• Interesting
  • Scholarships
  • UGC-CARE Journals
  • iLovePhD Web Stories

14 Websites to Download Research Paper for Free – 2024

Download Research Paper for Free

Dr. Somasundaram R

14 Websites to Download Research Paper for Free - 2024

Table of contents

2. z-library, 3. library genesis, 4. unpaywall, 5. gettheresearch.org, 6. directory of open access journals (doaj), 7. researcher, 8. science open, 10. internet archive scholar, 11. citationsy archives, 13. dimensions, 14. paperpanda – download research papers for free.

Collecting and reading relevant research articles to one’s research areas is important for PhD scholars. However, for any research scholar, downloading a research paper is one of the most difficult tasks. You must pay for access to high-quality research materials or subscribe to the journal or publication. In this article, ilovephd lists the top 14 websites to download free research papers, journals, books, datasets, patents, and conference proceedings downloads.

Download Research Paper for Free – 2024

14 best free websites to download research papers are listed below:

Sci-Hub is a website link with over 64.5 million academic papers and articles available for direct download. It bypasses publisher paywalls by allowing access through educational institution proxies.  To download papers Sci-Hub  stores papers in its repository, this storage is called Library Genesis (LibGen) or library genesis proxy 2024.

Scihub

Visit: Working Sci-Hub Proxy Links – 2024

Z-Library is a clone of Library Genesis, a shadow library project that allows users to share scholarly journal articles, academic texts, and general-interest books via file sharing (some of which are pirated). The majority of its books come from Library Genesis, however, some are posted directly to the site by individuals.

Individuals can also donate to the website’s repository to make literature more widely available. Z-library claims to have more than  10,139,382 Books  and  84,837,646 Articles  articles as of April 25, 2024.

It promises to be “the world’s largest e-book library” as well as “the world’s largest scientific papers repository,” according to the project’s page for academic publications (at booksc.org). Z-library also describes itself as a donation-based non-profit organization.

Z-Library

Visit: Z-Library – You can Download 70,000,000+ scientific articles for free

The Library Genesis aggregator is a community aiming at collecting and cataloging item descriptions for the most part of scientific, scientific, and technical directions, as well as file metadata. In addition to the descriptions, the aggregator contains only links to third-party resources hosted by users. All information posted on the website is collected from publicly available public Internet resources and is intended solely for informational purposes.

Library Genesis

Visit: libgen.li

Unpaywall harvests Open Access content from over 50,000 publishers and repositories, and makes it easy to find, track, and use. It is integrated into thousands of library systems, search platforms, and other information products worldwide. In fact, if you’re involved in scholarly communication, there’s a good chance you’ve already used Unpaywall data.

Unpaywall is run by OurResearch, a nonprofit dedicated to making scholarships more accessible to everyone. Open is our passion. So it’s only natural our source code is open, too.

medical research papers free download

Visit: unpaywall.org

GetTheResearch.org is an  Artificial Intelligence(AI)  powered search engine for search and understand  scientific articles  for researchers and scientists. It was developed as a part of the  Unpaywall  project. Unpaywall is a database of 23,329,737 free scholarly Open Access(OA) articles from over 50,000 publishers and repositories, and make it easy to find, track, and use.

Gettheresearch.org ilovephd

Visit: Find and Understand 25 Million Peer-Reviewed Research Papers for Free

DOAJ (Directory of Open Access Journals) was launched in 2003 with 300 open-access journals. Today, this independent index contains almost 17 500 peer-reviewed, open-access journals covering all areas of science, technology, medicine, social sciences, arts, and humanities. Open-access journals from all countries and in all languages are accepted for indexing.

DOAJ is financially supported by many libraries, publishers, and other like-minded organizations. Supporting DOAJ demonstrates a firm commitment to open access and the infrastructure that supports it.

Directory of Open Access Journals

Visit: doaj.org

The researcher is a free journal-finding mobile application that helps you to read new journal papers every day that are relevant to your research. It is the most popular mobile application used by more than 3 million scientists and researchers to keep themselves updated with the latest academic literature.

Researcher

Visit: 10 Best Apps for Graduate Students 

ScienceOpen  is a discovery platform with interactive features for scholars to enhance their research in the open, make an impact, and receive credit for it. It provides context-building services for publishers, to bring researchers closer to the content than ever before. These advanced search and discovery functions, combined with post-publication peer review, recommendation, social sharing, and collection-building features make  ScienceOpen  the only research platform you’ll ever need.

medical research papers free download

Visit: scienceopen.com

OA.mg is a search engine for academic papers. Whether you are looking for a specific paper, or for research from a field, or all of an author’s works – OA.mg is the place to find it.

oa mg

Visit: oa.mg

Internet Archive Scholar (IAS) is a full-text search index that includes over 25 million research articles and other scholarly documents preserved in the Internet Archive. The collection spans from digitized copies of eighteenth-century journals through the latest Open Access conference proceedings and pre-prints crawled from the World Wide Web.

Internet-Archive-Scholar

Visit: Sci hub Alternative – Internet Archive Scholar

Citationsy was founded in 2017 after the reference manager Cenk was using at the time, RefMe, was shut down. It was immediately obvious that the reason people loved RefMe — a clean interface, speed, no ads, simplicity of use — did not apply to CiteThisForMe. It turned out to be easier than anticipated to get a rough prototype up.

citationsy

Visit: citationsy.com

CORE is the world’s largest aggregator of open-access research papers from repositories and journals. It is a not-for-profit service dedicated to the open-access mission. We serve the global network of repositories and journals by increasing the discoverability and reuse of open-access content.

It provides solutions for content management, discovery, and scalable machine access to research. Our services support a wide range of stakeholders, specifically researchers, the general public, academic institutions, developers, funders, and companies from a diverse range of sectors including but not limited to innovators, AI technology companies, digital library solutions, and pharma.

CORE

Visit: core.ac.uk

Dimensions cover millions of research publications connected by more than 1.6 billion citations, supporting grants, datasets, clinical trials, patents, and policy documents.

Dimensions is the most comprehensive research grants database that links grants to millions of resulting publications, clinical trials, and patents. It

provides up-to-the-minute online attention data via Altmetric, showing you how often publications and clinical trials are discussed around the world. 226m Altmetric mentions with 17m links to publications.

Dimensions include datasets from repositories such as Figshare, Dryad, Zenodo, Pangaea, and many more. It hosts millions of patents with links to other citing patents as well as to publications and supporting grants.

