Reading and interpreting English papers is a significant burden for domestic researchers and graduate students.
The constant exposure to unfamiliar technical terms in English and the overwhelming volume of papers to read can be a major source of stress for researchers.
Recently, several AI tools have emerged to address these challenges in paper-related tasks.
This article compares key AI tools specialized in paper translation and processing, providing insights that can be practically beneficial for researchers.
Five Academic AIs for Researchers: Translating and Interpreting Papers
Academic AI goes beyond simple translation, supporting the entire research process, from paper search to structured summaries and citation management.
We recommend five standout representative AI tools recognized in research settings.
1. inline AI: An All-in-One Solution from Paper Translation to Writing to Reference Management
Inline AI offers automatic structured summaries and translations when paper PDFs, Word, or HWP files are uploaded without conversion.
It can process multiple papers at once and allows selecting only necessary parts like tables or figures for translation or citation extraction, supporting the entire research workflow as an all-in-one solution.
It drastically enhances research productivity by summarizing paper content easily and quickly with just a few clicks and no complex inputs.
It also enables the automatic composition of your own new papers within a word processor UI.
It's like having ChatGPT and Claude integrated into programs like Word or HWP.
Main Features of inline AI
✅ Support for Various File Formats
Recognizes most paper files such as PDFs, Word documents, and HWP files instantly without conversion, processing translation and summarization simultaneously.
✅ Instant Translation and Structured Summaries
Automatically categorizes each part of a paper such as the title, abstract, introduction, methodology, results, and conclusion to structurally summarize key contents. Translations are provided in a natural academic style, optimal for understanding and composing papers.
It helps you quickly determine if something is worth reading thoroughly or citing as needed.
✅ Bulk Paper Translation and Processing
Allows quick translation of multiple uploaded papers and offers a citation extraction feature for research trend analysis.
✅ Automated Paper Composition and Selective Editing
Inline AI is set up as a word processor UI similar to Word or HWP, enabling the creation and editing of documents, following the training from foreign papers, up to crafting your own papers.
It allows selecting and translating or modifying only necessary parts like content, tables, figures, and references.
Practical Usage Cases
📌 PhD student Kim Jeonghoon (pseudonym) - Used inline AI to summarize the structure of 10 paper PDFs in a short time, drastically shortening key content comprehension time.
📌 Postdoc researcher Park Ji-hyun (pseudonym) - Translated and summarized a foreign paper and completed a draft for journal submission with inline AI in just one hour.
👉 Use Inline AI for Free
2. Wordvice AI: Strengths in Academic Style Correction and Precise Translation
Wordvice AI offers advanced translation capabilities and style and grammar corrections tailored for English papers and official documents.
It is particularly strong in editing for publication and journal submission, helping to enhance the quality and completeness of papers, and improve acceptance rates. This AI tool is suitable for researchers who wish to carefully refine sentence structure and tone.
Main Features
Specialized in Editing Papers for Publication and Submission
Refines English paper grammar, sentence structure, and expression style to provide a level suitable for submitting to SCI-grade journals.
High-Quality Context-Based Translation
Handles word selection to sentence flow with precision, accurately reflecting academic terms and professional expressions.
Sentence Summarization and Reconstruction Features
Supports paragraph rearrangement and concise sentence summarization to enhance convenience in the paper submission process.
Practical Usage Cases
Actively used for grammar and academic expression corrections in manuscripts submitted to foreign SCI journals.
Optimized for translation and editing of official documents like research proposals and admission essays.
3. DeepL: A Global Leader in Professional Translation
DeepL is a world-class AI tool providing natural and high-quality translations, particularly excelling between English and European languages. It is known for its outstanding Korean translation performance as well.
It quickly translates while maintaining the original document's paragraphs, tables, and formats, making it widely used in translating academic materials and international documents. Thanks to its intuitive interface, it is a reliable translator that's easy to use.
Main Features
Human-Level Natural Translation Quality
Boasts excellent naturalness and accuracy, especially in translations between English and European languages.
Comprehensive Language Support
Capable of translating more than 100 different languages, with basic use available for free.
Practical Usage Cases
Translated foreign invitation manuscripts received at international conferences without damaging the format for submission.
Utilized for quick result checks and reviews when translating multilingual paper materials.
4. SciSpace: Paper Interpretation and Multilingual Translation Solution
SciSpace assists in paper reading by having its AI Copilot provide easy and detailed explanations of sentences, figures, and equations while reading.
It makes complex scientific terms and mathematical formulas easier to understand, and through its multilingual translation and Chrome extension features, it serves as an optimized assistive role for paper learning and interpretation. It is particularly suitable for novice researchers unfamiliar with papers or those who wish to quickly grasp complex content.
