article reviewing tool

10 Best Literature Review Tools for Researchers

Boost your research game with these Best Literature Review Tools for Researchers! Uncover hidden gems, organize your findings, and ace your next research paper!

Researchers struggle to identify key sources, extract relevant information, and maintain accuracy while manually conducting literature reviews. This leads to inefficiency, errors, and difficulty in identifying gaps or trends in existing literature.

Table of Contents

Top 10 Literature Review Tools for Researchers: In A Nutshell (2023)

#1. Semantic Scholar – A free, AI-powered research tool for scientific literature

Not all scholarly content may be indexed, and occasional false positives or inaccurate associations can occur. Furthermore, the tool primarily focuses on computer science and related fields, potentially limiting coverage in other disciplines. 

#2. Elicit – Research assistant using language models like GPT-3

Elicit is a game-changing literature review tool that has gained popularity among researchers worldwide. With its user-friendly interface and extensive database of scholarly articles, it streamlines the research process, saving time and effort. 

However, users should be cautious when using Elicit. It is important to verify the credibility and accuracy of the sources found through the tool, as the database encompasses a wide range of publications. 

#3. Scite.Ai – Your personal research assistant

However, while Scite.Ai offers numerous advantages, there are a few aspects to be cautious about. As with any data-driven tool, occasional errors or inaccuracies may arise, necessitating researchers to cross-reference and verify results with other reputable sources. 

Rayyan offers the following paid plans:

#4. DistillerSR – Literature Review Software

Despite occasional technical glitches reported by some users, the developers actively address these issues through updates and improvements, ensuring a better user experience. 

#5. Rayyan – AI Powered Tool for Systematic Literature Reviews

However, it’s important to be aware of a few aspects. The free version of Rayyan has limitations, and upgrading to a premium subscription may be necessary for additional functionalities. 

#6. Consensus – Use AI to find you answers in scientific research

With Consensus, researchers can save significant time by efficiently organizing and accessing relevant research material.People consider Consensus for several reasons. 

Consensus offers both free and paid plans:

#7. RAx – AI-powered reading assistant

#8. lateral – advance your research with ai.

Additionally, researchers must be mindful of potential biases introduced by the tool’s algorithms and should critically evaluate and interpret the results. 

#9. Iris AI – Introducing the researcher workspace

Researchers are drawn to this tool because it saves valuable time by automating the tedious task of literature review and provides comprehensive coverage across multiple disciplines. 

#10. Scholarcy – Summarize your literature through AI

Scholarcy’s automated summarization may not capture the nuanced interpretations or contextual information presented in the full text. 

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, conducting a comprehensive literature review is a crucial aspect of any research project, and the availability of reliable and efficient tools can greatly facilitate this process for researchers. This article has explored the top 10 literature review tools that have gained popularity among researchers.

Q1. What are literature review tools for researchers?

Q2. what criteria should researchers consider when choosing literature review tools.

When choosing literature review tools, researchers should consider factors such as the tool’s search capabilities, database coverage, user interface, collaboration features, citation management, annotation and highlighting options, integration with reference management software, and data extraction capabilities. 

Q3. Are there any literature review tools specifically designed for systematic reviews or meta-analyses?

Meta-analysis support: Some literature review tools include statistical analysis features that assist in conducting meta-analyses. These features can help calculate effect sizes, perform statistical tests, and generate forest plots or other visual representations of the meta-analytic results.

Q4. Can literature review tools help with organizing and annotating collected references?

Integration with citation managers: Some literature review tools integrate with popular citation managers like Zotero, Mendeley, or EndNote, allowing seamless transfer of references and annotations between platforms.

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Article Review Generator

Here is your article critique :

Writing an article review can become a daunting task for any student. It requires analyzing the article’s content, evaluating it, and sharing personal insights. Stuck with summarizing the article rather than criticizing it? Use this article review generator!

• ️🎤 What Is This Review Generator?
• ️👑 Article Review Generator Benefits
• ️🤔 When to Use the Tool
• ️✍️ How to Write an Article Review
• ️❓ Article Review Generator Free: FAQ
• ️🔗 References

🎤 What Is the Article Review Generator?

Our online article review generator is an excellent solution for crafting comprehensive reviews. It offers in-depth analysis while ensuring that the main ideas from the article are effectively highlighted. The tool allows students to focus on critical evaluation and personal insights rather than getting bogged down in summarization.

An article review is a piece that critically evaluates and analyzes a scholarly article or research paper. It involves summarizing the article’s main points, assessing its strengths and weaknesses, and providing personal opinion.

You may need to write an article analysis:

• To provide a critique of a specific article or paper.
• To contribute to academic discourse by evaluating scholarly work.
• To improve your writing skills via summarizing, analyzing, and critiquing complex texts.
• To deepen understanding of a topic.
• To prepare for future research projects.

👑 Online Article Review Generator: 6 Benefits

Many benefits make our article review summary generator stand out. For example, it is:

🤔 When to Use the Article Reviewer Tool?

Our tool is not only helpful in writing article reviews, but it also comes in handy for a variety of other purposes. Here are some cases when you can use the article review summary generator:

• Analyze the article’s strengths and weaknesses.
• Quickly understand the key points and arguments of the article.
• Get a new perspective on the article’s content and structure.
• Generate a concise summary of an article.
• Understand complex articles more effectively.
• Improve writing skills .
• Be informed about current developments.
• Prepare for exams or presentations.
• Facilitate collaboration during group projects.
• Get multiple article summaries for the literature review.

✍️ How to Write an Article Review

You can always use our online article review generator to analyze and critique an article quickly. However, if you have time and wish to enhance your academic writing skills, consider writing the review yourself. To help you with this, we’ve prepared a step-by-step tutorial for crafting a compelling article review .

Step 1 – Preparation

First of all, you should clearly understand the goal of this assignment. An article review is more than just a summary or your opinion on a publication. It involves a critical analysis and assessment of the content.

Here’s what to do to prepare for composing an article review:

• Assess the title. Before delving into the paper, consider what the title suggests about its content and the potential focus of the author’s argument.
• Analyze the structure. Subheadings can offer a roadmap of the article’s organization. Focus on them to get an overview of the key topics the author will explore.
• Understand the main idea. Identify the article’s central argument or thesis. It is the primary claim or position the author is asserting.
• Analyze the abstract. An abstract is a condensed version of the article. It offers a glimpse into the main arguments, research methodology, and conclusions.

Step 2 – Reading

Carefully reading an article is vital for making a well-informed evaluation , so don’t underestimate this stage. Take notes or use highlighters to keep track of the information you might refer to later. We suggest paying attention to:

• Intended audience. "> Intended audience. Determine who the article is addressing. Consider potential readers’ level of expertise, interests, and background knowledge.
• Author’s purpose. Does the writer aim to summarize extant research, put forward a fresh argument, or refute others’ claims?
• Key terms. Note whether the author defines key concepts. A straightforward definition of terminology helps understand the writer’s arguments better.
• Facts and opinions. Differentiate between objective information and the author’s views. Assess the adequacy and reliability of the presented information.
• Central arguments and conclusions. Evaluate their clarity, coherence, and the degree to which they are reinforced by evidence and analysis.
• Methodology and findings. Examine the methods and expected results in the article. Assess the research credibility and the clarity of the reported findings.
• Visual aids. If the article contains illustrations or charts, analyze their effectiveness in communicating information and strengthening the message.

Step 3 – Outlining & Drafting

Outlining an article review can help you arrange your ideas and guarantee that your paper is logical and coherent. Usually, an outline comprises an introduction, the body of the review, and a conclusion.