Dimensions

Visit: dimensions.ai

PaperPanda is a Chrome extension that uses some clever logic and the Panda’s detective skills to find you the research paper PDFs you need. Essentially, when you activate PaperPanda it finds the DOI of the paper from the current page, and then goes and searches for it. It starts by querying various Open Access repositories like OpenAccessButton, OaDoi, SemanticScholar, Core, ArXiV, and the Internet Archive. You can also set your university library’s domain in the settings (this feature is in the works and coming soon). PaperPanda will then automatically search for the paper through your library. You can also set a different custom domain in the settings.

Paperpanda

Visit: PaperPanda

I hope, this article will help you to know some of the best websites to download research papers and journals for free.

  • download paid books for free
  • download research papers for free
  • download research papers free
  • download scientific article for free
  • Free Datasets download
  • how to download research paper

Dr. Somasundaram R

List of UGC Care Journals Discontinued from Jan 2024

Call for junior research fellow – iit madras, 7 types of journal peer review process.

hi im zara,student of art. could you please tell me how i can download the paper and books about painting, sewing,sustainable fashion,graphic and so on. thank a lot

thanks for the informative reports.

warm regards

LEAVE A REPLY Cancel reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

Email Subscription

ilovephd logo

iLovePhD is a research education website to know updated research-related information. It helps researchers to find top journals for publishing research articles and get an easy manual for research tools. The main aim of this website is to help Ph.D. scholars who are working in various domains to get more valuable ideas to carry out their research. Learn the current groundbreaking research activities around the world, love the process of getting a Ph.D.

WhatsApp Channel

Join iLovePhD WhatsApp Channel Now!

Contact us: [email protected]

Copyright © 2019-2024 - iLovePhD

  • Artificial intelligence

U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

The .gov means it’s official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

The site is secure. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

  • Publications
  • Account settings
  • Advanced Search
  • Journal List
  • Int J Trichology
  • v.3(2); Jul-Dec 2011

“Free Full Text Articles”: Where to Search for Them?

Ashish singh.

Consultant Dermatologist, Parkinsganj, Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India

Manish Singh

1 Department of Neurosurgery, JIPMER, Pondicherry, India

Ajai Kumar Singh

2 Department of Neurology, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences, Vibhooti Khand, Gomti Nagar, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India

Deepti Singh

3 Consultant Psychiatrist, Parkinsganj, Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India

Pratibha Singh

4 Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, JIPMER, Pondicherry, India

Abhishek Sharma

5 Department of Surgical Oncology, Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute and Research Centre, Delhi, India

References form the backbone of any medical literature. Presently, because of high inflation, it is very difficult for any library/organization/college to purchase all journals. The condition is even worse for an individual person, such as private practitioners. The solution lies in the free availability of full-text articles. Here, the authors share their experiences about the accessibility of free full-text articles.

INTRODUCTION

Presently, in India nearly 314 medical colleges are providing undergraduate medical education in the form of MBBS, 163 colleges are providing doctor of medicine in diploma in Dermatology,Venereology and Leprosy (DVL), and 84 colleges are providing diploma in DVL.[ 1 – 3 ] In addition to this, 27 hospitals are providing diplomate of national board in diploma in Venereology and Dermatology.[ 4 ] On comparing this data with number of research articles published, the latter stands in a mediocre situation. One of the important cause responsible for the relatively less number of research publication is unavailability of free full-text articles. Research works, published by most of the journals, are paid. Many of the undergraduates or postgraduate students may not be able to purchase these high-cost journals or articles. In addition to this, many researchers may not be willing to spend money on journals. These are some of the situations where free full-text articles come for rescue, but many of the beginners may not be familiar about how to search these articles. In addition, free full-text articles are the first choice for many of the postgraduate students for their dissertation.

HOW TO APPROACH

In addition to journals which are fully Open Access, there are few other journals which operate through subscriptions as mainstream journals do, but which offer open access to the electronic versions of their articles after a delay of usually a year, or selectively for individual articles, provided the authors have paid an additional charge to “open up” the articles.[ 5 ]

Free full-text articles can be approached in the following ways.

Medknow Publications

Medknow Publications publish nearly 150 journals. They provide free access to the electronic editions of their journals.[ 6 ] Researchers just have to open the site www.medknow.com , fill the key word they require, and search. Alternatively, they can visit the search option, available in most of their journals site through www.journalonweb.com , fill the key word, and search across multiple journals. At times, this site alone provides sufficient number of references required for the purpose. The important dermatological journals published by Medknow Publications are Indian Dermatology Online Journal, Indian Journal of Dermatology, Indian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology, and Leprology, Indian Journal of Sexually Transmitted Diseases and AIDS, International Journal of Trichology, and Journal of Cutaneous and Aesthetic Surgery.[ 7 ]

PubMed Central and PubMed

PubMed Central is the United States National Library of Medicine's digital archive of biomedical and life sciences journal literature which provides free access to the full text of articles.[ 8 ] To search for free full-text articles on PubMed Central, one has to visit the site http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/ , write the topic/author/journal title, and search across all articles.

PubMed is a database of citations and abstracts for articles from thousands of journals. PubMed does not include full-text journal articles.[ 9 ] It includes links to full-text articles at many journal web sites as well as to most of the articles in PubMed Central.[ 10 ] Here, articles can be searched on the site http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed . Search can be restricted to contents free on web by using filter your results and clicking free full text.[ 11 ]

Directory of Open Access Journals

The directory aims to cover all open access scientific and scholarly journals that use a quality control system to guarantee the content.[ 12 ] It provides articles from 439 medicinal journals. Among them, 21 are from dermatology.[ 13 ] It includes Anais Brasileiros de Dermatologia, BMC Dermatology, Case Reports in Dermatology, Clinical Dermatology, Clinical Medicine Insights: Dermatology, Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, Dermatología Peruana, Dermatology Online Journal,th Dermatology Reports, Dermatology Research and Practice, Egyptian Dermatology Online Journal, Indian Journal of Dermatology, Indian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology, The Internet Journal of Dermatology, Journal of Clinical and Experimental Dermatology Research, Journal of the Egyptian Women's Dermatologic Society, Open Dermatology Journal, Revista Argentina de Dermatología, Surgical and Cosmetic Dermatology, Turk Dermatoloji Dergisi, Turkderm.[ 14 ] The disadvantage of directory of open access journals is that few of these journals are in languages other than English. Here, articles can be searched on the site http://www.doaj.org .

