Research Notes
AI-powered PDF reader highlight text, get explanations.
Start new thread
New User

Research Notes - AI-powered PDF reader highlight text, get explanations.

by•
Research Notes is a free, open-source tool for reading academic papers and dense documents with AI assistance. Most PDF readers let you highlight. Research Notes makes those highlights intelligent. The AI reads your entire paper upfront, so every explanation is grounded in the full context, not just one sentence. Highlight to explain, ask questions, attach diagrams, or chat freely. Notes auto-save and link back to exact pages. Export as PDF, Word, or Markdown. Free with Groq, Gemini, or Ollama.

Add a comment

Replies

Best
New User
Maker
📌
Hey PH! 👋 I built Research Notes out of a very specific frustration . I'd sit with a physical book in one hand and a research paper on screen, constantly flipping between the two, losing my place, scribbling notes on paper I'd never find again. And when I wanted to share what I'd understood with someone else, I had no good way to show them which part of the paper I meant or why I wrote what I wrote. The other problem: AI tools that only look at the sentence you highlight miss the point entirely. So I made the AI read the full paper first, every page, so when you ask "what does this mean?", it answers with the whole work in mind. Would love your feedback on what would make this fit into your actual reading workflow!