When outlining, work on your thesis statement . It is a sentence or two that presents your main argument about the article, which you will support and develop in your review.

After finishing your outline, you can move on to writing a draft. These are the main components for each section of an article review:

• Hook (attention-grabbing opening).
• Background information on the article.
• Thesis statement.
• Summary of the article.
• Analysis and evaluation.
• Restated thesis statement.
• Summary of your main points.
• Final evaluation of the article.
• Suggestions for further research or areas for improvement.

Step 4 – Writing

The final stage of writing an article critique involves reviewing and polishing the draft. It is important to revise the piece and check for any mistakes or inconsistencies. Additionally, we recommend double-checking all citations and references and ensuring they are carefully formatted according to the requirements provided in the assignment.

During the review and polishing process, consider the following:

• Review title. Consider creating a suitable title for the article review if a title is not provided. A good article review title should convey the text’s main focus, include keywords, and hint at what readers can expect from the review.
• Reference list. Include a reference list to acknowledge and give credit to the sources you have used in your review. Even if the review only references the article being analyzed, the reference list should include this article.

❓ Article Review Generator Free: FAQ

❓ what is an article review.

An article review critically evaluates and analyzes a scholarly article or research paper. It summarizes the main points, critiques the methodology, and discusses the significance and potential limitations of the work. Article reviews are a common assignment among high school and college students.

❓ How to write an article review?

Writing an article review starts with thorough preparation and understanding of the article’s context. Then, carefully read the article to identify critical points and evaluate the author’s arguments. Finally, provide a well-reasoned and supported assessment of the article’s overall quality and contribution. You can always use our article review generator for the best summary and evaluation.

❓ Where is the literature review in an article?

The literature review in an article is typically situated after the introduction or in the body section. It draws a comprehensive overview of existing research relevant to the article’s topic. However, not all article reviews require a literature review. It’s better to consult the professor or review guidelines to determine if a literature review is necessary for the specific assignment.

❓ How to start an article review?

To begin an article review, start by introducing the article’s title, author, and publication date. Provide a brief overview of the article’s main topic and purpose. Consider setting the context by explaining the topic’s significance and the article’s relevance to the field. Lastly, state your thesis or main argument regarding the article’s quality and contribution.

Updated: Aug 21st, 2024

🔗 References

• How to Write an Article Review (with Sample Reviews) – wikiHow
• Research Guides: Introduction to Research: Humanities and Social Sciences: Critical Reviews
• How to Review a Journal Article | University of Illinois Springfield
• Research Guides: Writing Help: The Article Review

Revolutionize Your Research with Jenni AI

Literature Review Generator

Welcome to Jenni AI, the ultimate tool for researchers and students. Our AI Literature Review Generator is designed to assist you in creating comprehensive, high-quality literature reviews, enhancing your academic and research endeavors. Say goodbye to writer's block and hello to seamless, efficient literature review creation.

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Jenni AI utilizes cutting-edge AI technology to analyze and suggest relevant literature, helping you stay on top of current research trends.

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Idea Generation

Overcome writer's block with AI-generated prompts and ideas that align with your research topic, helping to expand and deepen your review.

Citation Assistance

Get help with proper citation formats to maintain academic integrity and attribute sources correctly.

Our Pledge to Academic Integrity

At Jenni AI, we are deeply committed to the principles of academic integrity. We understand the importance of honesty, transparency, and ethical conduct in the academic community. Our tool is designed not just to assist in your research, but to do so in a way that respects and upholds these fundamental values.

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Start by creating your account on Jenni AI. The sign-up process is quick and user-friendly.

Define Your Research Scope

Enter the topic of your literature review to guide Jenni AI’s focus.

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Receive assistance in citing sources correctly, maintaining the academic standard.

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Export your literature review to LaTeX, HTML, or .docx formats

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Use Jenni AI’s suggestions to structure your literature review, organizing it into coherent sections.

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Frequently asked questions

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Jenni AI: Standing Out From the Competition

In a sea of online proofreaders, Jenni AI stands out. Here’s how we compare to other tools on the market:

Feature Featire

COMPETITORS

Advanced AI-Powered Assistance

Uses state-of-the-art AI technology to provide relevant literature suggestions and structural guidance.

May rely on simpler algorithms, resulting in less dynamic or comprehensive support.

User-Friendly Interface

Designed for ease of use, making it accessible for users with varying levels of tech proficiency.

Interfaces can be complex or less intuitive, posing a challenge for some users.

Transparent and Flexible Pricing

Offers a free trial and clear, flexible pricing plans suitable for different needs.

Pricing structures can be opaque or inflexible, with fewer user options.

Unparalleled Customization

Offers highly personalized suggestions and adapts to your specific research needs over time.

Often provide generic suggestions that may not align closely with individual research topics.

Comprehensive Literature Access

Provides access to a vast and up-to-date range of academic literature, ensuring comprehensive research coverage.

Some may have limited access to current or diverse research materials, restricting the scope of literature reviews.

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Don't wait to elevate your research. Sign up for Jenni AI today and discover a smarter, more efficient way to handle your academic literature reviews.

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LITERATURE REVIEW SOFTWARE FOR BETTER RESEARCH

“Litmaps is a game changer for finding novel literature... it has been invaluable for my productivity.... I also got my PhD student to use it and they also found it invaluable, finding several gaps they missed”

Varun Venkatesh

Austin Health, Australia

As a full-time researcher, Litmaps has become an indispensable tool in my arsenal. The Seed Maps and Discover features of Litmaps have transformed my literature review process, streamlining the identification of key citations while revealing previously overlooked relevant literature, ensuring no crucial connection goes unnoticed. A true game-changer indeed!

Ritwik Pandey

Doctoral Research Scholar – Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning

Using Litmaps for my research papers has significantly improved my workflow. Typically, I start with a single paper related to my topic. Whenever I find an interesting work, I add it to my search. From there, I can quickly cover my entire Related Work section.

David Fischer

Research Associate – University of Applied Sciences Kempten

“It's nice to get a quick overview of related literature. Really easy to use, and it helps getting on top of the often complicated structures of referencing”

Christoph Ludwig

Technische Universität Dresden, Germany

“This has helped me so much in researching the literature. Currently, I am beginning to investigate new fields and this has helped me hugely”

Aran Warren

Canterbury University, NZ

“I can’t live without you anymore! I also recommend you to my students.”

Professor at The Chinese University of Hong Kong

“Seeing my literature list as a network enhances my thinking process!”

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium

“Incredibly useful tool to get to know more literature, and to gain insight in existing research”

KU Leuven, Belgium

“As a student just venturing into the world of lit reviews, this is a tool that is outstanding and helping me find deeper results for my work.”

Franklin Jeffers

South Oregon University, USA

“Any researcher could use it! The paper recommendations are great for anyone and everyone”

Swansea University, Wales

“This tool really helped me to create good bibtex references for my research papers”

Ali Mohammed-Djafari

Director of Research at LSS-CNRS, France

“Litmaps is extremely helpful with my research. It helps me organize each one of my projects and see how they relate to each other, as well as to keep up to date on publications done in my field”

Daniel Fuller

Clarkson University, USA

As a person who is an early researcher and identifies as dyslexic, I can say that having research articles laid out in the date vs cite graph format is much more approachable than looking at a standard database interface. I feel that the maps Litmaps offers lower the barrier of entry for researchers by giving them the connections between articles spaced out visually. This helps me orientate where a paper is in the history of a field. Thus, new researchers can look at one of Litmap's "seed maps" and have the same information as hours of digging through a database.