Electronic Resources in Medicine Consortium and National Medical Library

Electronic Resources in Medicine Consortium (ERMED) and National Medical Library (NML) are an excellent platform for obtaining free of cost recent journal articles for its member colleges. There is no membership fees charged from the Government Medical Colleges and institutions. The private colleges and institutions have to make payment per site price for e-sources purchased by the consortium in every calendar year.[ 15 ] Membership of the college can be checked from the site http://www.nmlermed.in/members.htm or volunteers can contact their library to check the membership and to get the user name and password of the site www.ermed.jccc.in allotted to their college.[ 16 ] In 2009, the number of ERMED members increased from 40 to 72 Government Medical Colleges/Institutes across the country.[ 17 ] At present, it covers nearly 32 journals of dermatology. It includes Acta Dermatoveneorologica Alpina, Pannonica et Adriatica, Acta Dermatovenerologica Croatica, Advances in Skin and Wound Care, American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, American Journal of Dermatopathology, Archives of Dermatological Research, Archives of Dermatology,, Asian Journal of Dermatology, BMC Dermatology, Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, Clinical Dermatology, Contact Dermatitis, Dermatologic Surgery, Dermatology, Dermatology Nursing, Dermatology Online Journal, Dermatology Times, Indian Journal of Dermatology, Indian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology, International Journal of Dermatology, Internet Journal of Dermatology, Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, Journal of Investigative Dermatology, Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, Medicine, Open Dermatology Journal, Pediatric Dermatology, Rosacea Review, Skin and Allergy News, Skin Pharmacology and Physiology, Turkdem-Archives of the Turkish Dermatology and Venerology and Turkish Journal of Dermatology.[ 18 ]

Journal articles related to the topic can be searched easily after signing in at the site www.ermed.jccc.in , followed by clicking search database.

Google, Google Scholar, and Yahoo

Google ( http://www.google.com ) and Yahoo search ( http://www.search.yahoo.com ) are two of the world's most hit web pages and two largest web-based search engines.[ 19 ] Usually these are the first search site for any scholar. They provide links for both paid and free articles. The disadvantage associated with these sites is that additionally they provide materials that may not give scholarly information. Many articles are repeated also. But the catch is that one article which is paid at one web link may be free at another web link. Google Scholar ( http://www.scholar.google.com ) provides a simple way to broadly search for the relevant scholarly literature and research.[ 19 ]

The Cochrane Library

The Cochrane Library provides high-quality review articles. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews has an impact factor of 5.653 of 2009.[ 20 ] Articles can be searched on the site http://www.thecochranelibrary.com/view/0/index.html .

Public Library of Science

Public library of science is a nonprofit organization of scientists and physicians committed to making the world's scientific and medical literature a freely available public resource.[ 21 ] Everything published on this site is freely available throughout the world, for researchers to read, download, copy, distribute, and use.[ 22 ] Articles can be searched here on the site http://www.plos.org/search.php .

Free Medical Journals

Currently, total 2226 journals are available on this site.[ 23 ] Among them, nearly 30 are journals are related to dermatology and venereology and most of them are in English.[ 24 ] Some journals are available only a few months after the release. Journals can be searched on the site http://www.freemedicaljournals.com/fmj/DERMA.HTM .

It covers more than 125 medical journals and textbooks. After a simple, free registration, Medscape automatically delivers you the specialty site that best fits your profile.[ 25 ] After signing in at www.medscape.com , articles can be searched.

HighWire Press Stanford University

HighWire Press partners with independent scholarly publishers, societies, associations, and university presses to facilitate the digital dissemination of 1465 journals, reference works, books, and proceedings.[ 26 ] Articles can be searched on the site http://highwire.stanford.edu/ . It provides both free and paid articles.

Bioline International

Bioline International provides open access to peer reviewed bioscience journals published in developing countries.[ 27 ] Articles can be searched on the site http://www.bioline.org.br .

Indmed covers about 77 journals indexed from 1985 onwards. A portal medIND provides free full text access to 40 Indian medical journals.[ 28 ] Articles can be searched on the site http://medind.nic.in .

BioMed Central

BioMed Central is a Science, Technology, and Medicine publisher. All original research articles published by BioMed Central are made free and permanently accessible online immediately upon publication.[ 29 ] After free registration, journals can be searched over http://www.biomedcentral.com/browse/journals/ .

Geneva Foundation for Medical Education and Research

Important dermatology journals in English included in this site are Acta Dermato-Venereologica, Acta Dermatovenerologica Alpina, Pannonica et Adriatica, Annals of Dermatology, Archives of Dermatology, Asian Journal of Dermatology, BMC Dermatology, Case Reports in Dermatology, Clinical Medicine Insights: Dermatology, Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, Dermato-Endocrinology, Dermatology Online Journal, Dermatology Reports, Dermatology Research and Practice, Dermatology Times, European Journal of Dermatology, Indian Journal of Dermatology, Indian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology, International Journal of Trichology, Internet Journal of Dermatology, Journal of Clinical and Experimental Dermatology Research, Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology, Journal of Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, Journal of Investigative Dermatology, Journal of Skin Cancer, Journal of the Egyptian Women's Dermatologic Society, Leprosy Review, Open Dermatology Journal, Rosacea Review, Skin Therapy Letter, World Wide Wounds.[ 30 ] Journals can be seen on the site http://www.gfmer.ch/Medical_journals/Dermatology.htm .

The website of Italian Library Association

Here journals can be traced on the site http://www.aib.it/aib/commiss/cnur/peb/pebs.htm3 . This site provides both free and paid journal articles.

UK PubMed Central

UK PubMed Central (UKPMC) is a full-text article database that extends the functionality of the original PubMed Central (PMC) repository. UKPMC ( http://ukpmc.ac.uk ) has undergone considerable development since its inception in 2007 and now includes both a UKPMC and PubMed search, as well as access to other records such as Agricola, Patents, and recent biomedical theses. UKPMC also differs from PubMed/PMC in that the full text and abstract information can be searched in an integrated manner from one input box. All of the articles in UKPMC are “Free Access,” Not all content available in PMC is made available to UKPMC.[ 31 ]

The University of lowa libraries

Links to few free full-text articles are available at the site http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/eresources/genindexes.asp .

National library of medicine gateway

National library of medicine (NLM) is a user-friendly web-based system that searches not only MEDLINE but also several other NLM databases at the same time.[ 19 ] Articles can be searched here on http://gateway.nlm.nih.gov/gw/Cmd .

