When it comes to academic research, choosing the right tech tools can make all the difference. There are countless specialised apps out there but an efficient web browser is the fundamental building block that many academic researchers overlook. The browser is where your research takes place, and for that reason, it acts as the very foundation of everything that you do.

So, as researchers and designers of our own browser, we’ve compiled a list of the very best browsers for academic research.

What is a browser for academic research?

We all know Google Chrome but more and more alternative web browsers are becoming available, each offering increasingly specialised features. Browsers for academic research are web browsers designed to help you search effectively, track your research, compare data, organise your references and assist your note taking.

Why is using an academic research browser so important?

The internet is an amazing resource for anyone working in academia. Catalogues, like Jstor, ResearchGate, WorldCat and Elsevier, and world-class historical archives are always available at the click of a mouse. Plus search engine tools like Google Scholar, Science.gov, and BASE, all provide easy access to hundreds of millions of academic papers.

When you’re writing an academic paper or thesis, keeping track of your research, saving relevant pages and managing your references is vitally important. It’s all-too-easy to end up with a clutter of open tabs, messy downloads and poorly-organised, forgotten bookmarks. That’s why you need a browser designed for academic research.

And, despite all the benefits of accessing journals and source material online, the internet is also an incredibly distracting place, filled with visual clutter and annoying online ads. Browsers for academic research are focused on minimising distractions that help you keep your focus and get your research done.

Best browsers for academic research

Now you understand the importance of choosing the right research browser, let’s discuss the best options available to you. After careful review, here is our list.

Horse Browser

In our opinion, this innovative new browser is top of the list. OK, maybe we’re a bit biased but here’s why we think Horse Browser is the best browser for academic research.

Other browsers offer ways to organise & group your tabs and, while this is welcome & useful, it doesn’t really solve the problem faced by academic researchers. Because grouped tabs are still easily cluttered-up or forgotten, just like bookmarks.

So let’s see what makes Horse Browser so different…

KEY ACADEMIC RESEARCH FEATURES

• Unique Trails Feature: This feature marks out Horse Browser as our go-to academic research browser. Horse Browser replaces tabs with its own navigation system, called Trails. Every time you click on a link, Horse Browser opens a new page on the Trail, creating a list of nested pages in one easy-to-read vertical layout. Trails become your tabs, bookmarks and history in one. You can see exactly how you reached a particular page, allowing you to keep track of your online research rabbit holes and make valuable insights & connections along the way. You can also drag-and-drop, rename, delete and customise your Trails to create your own filing system for articles you wish to reference later. For us, it’s a revelatory way of conducting academic research.
• Autosaves Your Pages: One of our favourite features. Horse Browser autosaves your pages, just like a Notes App. Everything you need is still there, whenever you re-open your browser, even after an update or shut down. You’ll never lose articles or important references again.
• In-built Notes: Horse Browser offers an in-built Notes tool, where you can jot down handy notes or paste relevant quotations.
• Focus-friendly Design: Horse Browser has a collapsible sidebar. So if you’re doing deep-focus work, like reading a long research paper, you can collapse the sidebar and give yourself distraction-free screentime. Horse also offers an extremely effective in-built Ad-Blocker and Dark Reader, which prevent intrusive ads, help you keep your focus and rest tired eyes, while you’re researching.