Baylor Fain

Postdoctoral Associate – University of Florida

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AI Literature Review Generator

Generate high-quality literature reviews fast with ai.

• Academic Research: Create a literature review for your thesis, dissertation, or research paper.
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7 open source tools to make literature reviews easy

Opensource.com

A good literature review is critical for academic research in any field, whether it is for a research article, a critical review for coursework, or a dissertation. In a recent article, I presented detailed steps for doing  a literature review using open source software .

The following is a brief summary of seven free and open source software tools described in that article that will make your next literature review much easier.

1. GNU Linux

Most literature reviews are accomplished by graduate students working in research labs in universities. For absurd reasons, graduate students often have the worst computers on campus. They are often old, slow, and clunky Windows machines that have been discarded and recycled from the undergraduate computer labs. Installing a flavor of GNU Linux will breathe new life into these outdated PCs. There are more than 100 distributions , all of which can be downloaded and installed for free on computers. Most popular Linux distributions come with a "try-before-you-buy" feature. For example, with Ubuntu you can make a bootable USB stick that allows you to test-run the Ubuntu desktop experience without interfering in any way with your PC configuration. If you like the experience, you can use the stick to install Ubuntu on your machine permanently.

Linux distributions generally come with a free web browser, and the most popular is Firefox . Two Firefox plugins that are particularly useful for literature reviews are Unpaywall and Zotero. Keep reading to learn why.

3. Unpaywall

Often one of the hardest parts of a literature review is gaining access to the papers you want to read for your review. The unintended consequence of copyright restrictions and paywalls is it has narrowed access to the peer-reviewed literature to the point that even Harvard University is challenged to pay for it. Fortunately, there are a lot of open access articles—about a third of the literature is free (and the percentage is growing). Unpaywall is a Firefox plugin that enables researchers to click a green tab on the side of the browser and skip the paywall on millions of peer-reviewed journal articles. This makes finding accessible copies of articles much faster that searching each database individually. Unpaywall is fast, free, and legal, as it accesses many of the open access sites that I covered in my paper on using open source in lit reviews .

Formatting references is the most tedious of academic tasks. Zotero can save you from ever doing it again. It operates as an Android app, desktop program, and a Firefox plugin (which I recommend). It is a free, easy-to-use tool to help you collect, organize, cite, and share research. It replaces the functionality of proprietary packages such as RefWorks, Endnote, and Papers for zero cost. Zotero can auto-add bibliographic information directly from websites. In addition, it can scrape bibliographic data from PDF files. Notes can be easily added on each reference. Finally, and most importantly, it can import and export the bibliography databases in all publishers' various formats. With this feature, you can export bibliographic information to paste into a document editor for a paper or thesis—or even to a wiki for dynamic collaborative literature reviews (see tool #7 for more on the value of wikis in lit reviews).

5. LibreOffice

Your thesis or academic article can be written conventionally with the free office suite LibreOffice , which operates similarly to Microsoft's Office products but respects your freedom. Zotero has a word processor plugin to integrate directly with LibreOffice. LibreOffice is more than adequate for the vast majority of academic paper writing.

If LibreOffice is not enough for your layout needs, you can take your paper writing one step further with LaTeX , a high-quality typesetting system specifically designed for producing technical and scientific documentation. LaTeX is particularly useful if your writing has a lot of equations in it. Also, Zotero libraries can be directly exported to BibTeX files for use with LaTeX.

7. MediaWiki

If you want to leverage the open source way to get help with your literature review, you can facilitate a dynamic collaborative literature review . A wiki is a website that allows anyone to add, delete, or revise content directly using a web browser. MediaWiki is free software that enables you to set up your own wikis.

Researchers can (in decreasing order of complexity): 1) set up their own research group wiki with MediaWiki, 2) utilize wikis already established at their universities (e.g., Aalto University ), or 3) use wikis dedicated to areas that they research. For example, several university research groups that focus on sustainability (including mine ) use Appropedia , which is set up for collaborative solutions on sustainability, appropriate technology, poverty reduction, and permaculture.

Using a wiki makes it easy for anyone in the group to keep track of the status of and update literature reviews (both current and older or from other researchers). It also enables multiple members of the group to easily collaborate on a literature review asynchronously. Most importantly, it enables people outside the research group to help make a literature review more complete, accurate, and up-to-date.

Wrapping up

Free and open source software can cover the entire lit review toolchain, meaning there's no need for anyone to use proprietary solutions. Do you use other libre tools for making literature reviews or other academic work easier? Please let us know your favorites in the comments.

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Fine-tune your literature search.

Our AI-powered reading assistant saves time spent on the exploration of relevant resources and allows you to focus more on reading.

Select phrases or specific sections and explore more research papers related to the core aspects of your selections. Pin the useful ones for future references.

Our platform brings you the latest research news, online courses, and articles from magazines/blogs related to your research interests and project work.

Speed up your literature review

Quickly generate a summary of key sections of any paper with our summarizer.

Make informed decisions about which papers are relevant, and where to invest your time in further reading.

Get key insights from the paper, quickly comprehend the paper’s unique approach, and recall the key points.

Bring order to your research projects

Organize your reading lists into different projects and maintain the context of your research.

Quickly sort items into collections and tag or filter them according to keywords and color codes.

Experience the power of sharing by finding all the shared literature at one place

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Share and discuss literature and drafts with your study group, colleagues, experts, and advisors. Recommend valuable resources and help each other for better understanding.

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A literature review analyzes the most current research within a research area. A literature review consists of published studies from many sources:

• Peer-reviewed academic publications
• Full-length books
• University bulletins
• Conference proceedings
• Dissertations and theses

Literature reviews allow researchers to:

• Summarize the state of the research
• Identify unexplored research inquiries
• Recommend practical applications
• Critique currently published research

Literature reviews are either standalone publications or part of a paper as background for an original research project. A literature review, as a section of a more extensive research article, summarizes the current state of the research to justify the primary research described in the paper.

For example, a researcher may have reviewed the literature on a new supplement's health benefits and concluded that more research needs to be conducted on those with a particular condition. This research gap warrants a study examining how this understudied population reacted to the supplement. Researchers need to establish this research gap through a literature review to persuade journal editors and reviewers of the value of their research.

Consider a literature review as a typical research publication presenting a study, its results, and the salient points scholars can infer from the study. The only significant difference with a literature review treats existing literature as the research data to collect and analyze. From that analysis, a literature review can suggest new inquiries to pursue.

Identify a focus

Similar to a typical study, a literature review should have a research question or questions that analysis can answer. This sort of inquiry typically targets a particular phenomenon, population, or even research method to examine how different studies have looked at the same thing differently. A literature review, then, should center the literature collection around that focus.

Collect and analyze the literature

With a focus in mind, a researcher can collect studies that provide relevant information for that focus. They can then analyze the collected studies by finding and identifying patterns or themes that occur frequently. This analysis allows the researcher to point out what the field has frequently explored or, on the other hand, overlooked.

Suggest implications

The literature review allows the researcher to argue a particular point through the evidence provided by the analysis. For example, suppose the analysis makes it apparent that the published research on people's sleep patterns has not adequately explored the connection between sleep and a particular factor (e.g., television-watching habits, indoor air quality). In that case, the researcher can argue that further study can address this research gap.

External requirements aside (e.g., many academic journals have a word limit of 6,000-8,000 words), a literature review as a standalone publication is as long as necessary to allow readers to understand the current state of the field. Even if it is just a section in a larger paper, a literature review is long enough to allow the researcher to justify the study that is the paper's focus.