Medical Matrix

Medical Matrix ( http://www.medmatrix.org ) is a comprehensive guide to clinical medicine resources on the Internet.[ 19 ] Medical Matrix links to more than ten MEDLINE sites, including Gateway and PubMed and fee and open access sites.[ 19 ]

World Health Organization

Publications from World Health Organizations can be searched at the site http://www.who.int/publications/en/ .

British Medical Journal Group

Some low income and low middle income countries are entitled to free access of this site.[ 32 ] For other countries, all the articles are not free. Journals can be searched here at site http://group.bmj.com/products/journals/ . This site includes Journal of Sexually Transmitted Infections.

British medical journal (BMJ) Open is an online-only, open access general medical journal, publishing medical research from all disciplines and therapeutic areas.[ 33 ] The journal publishes all research study types, from study protocols to phase I trials to meta-analyses.[ 33 ] Articles can be searched at http://bmjopen.bmj.com/ .

Elsevier Journals

Few journals published by Elsevier, provide free access to non subscribers, after a predefined period of time has elapsed following the final publication.[ 34 ] The list of journals can be seen on website http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/authorsview.authors/delayedaccess .

Free full-text articles play a pivotal role in updating the knowledge of physicians and researchers. They play important role in preparation of any manuscript or thesis, for the persons who cannot subscribe to these articles due to any reason. Authors believe that these articles will be useful for such persons. Authors request the readers to contribute any other link for free full-text articles they know.

Source of Support: Nil

Conflict of Interest: None declared.

3 Best Sites for Reading Medical Journals Online for Free

Cathy Reisenwitz profile picture

Cathy Reisenwitz

1. freemedicaljournals.com, 2. omics international, 3. geneva foundation for medical education and research, other ways to access free medical journal articles.

Today, I want to tell you about some great free medical journals.

Dear Diary,Today, my patients were suuuper annoying.

Just kidding. Not that kind of journal. Today I'm talking about the kind of medical journal that is published regularly and contains peer-reviewed research pertinent to providers, clinicians, medical scientists, and other healthcare staff. The journals often focus on a subfield such as cardiology or neuropathy.

Journals are invaluable for keeping abreast of new medical research.

reading_medical_journals

According to research from Doximity, 98% of the physicians polled said reading medical literature is “important" or “very important" to their practice, and 75% said they change their clinical practices quarterly or monthly based on the latest medical literature.

The problem is that subscriptions to medical journals usually run in the hundreds of dollars per year, per journal.

Luckily, many medical journals offer some or all of their content for free to everyone, with or without a subscription. Some do so for all of their articles, but most make their articles free on the web six or 12 months after publication.

While the medical journal articles you want to read may be online for free, they aren't always easy to find.

To help you out, I've reviewed three websites that make it easier to find the most up-to-date free journal articles in your subfield. I've included some background information, pros and cons, and tips for getting the most out of the site.

Here they are, listed in no particular order:

FreeMedicalJournals.com is exactly what it sounds like, a list of links to medical journals that offer free access. It was created by a Portuguese university librarian named Manuel Montenegro, and Bernd Sebastian Kamps, Editor-in-Chief of Flying Publisher and the director of the Amedeo literature service.

JeMnGX9YAvPrK1Ln6GV-oac4rMYrJcn7yBG07UD-KwNHNMyr9jUwcOq9iaxP0OocD0P_CRVeLvtw-hVo6yhZbn5GYqvD4YadqpZY9DL4jACFkhibTt-aA5Q8lbqWmaiZvR-hzaUc

Manuel Montenegro; Source

Y-ODVlR7fYOP6fYV_GPC6wSUpl5GtTdPXAj7V3HdzuqmUzkqFMJ4jtizoXU4-B0uB6Q8j6DiVXUmx0HDFMTPpHxNLLeTqdKRJMS9kgKBi0knU4dWZF4QYgCd-90uvQG-RhMcP5ie

The best way to use the site is to take advantage of the left rail, where you can search by keyword, topic, free article freshness, alphabetically by journal title, or language. You can also see a list of journals sorted by impact .

ROFkN7APku7cA0Y1GFNDE9r9RqQ9uFbvLRljrTAsVYM7B3la1b7mZi0lHNA28QEkbraz_dCQwKWOTOGjDQNYSelIeTJSlP5AbVjjJQtMWVLg09XoHwnFiRFyjpv-MF9vksyWaZHz

Dr. Srinubabu Gedela founded OMICS International to help make healthcare and scientific information available immediately and for free. Gedela's research on getting access to scientific literature for scholars from developing countries won him the 2007 Human Proteome Organization's Young Scientist award.

Dr. Srinubabu Gedela; Source

OMICS International publishes over 700 scientific and healthcare journals and 50,000 scientific research articles in clinical, medical, life sciences, and other disciplines annually. Each year OMICS International hosts more than 1,000 medical and scientific conferences for more than 60,000 scientists, clinicians, and scholars in 30 countries.

The best thing about OMICS International's list of free medical journals is that they're all listed on one page, so you can CTRL+F to find what you're looking for. Next to each journal is a link to each journal's citation report, containing a list of articles that have cited the articles published in each journal.

UEhhdL2h6AA6TmeLmuFP84TCk_asd5IfVdwM3EZIkiXHQ22ophaeiMJ55L179s2-zEOvJCRNjvWZ-TYEe22ZrRkInu2Z7wQeIkJ4XAcodBsqMb2dNR4kCGyukL8n3w-B334AZNow

In addition to free articles, clicking on each journal title offers background information on the publication, including policies and ethics for each role in the publication: author, editor, reviewer, and publisher. The journal profile also includes links to information such as the journal's aims and scope, article processing charges, advertising rates, etc.

Here's an example of a journal profile on the OMICS International website:

vJ2zV37jrl3m_SLkMX-7Q2NFNU90_BrOaioWsT4VdTqmZxlwERtmljyCqiX4pinyl6cAF6-Dep7EHRAqs8C9dJ4PvVU_3EKe25zutMsEzyDuo4YbGhU-kW6fb_o49R3dHuKN1g_A

In some ways, the Geneva Foundation for Medical Education and Research's free medical journals list is harder to use than FreeMedicalJournals.com or OMICS International's list. You can't CTRL+F for journals because there's no comprehensive list on one page like OMICS International. There's no site search or sorting mechanism like FreeMedicalJournals.com.

85W-d-Oy4jgKT5-qAhuHIVsP6zJwk1d0scm9CEx0sZGuqr9liG1egzwqd0rbvT4JEivtSxTwz5LepixhE6oKG-wF3w9RlGHfwJm-svXvB8kj2BhSU13seK2uacwoQbHmnD3oABS0

But it does offer one advantage. It's very clean. No clutter. No ads. Not even any pictures. It loads super fast with no distractions. When you click on each category, it brings up another list of all the journals in that category, and tells you if it's always free, or free after six or 12 months.

