Check your course's rules first
Schools and universities set their own rules on AI tools in assessed work. Read your course or module policy before you use a chatbot, an AI search tool or a paraphraser, and keep a note of how you used each one. Within each step below, tools are listed alphabetically and none is ranked above another.
1. Find sources
- Consensus searches peer-reviewed research and adds cited AI analysis. The free plan includes basic paper search, 10 Pro messages and up to 3 deep reviews a month. Pro costs $12 a month billed annually ($144 a year). Consensus offers students with a valid school email up to 40% off a subscription.
- Elicit searches research papers and summarises them. Its free Basic plan includes unlimited search across more than 138 million papers (Elicit's figure), summaries, chat with papers and import from Zotero, with limited use of its research agent and reports. The academic Plus plan is $11 per user a month, billed as $132 a year.
- Google Scholar searches scholarly literature across many disciplines, including articles, theses, books, abstracts and court opinions. It shows related works and citing papers, and helps you locate the full text through your library or on the web.
- Perplexity is a general AI search tool. Perplexity says every answer includes inline citations. It has a free plan; Pro is US$17 a month, or the equivalent, when billed annually.
- Semantic Scholar describes itself as a free, AI-powered search tool for scientific literature. Its short AI summaries, called TLDRs, currently cover computer science and biomedical papers only. Papers can be saved to Zotero with the Zotero browser extension.
An AI answer is a pointer, not a source. Open the paper or page it cites and check the claim there before you use it in your essay.
2. Read and question your sources
- Gemini Notebook is the new name for NotebookLM, which Google changed in July 2026. You add your own sources, and its answers are grounded in them. The standard plan allows up to 50 sources per notebook, and it can turn class material into flashcards and audio overviews. Higher limits come with Google AI Plus, Pro and Ultra plans, which are sold only in some regions.
3. Keep track of sources and cite them
- Zotero is free and open source. It collects, organises, annotates and cites research. Its plugins insert citations and build the bibliography inside Microsoft Word, LibreOffice and Google Docs, and Zotero says it supports over 9,000 citation styles. Syncing files uses Zotero Storage: 300 MB is free, and paid storage starts at 2 GB for $20 a year.
Start your library on day one. Save each source as you find it, rather than rebuilding references the night before the deadline. Check the finished bibliography against the style your course asks for, because imported records can carry errors.
4. Draft
- Google Docs is available to anyone with a Google Account. It keeps comments and a revision history you can roll back to, and it can convert Word documents or edit them directly. The Zotero plugin works in Google Docs too.
5. Edit
- Grammarly has a free plan that checks spelling and grammar, shows your tone and includes 100 AI prompts. Pro adds full-sentence rewrites, plagiarism and AI-text detection, and 2,000 prompts. The UK plans page listed Pro beside a free trial without stating the billing interval, so no price is quoted here.
- Hemingway Editor highlights long sentences, complex words, adverbs and passive voice in text you paste into its web editor. Hemingway Editor Plus is a separate AI service that fixes the highlights; its price was not checked for this guide.
- QuillBot is a paraphrasing and grammar tool. Its free plan paraphrases up to 100 words in 2 modes and fixes basic grammar. Premium was £8.33 a month, billed annually, on the UK page.
Rewording someone else's text without citing it is still plagiarism. If your course limits paraphrasing or AI tools, that rule applies to these tools too.
At a glance
| Step | Tool | Free or standard plan, as read | Paid, as read |
|---|---|---|---|
| Find sources | Consensus | Basic search, 10 Pro messages, 3 deep reviews a month | $12 a month, billed annually |
| Find sources | Elicit | Search, summaries, chat with papers | Academic Plus $11 a user a month, billed annually |
| Find sources | Google Scholar | No plans listed on the page read | None read |
| Find sources | Perplexity | Free plan | Pro US$17 a month, billed annually |
| Find sources | Semantic Scholar | Free search tool | None read |
| Read sources | Gemini Notebook | Standard plan, up to 50 sources per notebook | Through Google AI plans |
| Track and cite | Zotero | Free app, 300 MB storage | Storage from $20 a year |
| Draft | Google Docs | With a Google Account | Workspace plans for extra features |
| Edit | Grammarly | Spelling, grammar, tone, 100 AI prompts | Not quoted |
| Edit | Hemingway Editor | Web editor highlights | Editor Plus, price not checked |
| Edit | QuillBot | Paraphrase up to 100 words, 2 modes | Premium £8.33 a month, billed annually |
Find more in the directory
Study & essays: choose a task and compare free access, costs and limits →
Search the directory by task: essay, citations or study for exams. You can also browse the Research & Learning category. Most of these listings are catalogue entries without an editorial assessment.
Sources and scope
- About Google Scholar · Read 19 October 2026.
- Semantic Scholar FAQ · Read 19 October 2026.
- Consensus pricing · Read 19 October 2026, annual view.
- Elicit pricing · Read 19 October 2026, academic and yearly view.
- Perplexity Pro · Read 19 October 2026.
- Gemini Notebook and its plans · Read 19 October 2026.
- Zotero, Zotero Storage and word processor plugins · Read 19 October 2026.
- Google Docs · Read 19 October 2026.
- Grammarly plans · Read 19 October 2026, UK page.
- Hemingway Editor · Read 19 October 2026.
- QuillBot Premium · Read 19 October 2026, UK page.
Factual guide from official pages. Prices, plan limits and features change, so check the vendor page before you pay. No tool was tested and no winner is claimed. Send a correction.