Note that a literature review needs only to incorporate a representative number of studies relevant to the research inquiry. For term papers in university courses, 10 to 20 references might be appropriate for demonstrating analytical skills. Published literature reviews in peer-reviewed journals might have 40 to 50 references. One of the essential goals of a literature review is to persuade readers that you have analyzed a representative segment of the research you are reviewing.

Researchers can find published research from various online sources:

• Journal websites
• Research databases
• Search engines (Google Scholar, Semantic Scholar)
• Research repositories
• Social networking sites (Academia, ResearchGate)

Many journals make articles freely available under the term "open access," meaning that there are no restrictions to viewing and downloading such articles. Otherwise, collecting research articles from restricted journals usually requires access from an institution such as a university or a library.

Evidence of a rigorous literature review is more important than the word count or the number of articles that undergo data analysis. Especially when writing for a peer-reviewed journal, it is essential to consider how to demonstrate research rigor in your literature review to persuade reviewers of its scholarly value.

Select field-specific journals

The most significant research relevant to your field focuses on a narrow set of journals similar in aims and scope. Consider who the most prominent scholars in your field are and determine which journals publish their research or have them as editors or reviewers. Journals tend to look favorably on systematic reviews that include articles they have published.

Incorporate recent research

Recently published studies have greater value in determining the gaps in the current state of research. Older research is likely to have encountered challenges and critiques that may render their findings outdated or refuted. What counts as recent differs by field; start by looking for research published within the last three years and gradually expand to older research when you need to collect more articles for your review.

Consider the quality of the research

Literature reviews are only as strong as the quality of the studies that the researcher collects. You can judge any particular study by many factors, including:

• the quality of the article's journal
• the article's research rigor
• the timeliness of the research

The critical point here is that you should consider more than just a study's findings or research outputs when including research in your literature review.

Narrow your research focus

Ideally, the articles you collect for your literature review have something in common, such as a research method or research context. For example, if you are conducting a literature review about teaching practices in high school contexts, it is best to narrow your literature search to studies focusing on high school. You should consider expanding your search to junior high school and university contexts only when there are not enough studies that match your focus.

You can create a project in ATLAS.ti for keeping track of your collected literature. ATLAS.ti allows you to view and analyze full text articles and PDF files in a single project. Within projects, you can use document groups to separate studies into different categories for easier and faster analysis.

For example, a researcher with a literature review that examines studies across different countries can create document groups labeled "United Kingdom," "Germany," and "United States," among others. A researcher can also use ATLAS.ti's global filters to narrow analysis to a particular set of studies and gain insights about a smaller set of literature.

ATLAS.ti allows you to search, code, and analyze text documents and PDF files. You can treat a set of research articles like other forms of qualitative data. The codes you apply to your literature collection allow for analysis through many powerful tools in ATLAS.ti:

• Code Co-Occurrence Explorer
• Code Co-Occurrence Table
• Code-Document Table

Other tools in ATLAS.ti employ machine learning to facilitate parts of the coding process for you. Some of our software tools that are effective for analyzing literature include:

• Named Entity Recognition
• Opinion Mining
• Sentiment Analysis

As long as your documents are text documents or text-enable PDF files, ATLAS.ti's automated tools can provide essential assistance in the data analysis process.

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• Research Skills Blog

5 software tools to support your systematic review processes

By Dr. Mina Kalantar on 19-Jan-2021 13:01:01

Systematic reviews are a reassessment of scholarly literature to facilitate decision making. This methodical approach of re-evaluating evidence was initially applied in healthcare, to set policies, create guidelines and answer medical questions.

Systematic reviews are large, complex projects and, depending on the purpose, they can be quite expensive to conduct. A team of researchers, data analysts and experts from various fields may collaborate to review and examine incredibly large numbers of research articles for evidence synthesis. Depending on the spectrum, systematic reviews often take at least 6 months, and sometimes upwards of 18 months to complete.

The main principles of transparency and reproducibility require a pragmatic approach in the organisation of the required research activities and detailed documentation of the outcomes. As a result, many software tools have been developed to help researchers with some of the tedious tasks required as part of the systematic review process.

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The first generation of these software tools were produced to accommodate and manage collaborations, but gradually developed to help with screening literature and reporting outcomes. Some of these software packages were initially designed for medical and healthcare studies and have specific protocols and customised steps integrated for various types of systematic reviews. However, some are designed for general processing, and by extending the application of the systematic review approach to other fields, they are being increasingly adopted and used in software engineering, health-related nutrition, agriculture, environmental science, social sciences and education.

Software tools

There are various free and subscription-based tools to help with conducting a systematic review. Many of these tools are designed to assist with the key stages of the process, including title and abstract screening, data synthesis, and critical appraisal. Some are designed to facilitate the entire process of review, including protocol development, reporting of the outcomes and help with fast project completion.

As time goes on, more functions are being integrated into such software tools. Technological advancement has allowed for more sophisticated and user-friendly features, including visual graphics for pattern recognition and linking multiple concepts. The idea is to digitalise the cumbersome parts of the process to increase efficiency, thus allowing researchers to focus their time and efforts on assessing the rigorousness and robustness of the research articles.

This article introduces commonly used systematic review tools that are relevant to food research and related disciplines, which can be used in a similar context to the process in healthcare disciplines.

These reviews are based on IFIS' internal research, thus are unbiased and not affiliated with the companies.

This online platform is a core component of the Cochrane toolkit, supporting parts of the systematic review process, including title/abstract and full-text screening, documentation, and reporting.

The Covidence platform enables collaboration of the entire systematic reviews team and is suitable for researchers and students at all levels of experience.

From a user perspective, the interface is intuitive, and the citation screening is directed step-by-step through a well-defined workflow. Imports and exports are straightforward, with easy export options to Excel and CVS.

Access is free for Cochrane authors (a single reviewer), and Cochrane provides a free trial to other researchers in healthcare. Universities can also subscribe on an institutional basis.

Rayyan is a free and open access web-based platform funded by the Qatar Foundation, a non-profit organisation supporting education and community development initiative . Rayyan is used to screen and code literature through a systematic review process.

Unlike Covidence, Rayyan does not follow a standard SR workflow and simply helps with citation screening. It is accessible through a mobile application with compatibility for offline screening. The web-based platform is known for its accessible user interface, with easy and clear export options.

Function comparison of 5 software tools to support the systematic review process

EPPI-Reviewer

EPPI-Reviewer is a web-based software programme developed by the Evidence for Policy and Practice Information and Co-ordinating Centre  (EPPI) at the UCL Institute for Education, London .

It provides comprehensive functionalities for coding and screening. Users can create different levels of coding in a code set tool for clustering, screening, and administration of documents. EPPI-Reviewer allows direct search and import from PubMed. The import of search results from other databases is feasible in different formats. It stores, references, identifies and removes duplicates automatically. EPPI-Reviewer allows full-text screening, text mining, meta-analysis and the export of data into different types of reports.

There is no limit for concurrent use of the software and the number of articles being reviewed. Cochrane reviewers can access EPPI reviews using their Cochrane subscription details.

EPPI-Centre has other tools for facilitating the systematic review process, including coding guidelines and data management tools.

CADIMA is a free, online, open access review management tool, developed to facilitate research synthesis and structure documentation of the outcomes.

