Pocket Dissertation: A Review of the Best Apps to Help You Write an Amazing Thesis or Dissertation

Microsoft Word is wonderful, but if you need a little more help organizing and drafting content during the research process, try looking for applications on your phone that can help you do just that. I've reviewed three free writing and data management applications to help thesis and dissertation writers like yourselves. 

Pocket: Pocket allows you to save content from all over the web, including images, videos, and articles. Pocket also has several other useful features including:

• favoriting, archiving, and tagging/categorizing content  
• exploring other users' content by interest  
• browser button to add content to your profile straight from browser
• share link - forward to Facebook, Twitter, and e-mail
• all content syncs across all your devices
• desktop format available as well

You also have the option to upgrade to an ad-free premium version of Pocket for $44 a year.

Instapaper: Instapaper also allows you to collect, organize and share content like Pocket, including images, articles, and videos with a few other useful features: 

• convert online articles into a reader-friendly format. 
• scroll through articles one word at a time at a selected speed 
• change the font size and style of full-text articles
• change the background color of screen 
• great for visually impaired students 
• articles are full-text searchable 
• organize content into folders 
• highlight, cut, and paste into sharable notes 
• all content syncs across all your devices. 
• desktop format available 
• browse and like other users' content 
• browser button that lets you  add content straight from browser 
• share saved content via forward e-mail button 

You can only create 5 notes a month unless you pay $29.99 for a yearly subscription.

EverNote: This app is definitely the most useful in terms of research and the most sophisticated in terms of functionality. Evernote has much of the same functionality as Microsoft's One Note but more capabilities. Fun, neat features include: 

• different templates as well as a customizable personal template 
• multilevel outline or a checklist
• bold, italicize, underline, highlight, and color text 
• tag and categorize
• create separate notebooks 
• share notes via forward button (e-mail and link) 
• cut and paste any content into a note (links, photos, text, PDFs, audio files, and videos) 
• tap the microphone icon to record voice memos
• draw, write, and highlight saved notes. You can 
• annotate texts as well 
• attach reminders to notes
• bookmark web pages to save directly into EverNote with Web Clipper
• scan documents to digitize them for markup
• desktop version available

Without an upgraded subscription you can only sync content across 2 devices for free. A monthly subscription costs $5.83 a month.

We all know our best thoughts pop into our head not when we are in the library in front of our laptops but while we're eating dinner or having coffee with friends. With these apps your dissertation is always with you so you're able to catch those big ideas. 

- Tiffany