Two honorable mentions go to Medscape and MHADegree.org for their curated lists of journals you can read online for free (be aware that using Medscape requires creating an free account).

Keep in mind that you can also access free journal articles through apps such as Read by QxMD and Isabel . To learn more, check out The Top 7 Medical Apps for Doctors .

If you're like most physicians, reading medical journal articles is part of your weekly routine. To save money, time, and effort, check out one or all of these websites and let me know what you think in the comments. And let me know if there are other good sites or apps I've left off.

Was this article helpful?

About the author.

Cathy Reisenwitz profile picture

Cathy Reisenwitz is a former Capterra analyst.

Related Reading

4 risk management strategies for successful project execution, nonprofit consultant explains how leaders can reduce mission creep, how hr can help the overworked, underappreciated middle manager, how to use technology to improve the guest experience, maximize your tax refunds: 6 smart tax planning tips for small businesses, how to create a public relations strategy: enhance your brand, what is financial accounting types and examples, retail strategist reveals how technology can deliver personalized and frictionless experiences, what is hr data analytics 7 useful applications.

“The only truly modern academic research engine”

Oa.mg is a search engine for academic papers, specialising in open access. we have over 250 million papers in our index..

Free Medical Journals

Direct Link

U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Here’s how you know

Official websites use .gov A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS A lock ( Lock A locked padlock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

NLM logo

MEDLINE is the National Library of Medicine's (NLM) premier bibliographic database that contains references to journal articles in life sciences, with a concentration on biomedicine. See the MEDLINE Overview page for more information about MEDLINE.

MEDLINE content is searchable via PubMed and constitutes the primary component of PubMed, a literature database developed and maintained by the NLM National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI).

Last Reviewed: February 5, 2024

medical research papers free download

Academia.edu no longer supports Internet Explorer.

To browse Academia.edu and the wider internet faster and more securely, please take a few seconds to  upgrade your browser .

Download 47 million PDFs for free

Explore our top research interests.

medical research papers free download

Engineering

medical research papers free download

Anthropology

medical research papers free download

  • Earth Sciences

medical research papers free download

  • Computer Science

medical research papers free download

  • Mathematics

medical research papers free download

  • Health Sciences

medical research papers free download

Join 252 million academics and researchers

Accelerate your research, streamline your discovery of relevant research.

Get access to 47+ million research papers and stay informed with important topics through courses.

Grow Your Audience

Build your success and track your impact.

Share your work with other academics, grow your audience, and track your impact on your field with our robust analytics.

Unlock the most powerful tools with Academia Premium

medical research papers free download

Work faster and smarter with advanced research discovery tools

Search the full text and citations of our millions of papers. Download groups of related papers to jumpstart your research. Save time with detailed summaries and search alerts.

  • Advanced Search
  • PDF Packages of 37 papers
  • Summaries and Search Alerts

medical research papers free download

Share your work, track your impact, and grow your audience

Get notified when other academics mention you or cite your papers. Track your impact with in-depth analytics and network with members of your field.

  • Mentions and Citations Tracking
  • Advanced Analytics
  • Publishing Tools

Real stories from real people

medical research papers free download

Used by academics at over 16,000 universities

medical research papers free download

Get started and find the best quality research

  • Academia.edu Publishing
  •   We're Hiring!
  •   Help Center
  • Find new research papers in:
  • Cognitive Science
  • Academia ©2024

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • View all journals
  • Explore content
  • About the journal
  • Publish with us
  • Sign up for alerts

Medical research articles within Scientific Reports

Article 20 February 2024 | Open Access

Efficacy of 3D-printed eye model to enhance retinoscopy skills

  • Dong Hyun Kim
  • , Hee Kyung Yang
  •  &  Jeong-Min Hwang

Pulse rate variability and health-related quality of life assessment with the Short Form-8 Japanese version in the general Japanese population

  • , Koutatsu Maruyama
  •  &  Haruhiko Osawa

Recreational athletes during downhill-mountain biking (DMB) show high incidence of upper extremity fractures in combination with soft-tissue injuries

  • Franziska Lioba Breulmann
  • , Claudia Krenn
  •  &  Martin Bischofreiter

Modified intraocular lens power selection method according to biometric subgroups Eom IOL power calculator

  • Youngsub Eom
  • , So Hyeon Bae
  •  &  David L. Cooke

Infrared diode laser enhances human periodontal ligament stem cells behaviour on titanium dental implants

  • Mohamed M. Abo El-Dahab
  • , Ghada Nour El Deen
  •  &  Mostafa Gheith

Association between triglyceride glucose index and total bone mineral density: a cross-sectional study from NHANES 2011–2018

  • Ningsheng Tian
  • , Shuai Chen
  •  &  Zhiwei Li

Quantification of ischemic brain edema after mechanical thrombectomy using dual-energy computed tomography in patients with ischemic stroke

  • Paul Steffen
  • , Laurens Winkelmeier
  •  &  Gabriel Broocks

Less than one in four mothers get quality intrapartum health care services in Ethiopia

  • Wubshet Debebe Negash
  • , Desale Bihonegn Asmamaw
  •  &  Tadele Biresaw Belachew

Global prevalence of functional dyspepsia according to Rome criteria, 1990–2020: a systematic review and meta-analysis

  • Kwanjoo Lee
  • , Chang-il Kwon
  •  &  Dong Keon Yon

The correlation between the frequent intake of dietary migraine triggers and increased clinical features of migraine (analytical cross-sectional study from Egypt)

  • Abdel-Ghaffar I. Fayed
  • , Hossam Emam
  •  &  Elsayed Abed

Stress-induced stenotic vascular remodeling via reduction of plasma omega-3 fatty acid metabolite 4-oxoDHA by noradrenaline

  • Makoto Nishimori
  • , Naomi Hayasaka
  •  &  Masakazu Shinohara

Development of statistical auto-segmentation method for diffusion restriction gray matter lesions in patients with newly diagnosed sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease

  • , Ho Young Park
  •  &  Sang Joon Kim

Accelerating computer vision-based human identification through the integration of deep learning-based age estimation from 2 to 89 years

  • Andreas Heinrich

Analysis of related factors for RA flares after SARS-CoV-2 infection: a retrospective study from patient survey

  • , Jun-Kang Zhao
  •  &  Li-Yun Zhang

Si-based agent alleviated small bowel ischemia–reperfusion injury through antioxidant effects

