Research Guides: Digital Scholarship Tools: Overview

On this page, find resources related to:

Data Tools	Data Visualization
Text Analysis	Digital Collections
Digital Storytelling	Timelines
Social Annotation	Websites
GIS	Qualitative Analysis Tool
Generative AI Research Tools	Other Software

Data Tools

Microsoft 365
Microsoft 365 is a line of Microsoft services. SMU provides access through OIT here, plus documentation and training. Excel is a good starting tool for spreadsheets, data, and working with CSV files.
A gentle introduction to excel and spreadsheets for humanities people
Datasette
Datasette is a tool for exploring and publishing data.
Go to the tutorial sections to see how you can use the web interface to explore datasets, and it uses SQL or Python.

Data Cleaning

Open Refine
This is a free, open source tool for cleaning up messy data: cleaning it, transforming it from one format into another, and extending it with web services and external data.

Data Visualization

Representing information in a chart, diagram, picture, etc. is particularly useful for large amounts of information and for making patterns in data legible.

Tableau
Tableau is a visual analytics platform. It allows you to import a data source (such as CSV or Excel files) into workbooks and design visualizations using that data.
Datawrapper
Using the free plan, you can creating data visualizations (charts, maps, and tables). You can import data from a CSV or Excel file and then export visualizations as a PNG image.

Network Visualizations

Gephi
An interactive visualization and exploration platform for all kinds of networks and complex systems, dynamic and hierarchical graphs.
Cytoscape
Cytoscape is open source software that can visualize and analyze network graphs of any kind involving nodes and edges (e.g., social networks), although it is most commonly used for biological research applications.
igraph network analysis
igraph is a software library collection for creating and manipulating graphs and analyzing networks.
It is written in C and also exists as Python and R packages, and requires familiarity with one of those language.

Text Analysis

Text analysis or Text data mining (TDM) is the application of computational methods to analyze a large set of texts to discover patterns and trends.

TDM tools
The Text Data Mining guide has links to tools (such as Voyant) that you can use to get started with Text analysis.

Digital Collections

Digital collections typically contain digitized cultural heritage artifacts and its corresponding metadata record. (Metadata includes descriptive, structural, technical, and administrative information about the artifact.)

SMU Libraries Digital Collections
Digital collections containing items held by SMU Libraries special collections, including the Bridwell Library, DeGolyer Library, Hamon Arts Library, and more.
Omeka
Faculty and students may create their own digital collections and exhibits.

Databases

You can create a database in Microsoft Access and publish it in Sharepoint

Microsoft 365
Microsoft 365 is a line of Microsoft services. click on this link to get access through OIT, and to find links on Documentation and Training. Microsoft Access creates relational databases.
Sharepoint Online
Use SharePoint as a secure place to store, organize, share, and access information

Digital Storytelling

Knight Lab: Storytelling tools
Storytelling toolkit

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Easy-to-use tools that can help you tell better stories.
Juxtapose JS: Easy-to-make frame comparisons.
Scene VR: Easy-to-make VR stories.
Soundcite JS: Seamless inline audio.
Storyline JS: Tell the story behind the numbers.
StoryMap JS: Maps that tell stories.
Timeline JS:Easy-to-make, beautiful timelines.
Twine
Twine is an open-source tool for telling interactive, nonlinear stories.
ArcGIS StoryMaps
An easy-to-use tool that can be used for creating interactive digital stories using text, maps and other multimedia content. Can also be used as a great presentation tool.

Timelines

Timeline JS3
An open-source tool that enables anyone to build visually rich, interactive timelines.

Social Annotation

hypothes.is
Use Hypothesis to discuss, collaborate, organize your research, or take personal notes.
Back to School with Annotation: 10 Ways to Annotate with Students
Genius
Genius lets you add line-by-line annotations to any page on the Internet
Zoom: annotation tools
Note: you will need to turn this option on in your SMU Zoom account.

Websites

People.SMU
People.SMU utilizes the WordPress content management system allowing faculty, staff, students, and SMU organizations to quickly and easily build and customize websites.
WordPress Consultation Service (OIT)
SMU offers a WordPress consultation service to help faculty create professional sites.

GIS

A Geographic Information System (GIS) is a computer system that analyzes and displays geographically referenced information.

GIS Applications
TheGIS guide has links to tools (such as ArcGIS) that you can use to get started with spatial analysis.

Qualitative Analysis

Open source tools for qualitative analysis

Taguette
An open source tool to import files ( PDFs, Word Docs (.docx), Text files (.txt), HTML, EPUB, MOBI, Open Documents (.odt), and Rich Text Files (.rtf), & then highlight words, sentences, or paragraphs and tag them with the codes you create.

Generative AI

Generative AI (GenAI) is a type of artificial intelligence that produces content such as text, images, or music.

Research with Generative AI: Tools
The Generative AI (GenAI) guide has links to Gen AI tools meant for research.

Software

As a SMU affiliate (faculty, student, staff) you have access to various software packages through OIT (Office, SAS, etc)

Computational Skills & Thinking
The Computational Skills guide has information on upcoming technology workshops, and links to what software you have access to through OIT.
OIT Services A to Z
Click here for a complete list of services and software available through OIT
OIT: Software Availability
Check this list to see what access to software you have as: faculty, staff or student.

Need more help?

Scholarship & Research Support
Consultations, support, and tools to help researchers.

Related Guides

GIS Data and Applications
Project Management
Computational Resources guide
Information on educational resources and recorded workshops.
Research with Generative AI
The GenAI guide has links to tools that are meant for research.

Choosing the Right Tool

Appropriate to task

Use the simplest tool that still matches the functionality you need.
For example, a simple data visualization could be created with an Excel spreadsheet while complex projects might require a tool with more options or customization.

Cost

Some tools have a cost. You can check if the University provides access through OIT, or if the software has a student license for free or lesser cost.
Some tools are free for a certain amount of use/storage, then they have a cost.
Open source tools are often free to use, there may be an open sources tool that suites your needs.

The Journal of Open Source Software
To see what has been done recently in regards to open source software for research, browse The Journal of Open Source Software (JOSS).
JOSS is an open access journal for research software packages.

OIT Services A to Z
Click here for a complete list of services and software available through OIT