidential or secret information.

Hemingway Editor

Hemingway Editor is an editing tool that can help you refine your writing, pinpointing areas of your work that will affect readability. The tool highlights lengthy, complex sentences and common errors. It uses a color-coded system to highlight different issues and provides suggestions for how to reword the sentence. It grades readability by the number of adverbs and passive words and recommends alternative phrases. It includes basic grammar-checking capabilities but does not offer any plagiarism detection features as Grammarly does.

Hemingway App has a free version but it also has a paid version with additional features for publishing and formatting. It’s available as a website and paid app, but it currently lacks browser extensions/plugins and does not offer mobile apps.

NOTE: Hemingway Editor has not been security checked and approved by Aalto. Use it only with content classified as public. Do not use it with internal, confidential or secret information.

MOT Kielipalvelu terminology dictionaries

Includes MOT Dictionaries, MOT Translator, MOT Proofing and Word Lists: https://www.aalto.fi/en/news/new-library-resource-language-service-mot-kielipalvelu-is-now-available

Usage outside the campus network requires VPN.

Thesaurus

Thesaurus is an online tool suitable for finding word synonyms and antonyms. A search bar allows users to locate words with ease. 

Tools for planning and organization for writing

Evernote

Evernote is a note-making and planning app. It is designed to help organize tasks and deadlines. It connects to Google Calendar. The app allows you to create tasks in your notes and assign dates, flags, and markers to them. It also lets you scan important documents, upload useful content in various formats, and save relevant web pages. The basic version of Evernote is free and lets you create unlimited notes but with a limitation of storage space to 60 MB a month. For more storage a paid subscription plan is needed.

NOTE: Evernote has not been security checked and approved by Aalto. Use it only with content classified as public. Do not use it with internal, confidential or secret information.

Obsidian

Obsidian is a personal knowledge base and note-taking software application that operates on Markdown files. It allows users to make internal links for notes and then to visualize the connections as a graph. It is designed to help users organize and structure their thoughts and knowledge in a flexible, non-linear way.

Obsidian is downloadable on various platforms including Windows, Mac, Linux, and it is free for personal use. Help guide, forum and chat are available for support.

Org Mode 

Org Mode is a mode for document editing, formatting, and organizing within the free software text editor GNU Emacs and its derivatives, designed for keeping notes, authoring documents, computational notebooks, literate programming, maintaining to-do lists, planning projects, and more. Org is a highly flexible structured plain text file format, composed of a few simple, yet versatile, structures — constructed to be both simple enough for the novice and powerful enough for the expert.

In addition to the quickstart and the manual, Org has a guide and a community-written documentation on Worg.

Layout and templates for thesis

The Aalto University publication platform generates the standard front and back covers to doctoral theses. The platform also generates the title pages and the abstract pages to the doctoral thesis.

When producing the content parts, the following templates are recommendations:

• Word template -> Instructions for the template 
• Word template with narrow margins
• LaTeX templates, packages and classes
• Recommendations for the typographic settings of Aalto publications

More templates can be found in Aalto Publication Series Instructions and Guidelines wiki.

File storage services

Comparison of data storage services at Aalto: 

https://www.aalto.fi/en/services/data-storage-file-services

OneDrive and Google Drive: 

https://www.aalto.fi/en/services/cloud-storage-onedrive-google-drive

OneDrive quick guide: 

https://www.aalto.fi/en/services/onedrive-quick-guide

Google Drive, registration and closing of an account: https://www.aalto.fi/en/services/onedrive-quick-guide

Google Drive File Stream (desktop application for download):

https://www.aalto.fi/en/services/google-drive-file-stream-download-windows-ja-mac

https://www.aalto.fi/en/services/downloading-the-google-drive-application-windows-mac-and-linux

Dropbox: https://www.aalto.fi/en/services/aalto-dropbox-quick-guide

File conversion tools 

If you need to convert files from one markup format into another, you can use these file conversion tools, which can be installed locally:

Pandoc

Pandoc is a markup format converter, which can take a document in one of the supported formats and convert only its markup to another format.

Asciidoctor

Asciidoctor is a fast, open source, text processor for parsing AsciiDoc into a document model and converting it to output formats such as HTML 5, DocBook 5, manual pages, PDF, EPUB 3, and other formats.

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Support and Contact

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To get support in using the tools mentioned in this page, please contact Aalto IT Solutions for Research team at [email protected]. 

If you need a new software, tool or application, please consult with the IT contacts of your school or unit.