  • Masato Shimada
  • , Yoshihisa Koyama
  •  &  Shoichi Shimada

Differential gene expression in two consecutive pregnancies between same sex siblings and implications on maternal constraint

  • Theodora Kunovac Kallak
  • , Solveig Serapio
  •  &  Fredrik Ahlsson

Bayesian spatio-temporal analysis of the COVID-19 pandemic in Catalonia

  • Pau Satorra
  •  &  Cristian Tebé

Exploring new horizons in neuroscience disease detection through innovative visual signal analysis

  • Nisreen Said Amer
  •  &  Samir Brahim Belhaouari

Article 19 February 2024 | Open Access

Change of perspective: impact of COVID-19 pandemic on axial spondyloarthritis-related web searches in Germany

  • Hannah Wecker
  • , Stefanie Ziehfreund
  •  &  Alexander Zink

The impact of factor Xa inhibitors on bleeding risk in patients with respiratory diseases

  • Shohei Hamada
  • , Kei Muramoto
  •  &  Takuro Sakagami

Somatostatin receptor 2 (SSTR2) expression is associated with better clinical outcome and prognosis in rectal neuroendocrine tumors

  • Joo Young Kim
  • , Jisup Kim
  •  &  Seung-Mo Hong

Short-term side effects of COVID-19 vaccines among healthcare workers: a multicenter study in Iran

  • Kayvan Mirnia
  • , Elmira Haji Esmaeil Memar
  •  &  Shima Mahmoudi

Association between failed eradication of 7-day triple therapy for Helicobacter pylori and untreated dental caries in Japanese adults

  • , Tetsuji Azuma
  •  &  Takaaki Tomofuji

Modified host defence peptide GF19 slows TNT-mediated spread of corneal herpes simplex virus serotype I infection

  • Neethi C. Thathapudi
  • , Natalia Callai-Silva
  •  &  May Griffith

Forensic significance of intracardiac expressions of Nrf2 in acute myocardial ischemia

  • Shion Hiyamizu
  • , Yuko Ishida
  •  &  Toshikazu Kondo

Biofilm removal effect of diatom complex on 3D printed denture base resin

  • Sung-sil Choi
  • , Joo Hun Lee
  •  &  Eun-Jin Park

Older adults and individuals with Parkinson’s disease control posture along suborthogonal directions that deviate from the traditional anteroposterior and mediolateral directions

  • Madhur Mangalam
  • , Damian G. Kelty-Stephen
  •  &  Nick Stergiou

Clinical and radiological outcomes of non-window-type bioactive glass–ceramic cage in single-level ACDF versus PEEK cage filled with autologous bone

  • Ji-Won Kwon
  • , Yong Ho Lee
  •  &  Kyung Soo Suk

Exploring the spatiotemporal relationship between influenza and air pollution in Fuzhou using spatiotemporal weighted regression model

  • Qingquan Chen
  • , Xiaoyan Zheng
  •  &  Youqiong Xu

Article 18 February 2024 | Open Access

Quercetin-crosslinked chitosan nanoparticles: a potential treatment for allergic rhinitis

  •  &  Li Tian

A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of long-term antibiotic use on cognitive outcomes

  • , Hor Yee Kimberley Tong
  •  &  Olivia Monteiro

A retrospective observational study of 1000 consecutive patients tested with the FilmArray® Meningitis/Encephalitis panel: clinical diagnosis at discharge and microbiological findings

  • Torgny Sunnerhagen
  • , Johan Widén
  •  &  Gülşen Özkaya Şahin

Antibacterial mouthwash alters gut microbiome, reducing nutrient absorption and fat accumulation in Western diet-fed mice

  • Lucas Rannier Ribeiro Antonino Carvalho
  • , Ariela M. Boeder
  •  &  Mattias Carlstrom

Assessment of area and structural irregularity of retinal layers in diabetic retinopathy using machine learning and image processing techniques

  • Hamid Riazi-Esfahani
  • , Behzad Jafari
  •  &  Elias Khalili Pour

Association between the surgical approach and prognosis of spontaneous supratentorial deep intracerebral hemorrhage

  • , Xingwei Tan
  •  &  Min Cui

Vascular compactness of unruptured brain arteriovenous malformation predicts risk of hemorrhage after stereotactic radiosurgery

  • Po-Wei Huang
  • , Syu-Jyun Peng
  •  &  Cheng-Chia Lee

Article 17 February 2024 | Open Access

Mean corpuscular volume as a prognostic factor for 30-day mortality in major trauma patients: a retrospective cohort study

  • Hanlim Choi
  • , Jin Young Lee
  •  &  Jung Hee Choi

Transcutaneous cervical vagus nerve stimulation improves sensory performance in humans: a randomized controlled crossover pilot study

  • Michael Jigo
  • , Jason B. Carmel
  •  &  Charles Rodenkirch

Metabolic syndrome: a population-based study of prevalence and risk factors

  • Zahra Jamali
  • , Fatemeh Ayoobi
  •  &  Parvin Khalili

Fractal analysis of extracellular matrix for observer-independent quantification of intestinal fibrosis in Crohn’s disease

  • Marie-Christin Weber
  • , Konstantin Schmidt
  •  &  Philipp-Alexander Neumann

Association of dietary inflammatory index with C-reactive protein and interleukin-6 in women with and without polycystic ovarian syndrome

  • Khadijeh Azarbayjani
  • , Shahideh Jahanian Sadatmahalleh
  •  &  Maliheh Nasiri

The unique monoclonal antibodies and immunochemical assay for comprehensive determination of the cell-bound and soluble HER2 in different biological samples

  • Aleksandra Antos
  • , Agnieszka Topolska-Woś
  •  &  Magdalena Staniszewska

Article 16 February 2024 | Open Access

Sub-anesthetic dose of esketamine decreases postoperative opioid self-administration after spine surgery: a retrospective cohort analysis

  • Hongyu Zheng
  • , Peng Zhang
  •  &  Xingrui Gong

Guiding role of esophageal variceal diameter in treatment of endoscopic ligation: an animal experimental study

  • , Enqiang LingHu
  •  &  Licai Zhou

Therapeutic effect of knee extension exercise with single-joint hybrid assistive limb following total knee arthroplasty: a prospective, randomized controlled trial

  • Takaya Maeda
  • , Eiji Sasaki
  •  &  Yasuyuki Ishibashi

Predictors, management and prognosis of initial hyperemia of free flap

  • Juyoung Bae
  •  &  Kyeong-Tae Lee

The preliminary study suggests an association between NF-ĸB pathway activation and increased plasma 20S proteasome activity in intracranial aneurysm patients

