5 Reasons to Use LiquidText for Research

LiquidText is a PDF editing app that is really useful for research. I have been using it for a while and would like to give a review on how it helps me work better. LiquidText has all the usual functions of a PDF editor, like highlighting, writing on the document, lasso tool etc. But the potential it provides for research is quite unique to only this app. Let me highlight 5 of its key benefits that I love.

1) You can gather all your research in one place:

If you are a researcher, you must know the pain of going through dozens of academic papers and not knowing how to conveniently gather and compare all the different information you read. Before I found LiquidText, I used to try making mind maps or even copy pasting relevant information from articles into word files just so I can compare the information. LiquidText makes this process much easier by providing an extract function which allows you to drag out the relevant information from multiple documents and compare them all in an adjacent space. There is no limit to the amount of information you can add to the space because the space keeps increasing as you add more information. 

2) Helps you keep track of your sources:

Another problem I encountered before finding LiquidText was that I had no means of keeping track of information. This becomes a pain when you have a lot of sources and need to cite them precisely in your paper. Liquidnote solves this issue by allowing you to track the extracts you make back to its source.  This makes citations a lot easier once you are done writing your paper. 

3) You can tag your extracts:

Even with a tool like LiquidText, you may get confused if you have a lot of extracts. To help keep track of your research, LiquidText allows you to place tags on extracts and highlights. Later, when you need a specific kind of information, you can just search for the tag and find the necessary information. 

4) Compare multiple documents and extracts to generate new ideas:

I have noticed that being able to easily compare different information often helps me come up with new theories and ideas of my own. It helps you identify new and unique arguments that may not be otherwise obvious. This is really helpful when you are doing challenging research papers that require fresh thinking. 

5) LiquidText grants you a lot of autonomy and flexibility for research:

LiquidText is not the only PDF editor out there, but I prefer it because of the autonomy it provides for research. You can create extracts that you can freely move around, and handwrite comments anywhere you want. This allows for free thinking as you can place unique extracts together or create mind maps to see connections. I have tried other editors but I just never found this level of freedom anywhere else. 

Sadly, Its not all pros:

As amazing as LiquidText is, its not perfect. We discussed the benefits of text to speech softwares in previous posts (here and here). Unfortunately, LiquidText does not provide for text to speech functions, and even Apples in-build speech function does not work on LiquidText. There are alternatives to LiquidText like MarginNote which provides more functions by comparison. MarginNote has in-build text to speech function and it even allows you to convert information into flash cards. But, I feel like MarginNote is not very user friendly. It does not have the same level of flexibility and autonomy as LiquidText, and, in my opinion, is not ideal for research purposes.

In my opinion, MarginNote is ideal when you are learning a new subject and wish to learn new information. Its text to speech function –although not very fast–  will help you read through your material faster, and the ability to create extracts and make flash cards will help you with active recall and spaced repetition. I have also heard that MarginNote has OCR function, which lets you convert physical books into digital format (source). On the other hand, if you are working on an original research, LiquidText would be a better choice for you. The level of flexibility and freedom of comparison and consideration provided by LiquidText is not easily rivaled by other PDF editors. 

I recommend trying out both and using one thats most suitable for your purpose.