The Julius Institute and the Collaboration for Environmental Evidence established the software programme to support and guide users through the entire systematic review process, including protocol development, literature searching, study selection, critical appraisal, and documentation of the outcomes. The flexibility in choosing the steps also makes CADIMA suitable for conducting systematic mapping and rapid reviews.

CADIMA was initially developed for research questions in agriculture and environment but it is not limited to these, and as such, can be used for managing review processes in other disciplines. It enables users to export files and work offline.

The software allows for statistical analysis of the collated data using the R statistical software. Unlike EPPI-Reviewer, CADIMA does not have a built-in search engine to allow for searching in literature databases like PubMed.

DistillerSR

DistillerSR is an online software maintained by the Canadian company, Evidence Partners which specialises in literature review automation. DistillerSR provides a collaborative platform for every stage of literature review management. The framework is flexible and can accommodate literature reviews of different sizes. It is configurable to different data curation procedures, workflows and reporting standards. The platform integrates necessary features for screening, quality assessment, data extraction and reporting. The software uses Artificial Learning (AL)-enabled technologies in priority screening. It is to cut the screening process short by reranking the most relevant references nearer to the top. It can also use AL, as a second reviewer, in quality control checks of screened studies by human reviewers. DistillerSR is used to manage systematic reviews in various medical disciplines, surveillance, pharmacovigilance and public health reviews including food and nutrition topics. The software does not support statistical analyses. It provides configurable forms in standard formats for data extraction.

DistillerSR allows direct search and import of references from PubMed. It provides an add on feature called LitConnect which can be set to automatically import newly published references from data providers to keep reviews up to date during their progress.

The systematic review Toolbox is a web-based catalogue of various tools, including software packages which can assist with single or multiple tasks within the evidence synthesis process. Researchers can run a quick search or tailor a more sophisticated search by choosing their approach, budget, discipline, and preferred support features, to find the right tools for their research.

If you enjoyed this blog post, you may also be interested in our recently published blog post addressing the difference between a systematic review and a systematic literature review.

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• Critical Reviews

How to Write an Article Review (With Examples)

Last Updated: July 27, 2024 Fact Checked

Preparing to Write Your Review

Writing the article review, sample article reviews, expert q&a.

This article was co-authored by Jake Adams . Jake Adams is an academic tutor and the owner of Simplifi EDU, a Santa Monica, California based online tutoring business offering learning resources and online tutors for academic subjects K-College, SAT & ACT prep, and college admissions applications. With over 14 years of professional tutoring experience, Jake is dedicated to providing his clients the very best online tutoring experience and access to a network of excellent undergraduate and graduate-level tutors from top colleges all over the nation. Jake holds a BS in International Business and Marketing from Pepperdine University. There are 12 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 3,132,492 times.

An article review is both a summary and an evaluation of another writer's article. Teachers often assign article reviews to introduce students to the work of experts in the field. Experts also are often asked to review the work of other professionals. Understanding the main points and arguments of the article is essential for an accurate summation. Logical evaluation of the article's main theme, supporting arguments, and implications for further research is an important element of a review . Here are a few guidelines for writing an article review.

Education specialist Alexander Peterman recommends: "In the case of a review, your objective should be to reflect on the effectiveness of what has already been written, rather than writing to inform your audience about a subject."

Article Review 101

• Read the article very closely, and then take time to reflect on your evaluation. Consider whether the article effectively achieves what it set out to.
• Write out a full article review by completing your intro, summary, evaluation, and conclusion. Don't forget to add a title, too!
• Proofread your review for mistakes (like grammar and usage), while also cutting down on needless information.

• Article reviews present more than just an opinion. You will engage with the text to create a response to the scholarly writer's ideas. You will respond to and use ideas, theories, and research from your studies. Your critique of the article will be based on proof and your own thoughtful reasoning.
• An article review only responds to the author's research. It typically does not provide any new research. However, if you are correcting misleading or otherwise incorrect points, some new data may be presented.
• An article review both summarizes and evaluates the article.

• Summarize the article. Focus on the important points, claims, and information.
• Discuss the positive aspects of the article. Think about what the author does well, good points she makes, and insightful observations.
• Identify contradictions, gaps, and inconsistencies in the text. Determine if there is enough data or research included to support the author's claims. Find any unanswered questions left in the article.

• Make note of words or issues you don't understand and questions you have.
• Look up terms or concepts you are unfamiliar with, so you can fully understand the article. Read about concepts in-depth to make sure you understand their full context.

• Pay careful attention to the meaning of the article. Make sure you fully understand the article. The only way to write a good article review is to understand the article.

• With either method, make an outline of the main points made in the article and the supporting research or arguments. It is strictly a restatement of the main points of the article and does not include your opinions.
• After putting the article in your own words, decide which parts of the article you want to discuss in your review. You can focus on the theoretical approach, the content, the presentation or interpretation of evidence, or the style. You will always discuss the main issues of the article, but you can sometimes also focus on certain aspects. This comes in handy if you want to focus the review towards the content of a course.
• Review the summary outline to eliminate unnecessary items. Erase or cross out the less important arguments or supplemental information. Your revised summary can serve as the basis for the summary you provide at the beginning of your review.

• What does the article set out to do?
• What is the theoretical framework or assumptions?
• Are the central concepts clearly defined?
• How adequate is the evidence?
• How does the article fit into the literature and field?
• Does it advance the knowledge of the subject?
• How clear is the author's writing? Don't: include superficial opinions or your personal reaction. Do: pay attention to your biases, so you can overcome them.

• For example, in MLA , a citation may look like: Duvall, John N. "The (Super)Marketplace of Images: Television as Unmediated Mediation in DeLillo's White Noise ." Arizona Quarterly 50.3 (1994): 127-53. Print. [9] X Trustworthy Source Purdue Online Writing Lab Trusted resource for writing and citation guidelines Go to source

• For example: The article, "Condom use will increase the spread of AIDS," was written by Anthony Zimmerman, a Catholic priest.

• Your introduction should only be 10-25% of your review.
• End the introduction with your thesis. Your thesis should address the above issues. For example: Although the author has some good points, his article is biased and contains some misinterpretation of data from others’ analysis of the effectiveness of the condom.

• Use direct quotes from the author sparingly.
• Review the summary you have written. Read over your summary many times to ensure that your words are an accurate description of the author's article.

• Support your critique with evidence from the article or other texts.
• The summary portion is very important for your critique. You must make the author's argument clear in the summary section for your evaluation to make sense.
• Remember, this is not where you say if you liked the article or not. You are assessing the significance and relevance of the article.
• Use a topic sentence and supportive arguments for each opinion. For example, you might address a particular strength in the first sentence of the opinion section, followed by several sentences elaborating on the significance of the point.

• This should only be about 10% of your overall essay.
• For example: This critical review has evaluated the article "Condom use will increase the spread of AIDS" by Anthony Zimmerman. The arguments in the article show the presence of bias, prejudice, argumentative writing without supporting details, and misinformation. These points weaken the author’s arguments and reduce his credibility.

• Make sure you have identified and discussed the 3-4 key issues in the article.

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://libguides.cmich.edu/writinghelp/articlereview
• ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4548566/
• ↑ Jake Adams. Academic Tutor & Test Prep Specialist. Expert Interview. 24 July 2020.
• ↑ https://guides.library.queensu.ca/introduction-research/writing/critical
• ↑ https://www.iup.edu/writingcenter/writing-resources/organization-and-structure/creating-an-outline.html
• ↑ https://writing.umn.edu/sws/assets/pdf/quicktips/titles.pdf
• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_works_cited_periodicals.html
• ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4548565/
• ↑ https://writingcenter.uconn.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/593/2014/06/How_to_Summarize_a_Research_Article1.pdf
• ↑ https://www.uis.edu/learning-hub/writing-resources/handouts/learning-hub/how-to-review-a-journal-article
• ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/editing-and-proofreading/

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What Is the Best Power Tool Brand? The Pros Weigh In

These top names in cordless and corded electric tools will help you slice through your to-do list.