  • Joanna Kamińska
  • , Marzena Tylicka
  •  &  Olga Martyna Koper-Lenkiewicz

Prolyl hydroxylase domain inhibitor is an effective pre-hospital pharmaceutical intervention for trauma and hemorrhagic shock

  • , Andrew P. Cap
  •  &  Michael A. Meledeo

Small fibre pathology, small fibre symptoms and pain in fibromyalgia syndrome

  • Anne Marshall
  • , Leandros Rapteas
  •  &  Uazman Alam

Factors related to changes in severity among adult and older adult patients at an internal medicine department clinic: an embedded mixed-method study

  • Patcharawan Narongsanoi
  • , Samoraphop Banharak
  •  &  Jintana Damkliang

Advertisement

Browse broader subjects

  • Health sciences

Browse narrower subjects

  • Drug development
  • Epidemiology
  • Experimental models of disease
  • Genetics research
  • Outcomes research
  • Paediatric research
  • Preclinical research
  • Stem-cell research
  • Clinical trial design
  • Translational research

Quick links

  • Explore articles by subject
  • Guide to authors
  • Editorial policies

medical research papers free download

Logo

19 Oct Patient Advocacy: 7 Ways to Access Medical Journals for Free

From our partner, Patient Empowerment Network (PEN) , which provides free expert online resources on diagnosis and testing, treatment, clinical trials, financing cancer treatment, recovery, and everything in between. . .

Patient Advocacy: 7 Ways To Access Medical Journal Articles For Free

Has this ever happened to you? You come across a tweet with a link to a new study in your disease area and you eagerly click on it only to find it leads you to a journal article behind a paywall.

I’ve lost count of the number of times this has happened to me and the frustration I feel at not being able to access a relevant study without paying an amount I cannot afford. To purchase a single article can cost upwards of $100.

Over the years I’ve discovered there are some ways to get around this paywall. Below I’ve outlined 7 tips on gaining access to journal articles. These methods may not always give you access to the full article, but they are certainly worth trying in your search for peer-reviewed literature to better understand your health condition.

1. Search Google Scholar

Google Scholar provides a simple way to broadly search for journal articles, alongside books from academic publishers. The site harvests the content of institutional repositories and links them in one record.

2. Explore online databases

Similar to Google Scholar, there are several online repositories of academic papers free to search online. As I said above, you may not always be able to access the full article, but you will be able to read the study abstract (an abstract is a short summary of the research contained within the study.)

Core   is a search engine and index for aggregated research publications from repositories and journals globally.

Dimensions   is a next-generation linked research information system that makes it easier to find and access the most relevant information. Developed in collaboration with over 100 leading research organizations around the world, it brings together over 128 million publications. Users of the free version can use the Open Access filter to find articles.

The Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ ) is a list of nearly 10,000 open access journals and a search service finding peer-reviewed and scholarly journals and articles.

PubMed , maintained by the US National Library of Medicine, is a free search engine covering the biomedical and life sciences going back as far back as 1951.

JSTOR  gives you access to more than 12 million journal articles in upwards of 75 disciplines, providing full-text searches of more than 2,000 journals, and access to more than 5,000 Open Access books.

Web of Science  covers more than 20,000 carefully selected journals, along with books, conference proceedings, and other sources.

Science.gov covers the vast territory of United States federal science, including more than 60 databases and 2,200-plus websites.

3. Search for pre-printed publications

OSF Preprints is a platform with openly accessible preprints, or submitted manuscripts that are publicly distributed before acceptance and peer-review in a traditional scientific journal. An advantage of publishing preprints is the speeding up of scientific communication and of sharing research results earlier, as it can take a long time between submission of an article till publication. OSF Preprints is developed by the Centre for Open Science (COS), a non-profit organization with the goal of greater openness and reproducible research.

4. Download an app

I have installed an app called   Unpaywall as a browser extension on my laptop.

Unpaywall   is an open database of 29,624,840 free scholarly articles. The app harvests content from legal sources including repositories run by universities, governments, and scholarly societies, as well as open (free access) content hosted by publishers themselves.

Open Access Button   is another plugin for Chrome or Firefox that works similarly to Unpaywall. Click on the button while you are viewing a pay-walled journal article and it will search for open access versions.

5. Ask a university librarian or academic

Did you know that people with access to university databases usually have “free” access to all journal articles, because their university pays for it? If you know someone who works in a university library or is affiliated with an academic institution, it’s worth asking them if they can help you get access to a paywalled journal.

6. Ask the author for it

While the publisher owns the article, the author will have a legal version he or she can share. Many authors are happy to share a pdf version of their published article. The author’s academic affiliation will be published alongside the article and sometimes this will include their email address. If not a simple Google search should help you find the author’s email contact.

Metastatic breast cancer patient, Martha Carlson (@Martha__Carlson) says reaching out in this way can be productive. “I’ve had article PDFs sent to me by reaching out to the author and also through other advocates,” she explained.

ResearchGate  and  Academia.edu  are both platforms that facilitate making contact with researchers and requesting copies of their articles.

Note: Do NOT share an article an author has given you anywhere online as this will breach the publisher’s copyright rules.

7. Rent the article

Finally, some journals allow you to “rent” an article for considerably less than buying it. Ok so this tip isn’t free, but if all else fails, it may be your best option.

I hope you find these tips helpful. As patients and patient advocates, it is important that we can access the latest evidence-based research to help us advocate for ourselves and others.

Below you will find a list of websites linked to the sites and tools mentioned in this article.

Useful Sites

  • Google Scholar
  • The Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)
  • Web of Science
  • Science.gov
  • OSF Preprints
  • Centre for Open Science
  • Open Access Button
  • ResearchGate
  • Academia.edu

About Triage Cancer

Triage Cancer is a national, nonprofit providing free education to people diagnosed with cancer, caregivers, and health care professionals on cancer-related  legal and practical issues . Through  events ,  materials , and  resources , Triage Cancer is dedicated to helping people move beyond diagnosis.

