You’re looking for research management tools. How do you know which ones are the best?

1 Assess your goals and challenges

Before you start looking for research management tools, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve and what problems you want to solve. Think about your research objectives, scope, budget, timeline, and expected outputs. Also, consider your current pain points, such as data overload, lack of coordination, or poor documentation. These will help you identify the features and functions that you need from your tools, such as data management, project management, communication, or reporting.

2 Compare different options

When making a list of desired features and functions, you can begin comparing different research management tools that offer them. Utilize online platforms, reviews, or recommendations to find and evaluate potential options. When assessing the tools, consider criteria such as ease of use, compatibility, scalability, security, and cost. Evaluate how intuitive and user-friendly the tool is; if it integrates with other platforms; if it's flexible and adaptable; if it has adequate encryption; and if it has a reasonable pricing model. Additionally, consider if the tool requires training or support, supports different formats or protocols, can handle different types and sizes of data, projects, or teams, has backup or recovery features, complies with regulations or policies, and offers a free trial or a demo.

3 Test and evaluate

After narrowing down your options, you can test and evaluate them to see how they work in practice. You can use a sample project, data set, or scenario to try out the tools and see how they perform. Additionally, it is beneficial to seek feedback from colleagues, collaborators, or stakeholders who will use the tools or benefit from them. Questions such as: “How easy or difficult is it to set up, use, and maintain the tool?”, “How well does the tool meet your goals and solve your challenges?”, “How much time, effort, or resources does the tool save or require?”, “How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the tool's quality and functionality?” and “How likely or unlikely are you to continue using the tool or recommend it to others?” should be asked in order to find the best research management tools for your needs. By doing this you can make the most of them for your research success.

4 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?