We've been independently researching and testing products for over 120 years. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Learn more about our review process.

Folks in the trades tend to be fiercely brand loyal, but even they agree that most brands excel in certain categories — metalworkers love Milwaukee, carpenters go for DeWalt and so on. Then there’s the class of DIY power tools that are geared for light-duty tasks (Black & Decker comes to mind), as well as so-called "prosumer" brands that fall somewhere in the middle (say, Skil or Ridgid).

Below you’ll find 10 power tool brands that are excellent at their intended purpose. The list is based on years of testing an array of products in the Lab, including cordless drills , pressure washers , circular saws, impact wrenches and more. For good measure, we also gathered insights from Roy Berendsohn , senior home editor at Popular Mechanics , our partner publication, as well as other experts in the field.

Great for DIYers

If you shop at Home Depot, you've seen this manufacturer's products. Ryobi is one of two Home Depot-exclusive power tool brands, along with Ridgid. Our experts like the breadth of Ryobi's battery platform, which allows the same battery pack to be used across multiple tools, from jig saws to an inflator for tires and pool floats. The brand's 18V ONE+ line has more than 280 products in all, and the 40V line has close to 100.

Lab pick: Although many Ryobi tools make our lists of winners, our experts were particularly impressed with the 40V HP Brushless Battery Chainsaw , enough to make it a winner in Good Housekeeping's 2023 Home Renovation Awards . “It was easy to trim trees around the yard without the need for a lot of added pressure on the saw,” noted one tester.

RYOBI 40V HP Brushless Chainsaw

Lowe’s customers should check out Craftsman, since the big-box giant is one of the brand’s biggest retailers. After Craftsman was bought by Stanley Black & Decker in 2017, our experts have seen serious improvements to the legacy tool brand, which still offers some of the best prices around.

"You might even see professional contractors walking out with a Craftsman," Berendsohn says, noting that its tools sometimes perform as well as their professional-grade competitors in Popular Mechanics tests. Although the bulk of Craftsman's offerings are battery-powered, it also carries many corded electric tools, especially heavy-duty products, such as chop saws and grinders.

Lab pick: Power tools can make life easier in the garden, too. Craftsman's V20 Cordless Multi-Use Garden Tool Kit , another winner in our Home Renovation Awards , can dig up to 25 holes per minute and a single charge on the 20-volt battery can provide enough power for up to 165 holes.

CRAFTSMAN V20 Cordless Multi-Use Garden Tool Kit

Black+Decker

Another legend of the power tool industry, Black+Decker has been a trusted brand among our experts for decades. Although its small appliances — everything from toasters to coffeepots — have been in and out of the Labs the most, we've also been impressed by the brand's power tools, especially given the affordable price tags.

That said, while brands like Craftsman and Ryobi can hold their own on a construction site (or at least with hard-core DIYers), Black+Decker tools are best reserved for light-duty projects, like drilling into drywall or refinishing furniture.

Lab pick: Our experts are most familiar with Black+Decker's cooking and cleaning appliances, like the Spillbuster Cordless Spill + Spot Cleaner , one of our top-rated portable carpet cleaners . The brand's tools and accessories have earned praise over the years at Popular Mechanics, as you'll see in this fun article, Why the Black & Decker Workmate Belongs in the Tools Hall of Fame .

Black+Decker Workmate Portable Workbench

Skil is the DIY spin-off of Skilsaw, a popular brand aimed squarely at professionals. Even though Skil power tools are competitively priced, they retain many of the features of their beefier brand mates. That's especially true when it comes to handheld circular saws, which Skilsaw invented in the 1920s. (For a long time, the name "Skilsaw" was synonymous with the tool, like Kleenex and tissue or Q-tip and cotton swab.)

To drive home those points, Berendsohn notes that "Skil's $50, 15-amp circular saw was one of the best in our tests. If you're only going to pull it out a few times a year and you plan to hire out heavier-duty projects, there's no need to spend four or five times as much on an industrial-grade model.”

Lab pick: In addition to that $50 circular saw Berendsohn mentioned, our experts liked the brand’s PWR Core 40 leaf blower , calling it the best value on the market (and that's out of our entire list of best cordless leaf blowers ). "For the price, this leaf blower is solidly built, including its brushless motor, a design that our tests have found to be durable over time," says Rachel Rothman , former chief technologist and executive technical director at the Good Housekeeping Institute.

Skil PWR Core 40 Cordless Leaf Blower

Like Ryobi, Ridgid is a Home Depot exclusive aimed at DIYers, though its impressive performance across many categories makes it a good fit for "prosumers," or homeowners who like to tackle big projects such as, say, building a deck or replacing their asphalt-shingle roof. "There's going to be some gray area with all tool brands," Berendsohn explains. "With Ridgid, the gray area is between prosumers and professionals, whereas a brand like Black+Decker leans more clearly toward DIYers."

As with products from Ryobi, Ridgid's tools are backed by Home Depot, which offers a Ridgid Lifetime Service Agreement on registered products, meaning power tools that break due to normal wear and tear will be replaced.

Lab pick: Combo kits let you build up a collection of power tools without overspending. Ridgid's 18V Brushless 2-Tool Combo Kit is an exception, combining an equally powerful hammer drill and impact driver that together can complete a wide range of tasks around the house or even on construction sites.

RIDGID 18V Brushless 2-Tool Combo Kit

Most big-box stores have at least one exclusive power tool brand. For Walmart, it's Hart, which the retailer began carrying in 2019. Walmart might not be the first place you think of for power tools, but "we've found decent value and performance in the models we've tested," Berendsohn says.

Hart is 100% battery-powered, and its lineup is a bit more limited than other brands, especially those aimed at pros and prosumers. But if you’re looking for a capable cordless drill for light-duty projects or a sander kit for hobby projects, the brand is worth a look.

Lab pick: Among the Hart tools that Berendsohn and the rest of the testing team at Popular Mechanics liked is the 40-Volt Cordless Chainsaw , which was able to cut 46 hardwood discs. "To give you some perspective," Berendsohn wrote in a Popular Mechanics article , "that's as many as the DeWalt DCCS670 cut, even if that saw is twice as fast and built far more robustly."

Hart 40-Volt Cordless 14-Inch Chainsaw

A relative newcomer to the category, Worx has been around since 2007. It's best known for its lawn and garden equipment, but it also offers a robust line of power tools, many of which have performed well in our tests. We like that Worx is big-box store agnostic, meaning you’ll find it at Home Depot, Lowe’s, Walmart and other major retailers. And we highly rate the ergonomics of many of its tools.

"Worx is a good fit for people who might succumb to arm fatigue when handling heavy-duty equipment," Rothman notes. From paint sprayers to reciprocating saws, Worx tools push the DIY limits without being too intimidating.

Lab pick: Speaking of ergonomics, Worx's Nitro 20V WORXSAW , a top pick in our best circular saws roundup, is a comfortable fit that provides excellent maneuverability across a range of lightweight cutting tasks. "Between its compact design and 20-volt motor, this Worx offers a great balance of convenience and power, especially for first-time circular saw users," Rachel says.

