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Free tools for researchers & students

Researcher's Friend

Practical utilities for literature reviews and bibliometric analysis: improve reference data quality, combine citation exports, convert RIS files, format reference lists, and download Windows apps for PyBibX and Bibliometrix.

As used by students at ...

  • Monash University
  • University of London
  • Queen's University
  • National University of Singapore
  • University of Reading
  • Universität Wien
  • University of Texas at Arlington
  • Université Paris Cité
  • Utrecht University
  • Université de Toulouse
  • Vietnam National University, Hanoi
  • Indira Gandhi National Open University
  • Victoria University of Wellington
  • Liberty University
  • North-West University
  • Sapienza University of Rome
  • Universiti Teknologi MARA
  • The Open University
  • University of Tasmania
  • Universitas Indonesia

"I used bibliometric charts in my assessment. My lecturer commented how good they were."

- Rohan, National University of Singapore

"I had my students use the bibliometric analysis tool. It is very useful and easy."

- Lauren, University of Manchester

Tools

Web tools run in the browser and email you when ready. Desktop apps are separate Windows downloads for bibliometric analysis.

New

Bibliometric analysis

Upload your references from EndNote, WoS, PubMed, etc. We'll create an awesome bibliometric analysis report for you. Use the charts etc. in your reports.

Run analysis

Reference data audit

Upload RIS, BibTeX, Web of Science "Plain text file" exports, or Scopus files for a bibliometric readiness score, charts, and actionable recommendations.

Audit references

Combine RIS files

Merge RIS and PubMed exports, look up missing DOIs, remove duplicates, and download unique, duplicate, and unknown sets plus a PRISMA-style report.

Combine RIS files

RIS to Bibliometrix

Convert RIS files from Zotero, Scopus, EndNote, Mendeley, and others into a filetype accepted by Bibliometrix, with a shareable online report.

Convert RIS

Reference list formatter

Import BibTeX or RIS and download a reference list in APA 7, Harvard, or Vancouver style as Word and plain text.

Format references

Journal abbreviation normalizer

Upload RIS, BibTeX, Web of Science "Plain text file" exports, or Scopus CSV and download the same format with JCR/ISO4 abbreviated journal names.

Normalize journals

FAQ

Quick answers about cost, the tools on this site, and how your data are handled.

Is this site free?

Yes. Researcher's Friend is free to use. The web tools allow up to 20000 citations per job (50 MB combined upload limit). The bibliometric desktop apps (for PyBibX and Bibliometrix) are free to download and use.

What tools are available?

Combine RIS files finds missing DOIs and removes duplicates for literature reviews. RIS to Bibliometrix converts RIS exports from Zotero, Scopus, EndNote, Mendeley, and others into a txt format to be uploaded into Bibliometrix. Reference list formatter turns BibTeX or RIS into APA 7, Harvard, or Vancouver reference lists. Journal abbreviation normalizer replaces full journal names with JCR/ISO4 abbreviations in RIS, BibTeX, Web of Science "Plain text file" exports, or Scopus CSV. Reference data audit scores bibliographic completeness and recommends fixes before bibliometric analysis. Bibliometric analysis produces interactive charts and tables from your reference exports. Bibliometric apps offers Windows downloads of PyBibX Desktop and Bibliometrix Desktop.

How long are my data available?

The files we generate for you are available for 7 days, then are automatically deleted. Public reports are available indefinitely.

Are my data stored? Where is the data processed?

The data you upload (e.g. RIS files) are stored for the duration of processing (usually a few minutes). Your report is available on an ongoing basis (there is no identifying information in the report). The files we produce for you are stored for approximately 7 days. The email addresses of our users are stored for reporting purposes. No identifying information provided to us is shared with third parties. Processing and storage is performed in Australia.

Who are you?

Gary Eckstein (Ph.D., M.B.A.) is an Australian academic. See more at https://www.linkedin.com/in/eckstein/

How do I cite this app?

Please cite as
Eckstein, Gary. 'Researchers Friend'. Helpful tools for researchers and students, 2026, https://researchersfriend.org.
The citation RIS file for EndNote, Mendeley, Zotero etc. is available here.

Gary Eckstein, Australian academic
Hi, I'm Gary. I'm an academic from Australia. Contact me.