15 Research & Organization Tools for Nonfiction Authors

Hunting and gathering outside information to include in your nonfiction book helps create a dynamic, layered reading experience, and is essential for certain genres.

A common pitfall I have seen as an editor is when authors do not organize and document outside sources and information through the writing process (I always say—organize your information collection system early on and record sources cited as you go). It’s frustrating, to say the least, to get 30,000 words down and have accumulated dozens of places in the text where the author has to backtrack to collect source information and set up references.

Thankfully, there’s a plentitude of programs and applications to bring information to your fingertips and keep that information well-organized as you write. I chose the tools on this list because they offer high-quality results, are affordable (or free), and don’t require you to take a class or spend forty hours learning to use them.

This list aims to introduce you to helpful resources, not to provide a comprehensive overview of each tool. I’ve included the links to each of these sites so you can review them and deep dive into whatever looks like it would serve your work.

This post does not contain affiliate links and I do not earn a commission.

Research Databases & Libraries

Tool 1: Google Scholar

Google but make it academia. Google Scholar is a free search engine that allows users to search for academic resources, including articles, books, and theses across an array of disciplines. It provides access to review sources and credible academic references with a great user-friendly interface that includes the ability to copy citations formatted in various styles, such as Chicago and MLA.

Professionals do not catalog search results, so it is crucial to verify the credibility of the sources. Though Google Scholar is free to use, some sources listed in the search results may not be free. 

Main: Google Scholar

Tool 2: JSTOR

JSTOR is a digital library packed with academic journals, books, and primary sources perfect for users who want reliable, high-quality information. It offers access to millions of scholarly articles and materials across a wide range of subjects, from history and literature to social sciences and business.

Individuals can purchase the JPASS subscription for $19.99/month, but check with your local library as they often offer free access to JSTOR. With the JPASS, the online reading is unlimited, but the membership does limit the number of downloads per month. 

Main: JSTOR Home

Tool 3: Library of Congress Digital Collections

I adore this resource! The Library of Congress Digital Collections is an incredible online treasure trove of historical and cultural resources. It offers free access to digitized materials, including photographs, manuscripts, maps, newspapers, and even recordings. One of my favorite fun features is the Today in History tab. 

Main: Library of Congress

Content Discovery, Trends, Fact-Checking & Audience Research

Tool 4: Snopes

The largest and longest-standing online fact-checking organization, Snopes is a go-to for verifying and debunking stories and is free to the public. 

Main: Snopes.com 

Tool 5: Answer the Public

I love this tool for target audience research, among other things. Answer the Public gives you insight and information about web search trends. This is great for researching keywords and ideas related to your book and associated online content.

Answer the Public offers a seven-day free trial and three unique plans, with the individual plan at $11 a month.

Main: AnswerThePublic

Tool 6: SparkToro

Another outstanding tool for audience research. SparkToro offers such a solid product bringing high-end market research capabilities to regular people with its individual subscription plan weighing in at just $38 a month.

Main: SparkToro 

Tool 7: Exploding Topics

This is a fun one. Exploding Topics provides data to the public on specific trending topics. From the homepage, the user can click a topic to open an expanded view of the data, growth information, and related topics. This feature is free.

With a Pro subscription, you can search for trends of your choosing. For $1, you get a 14-day Pro trial, then it’s $468 annually.

Main: Exploding Topics 

Organization & Note-Taking Tools

Tool 8: Evernote

This app is great for creating notes, lists, wikis, documents, and more. It integrates with calendars and scans and stores files, among other features. Evernote offers an array of pre-made templates for the user’s organization needs. There is a free, limited version, but beyond that, it offers 4 paid tiers, with the personal plan at $14.99 per month if you pay monthly.

Main: Evernote

Tool 9: Notion

I call Notion the Swiss army knife of digital organization. It’s an all-in-one workspace for organizing just about anything with seemingly unlimited free templates. The user can create databases to track sources and set up templates for project management. Notion has more of a learning curve than some other organization apps, but is worth the time and energy. Notion is free for individual use and the free version includes most of the features. I have always used the free version, and it is more than enough to meet my needs.

Main: Notion

Tool 10: Pensieve

I rely heavily on this app and I can’t say enough about it. Pensieve allows you to record notes, voice-to-text, audio, and images and send them straight to your email inbox to collect later. This is outstanding for when ideas strike on the go while away from core organizing systems. It even allows the user to work offline and sends drafts to the inbox later when reconnected.

Pensieve offers a free plan. I use the all-access plan, which is $2.99 if paid monthly and $24.99 if paid yearly. The paid plans come with a one-week free trial.

Main: Pensieve

Citation Tools & Reference Managers

Tool 11: Zotero

Effortless reference management. Zotero is a free, user-friendly tool that helps you collect, organize, and cite sources. With browser extensions and integrations for Word and Google Docs, Zotero makes managing citations and sources super seamless.

While it is free to use, it does have limited storage space and offers plans available for purchasing additional storage.

Main: Zotero 

Tool 12: Paperpile

Paperpile is a reference manager designed for simplicity. It integrates with Google Docs and Google Drive and allows you to generate citations and bibliographies as you write. With it, you can organize PDF downloads, annotate your PDFs, share them, and even search databases such as Google Scholar from inside Paperpile.

Paperpile offers a free 30-day trial. The subscription for personal use is $2.99 a month if billed annually or the business plan for $9.99 a month if billed annually.

Main: Paperpile

Visuals & Data Representation

Tool 13: Piktochart

I love Piktochart because it is user-friendly, affordable, and high-quality. It’s a tool that makes creating professional-looking visuals super easy and is perfect for users without design experience. With its drag-and-drop interface, the user can quickly create infographics, presentations, social media graphics, and reports.

It offers a free plan, while the individual plan is $29 per month when paid monthly.

Main: Piktochart

Tool 14: Datawrapper Free 

Datawrapper’s free version is a simple, powerful tool for creating clean, professional charts, graphs, and maps. Use it to turn raw data into polished visuals for books, blogs, or social media. The interface is super user-friendly—just upload the data, customize the chart, and export it in high quality. While the free version has some branding, it’s a worthwhile starting point for authors looking to add a touch of professionalism to their content.

Main: Datawrapper

Tool 15: Pixabay

Pixabay is a free platform with a massive library of high-quality photos, illustrations, videos, and music. All content is royalty-free, so it’s perfect for authors looking for visuals for book covers, blogs, or social media.

Main: Pixabay

Leave a comment to ask questions or add any info from your experience with these tools!

Happy hunting, gathering, & writing,

Liz