WORX Nitro 20V WORXSAW 4.5-Inch

Geared Toward Professionals

Walk onto a construction site anywhere in the country and you’re likely to see a few Milwaukee power tools. "The brand is particularly popular with the metalworking trades, like plumbers and electricians, because its heavy-duty tools are great at boring holes and cutting through metal," Berendsohn explains.

Milwaukee is another pioneer in the field, having invented the reciprocating saw (a.k.a. the Sawzall) in 1951. Today, the brand carries a full line of premium-priced power tools, both battery-powered and corded electric, that can handle the toughest tasks.

Lab pick: The Milwaukee brand is all over Popular Mechanics' roundups of top-rated tools. Consider Milwaukee's M18 Fuel 1/2-Inch Impact Wrench , which PM gave best overall honors in its best cordless impact wrenches category. "The M18 impact wrench is an effective tool for seriously big jobs like heavy equipment repair, industrial maintenance and repair applications, or any other task with big, tough nuts and bolts," testers noted.

Milwaukee Milwaukee M18 Fuel 1/2-Inch Impact Wrench

Here's another brand that's popular with pros, especially carpenters and remodeling contractors, who stand by the performance and reliability of DeWalt's drills and cutting tools. "The gray area with DeWalt is between pros and prosumers," Berendsohn says. "A lot of homeowners who want the best and have the money to spend gravitate toward DeWalt." And why not? Given the durability and reliability that our tests have consistently seen with the brand over the years, the next DeWalt drill or circular saw or, heck, impact wrench with hog ring anvil kit, could well be your last.

Though DeWalt still has a robust offering of corded electric power tools, it continues to expand it battery platform, including its FLEXVOLT line, which lets you toggle between 20 volts for lighter-duty tasks and 60 volts for maximum power.

Lab pick: In the competitive 20-volt cordless drill category, our experts tapped DeWalt's 20V MAX drill as the best overall cordless drill on the strength of the tool's comfortable grip, lightweight design and compact size.

DeWalt 20V MAX Cordless Drill

Makita is also popular with pros across many trades, and our engineers know it as a trusted power tool brand with a time-tested reputation. Headquartered in California, Makita is especially common on West Coast job sites, but you’ll see the brand nationwide. In fact, it's a favorite with the maintenance crew at the Good Housekeeping Institute in New York City, whom we often call on to fabricate platforms and other staging equipment for various product tests.

Though Makita is clearly geared toward professionals, its prices are often a bit lower than other pro-grade brands, making it a good option for the prosumer set.

Lab pick: Check out Makita’s 36V LXT 7 1/4-inch circular saw , deemed the best heavy-duty model in our latest roundup of best circular saws . It offers a superb combination of power and control; although, at 12.4 pounds, it's a lot of tool to push, pull and carry.

Makita 36V LXT 7 1/4–Inch

How we choose the best power tool brands

To put together this list of top power tool brands, we focused on manufacturers with wide distribution and strong reputations for quality and reliability, based on decades of tool testing and reviews by our experts at the Good Housekeeping Institute , as well as insights from our colleagues at Popular Mechanics.

Our assessment of performance is based on tests specific to each tool — for example, how easily a drill can bore through lumber or how cleanly a circular saw can rip a sheet of plywood. We also evaluate ease of use, which includes overall ergonomics, assembly and available features. And we assess durability by putting tools through the wringer, like using a drop tester to see how well tools can withstand falling several feet onto a hard surface.

What to look for when choosing the best power tool brands

All the power tool brands picked by our experts make quality products, but some will serve you better than others. Here are three factors to help steer you in the right direction:

✔️ Battery vs. corded: There used to be a clear trade-off here, with battery-powered tools being easier to use than corded models but not as powerful. However, lithium-ion technology has become so good that battery-powered tools can go toe to toe with their corded electric counterparts in most categories. The only compromise is run time, since most battery packs need a recharge after a couple of hours. For pros who are on the go for eight or 10 hours a day, corded tools are still preferred in some situations.

If you go the battery-powered route, take into consideration the breadth of the platform. This will end up saving you money, because as you expand your tool collection, instead of buying a new battery every time, you can just purchase the bare tool.

✔️ DIY vs. professional: This decision used to track closely with battery versus corded. But as we've shown, many pro-grade brands now have extensive battery platforms. So what do you gain by going professional? For starters, a more durable tool. “The more wear-resistant components can withstand the heat generated from friction and current flow," Berendsohn says. "Durability also comes from tougher steels and more impact-resistant plastics."

Pro-grade tools are also faster, thanks to their high-efficiency motors and battery cells, and circuitry that can better manage heat-generated current. "Speed is particularly important to professionals because output and efficiency directly affect their bottom line," Berendsohn says. Pro tools also have better feedback, soaking up more of the vibration, for example, which is important if you’re operating it for hours on end.

The biggest downside of pro-grade power tools is that they cost two or three times as much as DIY models. They're also heavier and harder for an amateur to handle. The features that make them desirable for a pro might not count as much to a homeowner.

✔️ Warranty/service agreement: As with any mechanical product, the warranty or service agreement's terms are a good indication of overall quality. One-year coverage is the minimum we see with most power tools. Given the competitive marketplace, some have sweetened the deal with three- or five-year warranties covering the repair or replacement of any defective equipment. And a handful even offer lifetime service agreements, usually covering labor costs and replacement parts.

Why trust Good Housekeeping?

I've covered power tools for more than two decades for brands like This Old House and Consumer Reports before joining the Good Housekeeping Institute in 2022. In my role as director of the Home Improvement & Outdoor Lab, I oversee the testing of all power equipment, working closely with our team of engineers and product analysts.

Prior to writing about home improvement, I worked on various roofing and remodeling crews, where I spent all day, every day wielding impact drivers, pneumatic nailers and other heavy-duty equipment. I has also managed several remodeling projects, most recently the gut renovation of a 19th-century Brooklyn brownstone. I'm a regular at trade shows, such as the National Hardware Show and the International Builders' Show, where I keep up with the latest innovations around power tools.

Roy Berendsohn has worked for more than 25 years at Popular Mechanics, writing about carpentry, masonry, painting, plumbing, electrical, woodworking, blacksmithing, welding, lawn care, chainsaw use and outdoor power equipment. When he's not working on his own house, he volunteers with Sovereign Grace Church doing home repair for families in rural, suburban and urban locations throughout central and southern New Jersey.

Having written thousands of product reviews and how-to articles on all aspects of home ownership, from routine maintenance to major renovations, Dan (he/him) brings more than 20 years of industry experience to his role as the director of the Home Improvement & Outdoor Lab at the Good Housekeeping Institute . A one-time roofer and a serial remodeler, Dan can often be found keeping house at his restored Brooklyn brownstone, where he lives with his wife and kids.

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National Public Data Published Its Own Passwords

New details are emerging about a breach at National Public Data (NPD), a consumer data broker that recently spilled hundreds of millions of Americans’ Social Security Numbers, addresses, and phone numbers online. KrebsOnSecurity has learned that another NPD data broker which shares access to the same consumer records inadvertently published the passwords to its back-end database in a file that was freely available from its homepage until today.

In April, a cybercriminal named USDoD began selling data stolen from NPD. In July, someone leaked what was taken, including the names, addresses, phone numbers and in some cases email addresses for more than 272 million people (including many who are now deceased).

NPD acknowledged the intrusion on Aug. 12 , saying it dates back to a security incident in December 2023. In an interview last week, USDoD blamed the July data leak on another malicious hacker who also had access to the company’s database, which they claimed has been floating around the underground since December 2023.

