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Visuals play a crucial role in communicating complex scientific concepts and research data. However, paid tools like Biorender can be expensive for students, academics and independent researchers. Thankfully, there are many free and open-source alternatives that provide professional-quality scientific illustration capabilities. Why Scientific Graphics Matter - Well-designed graphics improve comprehension and recall of scientific ideas. - Diagrams and charts allow large amounts of data to be summarized visually.  - Illustrations of experiments, systems, processes etc. help readers visualize key elements. - Graphics make research publications, posters and presentations more engaging and memorable. Best Free Tools for Science Graphics BioRender It provides an extensive library of pre-made scientific and medical icons that can be dragged, dropped and customized as needed. Intuitive controls allow easy creation of graphics like cell diagrams, molecular interactions, anatomical illustrat...

Abstract : The given text discusses the differences between a literature review and a systematic review. A literature review provides an overview of existing studies on a topic, describing, evaluating, and summarizing the current state of knowledge. It is a common component of research papers, theses, and grant proposals. In contrast, a systematic review takes a more analytical and scientific approach, providing a more comprehensive and robust summary of previous research. It is characterized by explicit, reproducible methods for each step of the review, including a precise review question, explicit inclusion and exclusion criteria, comprehensive search strategies, and careful screening and assessment of studies. Systematic reviews often involve meta-analysis and provide evidence-based conclusions that summarize the current state of knowledge. The key differences between the two types of reviews include scope, methodology, study selection, analysis, transparency, and objectivity. Unde...

Oxidation reactions are an incredibly important reaction type in chemistry. They involve the transfer of electrons between substances, leading to changes in oxidation states of atoms. Understanding oxidation-reduction reactions is key for chemistry students. In an oxidation reaction, a molecule, atom or ion loses electrons. This is known as oxidation. The oxidizing agent causes oxidation by taking electrons from another substance. Some common oxidizing agents include oxygen, halogens, sulphuric acid and permanganate ions.  Let's look at the reaction between magnesium metal and oxygen gas as an example: 2Mg(s) + O2(g) → 2MgO(s) In this reaction, magnesium metal is oxidized by oxygen gas. The magnesium atoms give up two electrons each to oxygen molecules. This causes the magnesium to increase in oxidation state from 0 to +2. Meanwhile, the oxygen gains electrons and is reduced. Oxidation reactions result in a loss of electrons and an increase in oxidation state. Other signs of oxidat...

PowerPoint has long been the standard program for creating presentations in business and education. However, in recent years many new and innovative presentation tools have emerged as alternatives to the Microsoft staple.  In this blog post, I'll highlight 10 solid PowerPoint alternatives worth checking out. Whether you're looking for new features, better design capabilities, more collaboration options or just a change of pace from PowerPoint, these presentation makers have got you covered. 1. Google Slides As part of Google Workspace, Google Slides is a popular free option for basic presentation needs. It's easy to use, allows for real-time collaboration with others and integrates seamlessly with other Google services. The templates and design options are more limited compared to PowerPoint but it's a great simple alternative. 2. Canva Canva offers an immense library of templates, photos, illustrations and design assets for creating sharp presentations quickly, even wi...

Using AI apps to boost academic writing: As a student or professional, being able to write high-quality academic papers and reports efficiently is a crucial skill. However, between research, writing, reviewing, editing, and formatting, academic writing can be an arduous process. Fortunately, AI-powered writing apps can help streamline parts of the workflow, enabling you to work smarter.  During the research phase, apps like Anthropic's Claude allow you to have conversational interactions to generate summarized paragraphs instantly from your sources. Ask Claude to extract key background details from an article or pull out the main objectives from a paper to quickly compile notes and literature reviews. With just a few prompts, you can gather extensive information to incorporate in your introduction and background sections, saving hours of manual reading, note-taking, and paraphrasing. When drafting sections presenting your original research or analysis, tools like Otter.ai come in h...

Discover new research opportunities by pinpointing gaps in existing knowledge. Here are some tips to find open questions and understudied areas ripe for investigation: Conduct an Extensive Literature Review A thorough review reveals where previous research has fallen short. Look for unresolved debates, contradictions in findings, open questions, and explicit statements like "further study is needed on..." This shows where gaps exist. Attend Conferences and Talk to Experts  Discussing current challenges with academics and professionals highlights where knowledge is lacking. Conferences also showcase cutting-edge work revealing open research questions. Analyze Methodological Limitations Examine if current methods restrict understanding of a phenomenon. Developing new approaches and tools could address gaps and limitations. Consider Interdisciplinary Perspectives  Exploring tangential fields or collaborating across disciplines reveals overlooked gaps at the intersection of resea...

1. Determine primary result/highlight to showcase    Extract key finding, major conclusion or top result from your research study to highlight in your graphical abstract. This will be the focus.   2. Brainstorm visual types    Consider which graphical format could best showcase the highlight determined in step 1. Potential options:      - Chart (bar, line, scatterplots etc)      - Infographic        - Illustration/drawing      - Diagram/schematic      - Figure/pattern      - Comparison of conditions      - Process flow      - Geographic representation      - Interactive element 3. Sketch first draft designs    On paper or a whiteboard, sketch some rough visuals based on most promising options from step 2. Aim to prominently feature the highlight from step 1 versus all study details.  4. Seek co-autho...