Main Features
AI Copilot Paper Interpretation
When querying specific sections of a paper (sentences, charts, equations), AI provides easy explanations and reinterpretations.
Multilingual Active Translation
Quickly translates English papers into languages like Korean and Japanese for fast understanding.
Term and Formula Explanation
Breaks down scientific terms, statistical formulas, and graphs into language easy enough for novices to understand.
Literature Review
Search for desired paper titles or research topics of interest.
Practical Usage Cases
Helps undergraduate or graduate student researchers—beginners in understanding papers in unfamiliar fields.
Actively utilized when analyzing papers containing complex statistical formulas and multivariate analysis results, receiving explanations in Korean and calculation methods for experimental design reference materials.
5. Scholarly: Specialized in Searching and Auto-Summarizing a Vast Database of Papers
Scholarly quickly finds papers based on keywords from a vast academic database, and AI automatically summarizes key contents of papers.
It efficiently tracks citation relations and references, making it useful for research trend analysis and paper investigation. It is an optimal tool for setting directions or conducting reference reviews in the initial stages of research.
Main Features
Exploring a Database of Billions of Papers
AI provides quick searches of the latest academic paper information with just keyword input.
Automatic Summarization and Paper Key Highlights
Automatically selects each paper's abstract, conclusion, key phrases to quickly grasp the research flow.
Citation and Reference Tracking Function
Analyzes citation relationships among papers to efficiently aid the understanding of related research trends and reference reviews.
Accessibility to Multilingual Research Information
Allows easy review of summaries and information from papers in various languages beyond English.
Practical Usage Cases
Supporting rapid finding and summarization of related papers and citation information when exploring new research topics.
Visualizing vast reference networks to drastically shorten paper preparation time.
How to Choose Academic AI to Enhance Research Productivity
When selecting a paper translation AI tool, it's essential to consider not only the basic translation quality but also to strategically utilize the tools according to the paper composition stage and specific purposes the researcher faces.
The following three key utilization methods can significantly save research time and maximize results.
① Prioritize 'Quick Context Understanding' with AI Summaries Before Reading Papers
In the early stages of research, rather than reading the entire paper, it is effective to first check AI-extracted structured summaries of the title, abstract, methodology, and conclusion to grasp the essentials, thereby saving time.
For instance, the strategy of focusing initially on necessary papers by utilizing Inline AI's automatic structured summary feature is recommended.
② Extract Main Keywords Automatically and Expand 'Related Paper' Search
When AI extracts key keywords within a paper, it becomes easier to conduct additional searches for papers and expand trends based on these.
By combining AI tools based on databases like Scholarly, connections between subjects are identified, enhancing both the depth and breadth of research.
③ Use the Strengths of Various AI Tools for 'Cross-Verification'
Rather than relying on the results of one tool, a 'cross-verification' strategy using multiple tools—mass translation with Inline AI, style correction with Wordvice AI, and terminology explanation with SciSpace—is most effective in improving research quality.
This minimizes the risk of misinterpretation and enhances the final manuscript's completeness.
Academic AI tools extend beyond simple translation support, maximizing researchers' work efficiency and enhancing the quality and reliability of translation, summarization, and interpretation.
Custom AI utilization strategies tailored to various situations and needs in the research field eventually lead to high research outcomes and global competitiveness.
Wisely select the appropriate AI tools, actively practice the usage methods introduced above, and aim to boost research productivity by more than tenfold.
Enhance Research Productivity Tenfold, Start Right Now
💡 Feedback from Researchers Using Inline AI
"I summarized 20 papers in just 3 hours. It used to take a week..."
👩🏻🦰 Doctoral Candidate at Seoul National University, Kim ○○
"I completed a paper for foreign journal submission in one day."
🧑🏻🦱 Postdoc Researcher at KAIST, Lee ○○
"English papers no longer feel burdensome."
👩🦱 Master's Student at Yonsei University, Park ○○
If You Have These Concerns
Have you tried summarizing papers with ChatGPT but ended up wasting time as you needed to read them again?
Are you stressed because your research progress is delayed by English papers?
Are you anxious because you lack time to write your graduation thesis?
Now it's time to solve those concerns with AI.
Changes with Inline AI
📚 This is how reading papers changes
Before: It takes 3-4 hours to read one paper → After: Takes 20 minutes to grasp the core
Before: Constantly stopping due to technical English terms → After: Instantly understand through natural Korean
Before: Feeling overwhelmed by complex formulas and graphs → After: AI explains them easily
📝 This is how writing papers changes
Before: Takes days just to organize references → After: Automatically complete citations and references
Before: Spent days struggling with writing introductions → After: Structured draft in an hour
Before: Battled with translators to write an English abstract → After: Completed directly in an academic style