Following last week’s story on the breadth of the NPD breach , a reader alerted KrebsOnSecurity that a sister NPD property — the background search service recordscheck.net — was hosting an archive that included the usernames and password for the site’s administrator.

A review of that archive, which was available from the Records Check website until just before publication this morning (August 19), shows it includes the source code and plain text usernames and passwords for different components of recordscheck.net, which is visually similar to nationalpublicdata.com and features identical login pages.

The exposed archive, which was named “ members.zip ,” indicates RecordsCheck users were all initially assigned the same six-character password and instructed to change it, but many did not.

According to the breach tracking service Constella Intelligence , the passwords included in the source code archive are identical to credentials exposed in previous data breaches that involved email accounts belonging to NPD’s founder, an actor and retired sheriff’s deputy from Florida named Salvatore “Sal” Verini .

Reached via email, Mr. Verini said the exposed archive (a .zip file) containing recordscheck.net credentials has been removed from the company’s website, and that the site is slated to cease operations “in the next week or so.”

“Regarding the zip, it has been removed but was an old version of the site with non-working code and passwords,” Verini told KrebsOnSecurity. “Regarding your question, it is an active investigation, in which we cannot comment on at this point. But once we can, we will [be] with you, as we follow your blog. Very informative.”

The leaked recordscheck.net source code indicates the website was created by a web development firm based in Lahore, Pakistan called creationnext.com , which did not return messages seeking comment. CreationNext.com’s homepage features a positive testimonial from Sal Verini.

A testimonial from Sal Verini on the homepage of CreationNext, the Lahore, Pakistan-based web development firm that apparently designed NPD and RecordsCheck.

There are now several websites that have been stood up to help people learn if their SSN and other data was exposed in this breach. One is npdbreach.com , a lookup page erected by Atlas Data Privacy Corp . Another lookup service is available at npd.pentester.com . Both sites show NPD had old and largely inaccurate data on Yours Truly.

The best advice for those concerned about this breach is to freeze one’s credit file  at  each of the major consumer reporting bureaus . Having a freeze on your files makes it much harder for identity thieves to create new accounts in your name, and it limits who can view your credit information.

A freeze is a good idea because all of the information that ID thieves need to assume your identity is now broadly available from multiple sources, thanks to the multiplicity of data breaches we’ve seen involving SSN data and other key static data points about people.

Screenshots of a Telegram-based ID theft service that was selling background reports using hacked law enforcement accounts at USInfoSearch.

There are numerous cybercriminal services that offer detailed background checks on consumers, including full SSNs. These services are powered by compromised accounts at data brokers that cater to private investigators and law enforcement officials, and some are now fully automated via Telegram instant message bots.

In November 2023, KrebsOnSecurity wrote about one such service, which was being powered by hacked accounts at the U.S. consumer data broker USInfoSearch.com . This is notable because the leaked source code indicates Records Check pulled background reports on people by querying NPD’s database and records at USInfoSearch. KrebsOnSecurity sought comment from USInfoSearch and will update this story if they respond.

The point is, if you’re an American who hasn’t frozen their credit files and you haven’t yet experienced some form of new account fraud, the ID thieves probably just haven’t gotten around to you yet.

All Americans are also entitled to obtain a free copy of their credit report weekly from each of the three major credit bureaus. It used to be that consumers were allowed one free report from each of the bureaus annually, but in October 2023 the  Federal Trade Commission   announced  the bureaus had permanently extended a program that lets you check your credit report once a week for free.

If you haven’t done this in a while, now would be an excellent time to order your files. To place a freeze, you’ll need to create an account at each of the three major reporting bureaus, Equifax ,  Experian  and  TransUnion . Once you’ve established an account, you should be able to then view and freeze your credit file. If you spot errors, such as random addresses and phone numbers you don’t recognize, do not ignore them. Dispute any inaccuracies you may find.

108 thoughts on “ National Public Data Published Its Own Passwords ”

I thought a person could freeze access to their information through adding a PIN to their social security number directly? Wouldn’t this be a better option?

I think creating a PIN for your social security number with the government may be a better option?

If you think your SSA online account has been compromised, you can request SSA to Block Electronic Access. “Block Electronic Access If you know your Social Security information has been compromised, you can request to Block Electronic Access. This is done by calling our National 800 number (Toll Free 1-800-772-1213 or at our TTY number at 1-800-325-0778). Once requested, any automated telephone and electronic access to your Social Security record is blocked. No one, including you, will be able to see or change your personal information on the internet or through our automated telephone service. If you have requested that we block access to your record and later change your mind, you can contact us and ask to have the block removed. You will need to prove your identity when you call.” https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10220.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwih1IXy54yIAxXoDTQIHf6KBOwQFnoECBkQAw&usg=AOvVaw1bgOdqzK2y-WecZ8rae_fb

I just checked my status on pentester, along with that of my parents and sibling. None of the birthdates listed for myself are correct, nor are they correct for my parents (my sibling is not so lucky). Not only are the birthdates for myself and my parents wrong, one of the incorrect birthdates attributed to me is also incorrectly attributed to one of my parents. Anyone have any idea what is going on here? Is pentester returning accurate data to my searches? If the thieves have entirely incorrect birthdates for myself and my parents, I feel a tiny bit of relief. That will at least make it a teensy bit harder to exploit the data. But what are the odds that the original National Public Data records would have such accurate details otherwise, yet be completely off in terms of birthdates? Any ideas or info appreciated.

who says pentester.com is legit ?

https://www.whois.com/whois/pentester.com

What I want to know is why the email address that was exposed in my case is a ProtonMail account that I use exclusively for my bank accounts, and nowhere else? This means NPD acquired my data from one of my banks, who should have my data locked down, but are obviously selling it to 3rd parties. This needs to stop. Our elected officials need to work a lot harder than they presently do.

Good advice, Mike. Also remember that virtually all banks allow customers to access their accounts via their automated telephone banking system. Don’t confuse this with your mobile banking app. It’s a different system. Access codes for automated telephone banking always default to your SSN. Even if you exclusively bank online, your account is accessible via your bank’s automated telephone banking so change the access code to a self selected number. (Note: Some banks require you to speak to an agent to set it up. With other banks, it’s all automated.) If yours is a joint account, make sure to set a unique access code for each account holder. If you bank at multiple banks, use a different code at each bank just as you would use a different password for online accounts. What you can do via automated telephone banking varies by bank but, at a minimum, all banks will provide account balances and details of all recent transactions. Equipped with that information, a person might be able to call your bank and impersonate you since banks often pick a random transaction from your account and use that as an additional authenticator. And while you’re at it, call your bank and ask to set a verbal password to be used to authenticate you when you call them. Once this is done, banks will use all the typical authenticators (SSN, DOB, address, etc.) but in addition will ask for your verbal password. This helps reduce the risk of someone calling your bank and impersonating you. Again, use a different verbal password for each account holder and at each bank. Be sure to write these passwords down. If you can’t remember your verbal password, some banks that are scrupulous about security will require you to go to the bank in person to re-authenticate yourself and set a new verbal password.

I would like to be able to change my legal name every time my SSN gets exposed.

The most ridiculous part, besides how the data was protected, is how utterly useless our government is when it comes to protecting the people’s data. Nobody will be held accountable for the breach (or collecting the data…), all that will happen will be an email “out of abundance of caution, we are letting you know that you are fucked…” and the idiots continue with their activities. On the other hand – this company was SELLING that exact data, so technically, the only difference seems to be that this time, they don’t get any money for distributing the data.

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