Similar Posts You May Like To Read:

  • Commenting on Federal Regulations: As Easy as Posting on Facebook
  • West Coast Conference on Work & Cancer
  • 4,000 Cancer Clinical Trials: Which ONE is Right for Me?
  • Partnering to Help Caregivers & Families Thrive
  • First Time Voters: What You Need to Know to Get Involved
  • Take Action: Help Others Impacted by Cancer through Sharing Your Experience in an Online Survey
  • Cancer is a legal issue: Vote.
  • The Spectrum of Advocacy

' src=

Triage Cancer

Microbiology Notes

Microbiology Notes

12 Top Websites to Download Research Papers for Free

Table of Contents

How to download research papers for FREE? Are you looking for ways to get access to academic articles without paying? If so, you’re in the right place. In this post I’ll explain ways to obtain a research paper at absolutely no cost.

Research papers can be downloaded as an effective method to cut down on the time as well as money. The issue is that it requires a lot of work to find reliable sources. There are a few websites where you are able to download research papers for no cost.

There is no need to spend anything to gain access to these documents. All you have to do is sign-up on the website and begin downloading.

The most appealing aspect of these websites is that they provide you with the ability to access hundreds of research papers across different areas. If you’re looking to learn about any subject then just go to one of these websites.

It was created in 2011 with the help of Kazakhstani master’s student Alexandra Elbakyan, Sci-Hub is an online platform that gives access to academic articles and papers through access to educational institutions as well as its own archive of articles and papers downloaded.

download research paper for free

To claim Sci-Hub is a controversial website is an understatement. Sci-Hub is accused of copyright infringement numerous occasions, and is currently blocked by a number of web service companies, particularly in countries with high-tech. According to the Sci-Hub’s own data it’s a 99% chance that the request to download will be successful and more than 200k requests are processed each day.

How to use Sci-Hub

  • Visit https://sci-hub.se /.
  • Enter the full name of the DOI, URL, or URL in the paper that you would like to download.
  • Select”Open” or click the “Open” click.

2. Library Genesis

Library Genesis is a massive database that contains more than 2.7 million titles and over 58 millions science magazines files. The website was threatened with legal action by Elsevier one of the largest publishing companies of technical, scientific medical and scientific research papers in the year 2015. However, there’s been no resolution to it to date. In the present, Library Genesis is blocked by a variety of Internet service providers within the United Kingdom, but the website is still accessible due in part to the presence of a huge variety of Library Genesis mirrors.

Library Genesis link:

  • http://gen.lib.rus.ec
  • http://libgen.pw
  • http://libgen.unblocker.cc/
  • http://libgen.unblockall.org/
  • https://libgen.unblocker.win/
  • https://libgen.unblocked.gdn/

how to download research papers for free

How to use Library Genesis

  • Visit: http://libgen.io/ (which is the official URL for the website at the moment).
  • Input your keywords in the search box.
  • Select on the “Search!” button.
  • Click on the title of the book or research paper that you’re searching for.
  • Click on one of the mirrors available.
  • Save the paper or book onto your device.

3. Unpaywall

21 million academic papers taken from more than 50,000 repository of content as well as publishers.

This is a huge database that contains more than 21 million academic works from over fifty thousand content repositories as well as publishers. The content in the database is replicated from government resources so downloading them is legal.

The authors claim they are able to access around 80-85 percent of all scientific papers accessible on their website. They are also aided by funding from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation as well as the National Science Foundation.

research papers download for free

You can utilize Google’s Chrome extension to quickly get them at any time. In order to do this, you have to follow the instructions listed below:

  • Visit https://unpaywall.org/products/extension
  • Select on the “Add the Chrome” button. Chrome” option.
  • Simply click “Add the store to Chrome” in the Chrome Web Store page in addition.
  • Keep an eye on the extension until it is installed.
  • After installing the extension, it will work automatically and will appear whenever you go to the site of a paywalled research paper in the database of Unpaywall’s open databases. All you have just click on the green Unpaywall button to allow the article to be displayed immediately.

In contrast to other websites mentioned here Unpaywall’s services Unpaywall are legal as it identifies legal, author-posted , manuscripts that are hosted on university and government web servers (generally called Green Open Access manuscripts).

In actual fact, Unpaywall is integrated into various search engines, library systems and other information products across the globe. It has made the scholarship process more accessible to students across the world.

4. Directory of Open Access Journals

Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) is a website run by the community, which lists the highest quality, peer-reviewed and peer-reviewed accessible journals. The website was created in 2003 with about 300 journals. It has since expanded to include more than 10,000 free access journal in the entire spectrum of technology, science and medicine, as well as social science and humanities.

DOAJ is managed via Infrastructure Services for Open Access (IS4OA) IS4OA, an unincorporated charitable foundation which’s mission is to bring an advantage to the world user community that relies on openly available research data and publications. IS4OA believes that a wide and free distribution and diffusion of knowledge can benefit society in general.

where can i download research papers for free

Similar to Unpaywall, DOAJ is completely legal and is funded by sponsors as well as non-publisher and publisher members.

It can be used to search for and download research papers for free:

  • Visit: https://doaj.org/
  • Input your keywords in the search field , then hit enter.
  • Choose the research paper you wish to download.
  • Hit on the “Full Text” button that is located just below the abstract.

5. Open Access Button

Public archives of research papers in order to let research funded by public funds free to all.

Open Access Button was founded in the month of November 2013 by a group of students tired of having to go through paywalls. It makes use of public repositories of research papers to make publically funded research accessible to all.

Open Access Button is quite similar to Unpaywall , in the way it operates. However both differ on one major point when Open Access Button notices that an article isn’t accessible, it immediately informs authors to share the article by putting it in an archive. The more people attempt to discover an article through this platform the more requests the author receives.

sites to download research papers for free

You can make use of Open Access Button by downloading their browser extension. To do that, follow the instructions below:

  • Visit the following URL: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/open-access-button/gknkbkaapnhpmkcgkmdekdffgcddoiel?hl=en
  • Download your Open Access Button browser extension by clicking the “Add to Chrome” button.
  • In the future, if ever in a position to not access the information you need simply click the Open Access Button to do it.

Don’t fret if you’re not an Google Chrome user. You can still use the online version of Open Access Button by visiting the following link: https://openaccessbutton.org

6. ScienceOpen

ScienceOpen offers a professional network platform for academics that gives access to more than 40 million research papers from all fields of science. ScienceOpen was established at the end of 2013 by Alexander Grossmann, a physicist and professor of publishing management at the Leipzig University of Applied Sciences, Leipzig, Germany, and Tibor Tscheke who is expert in information science, software development and specialist in content management. The goal for Science Open is to explore ways to make it easier to access information to the scientific community. we can safely say that the initiative has succeeded admirably in achieving its goals.

how to download research papers for free

To search for research papers with the help of Science open:

  • Go to: http://about.scienceopen.com/ .
  • Select on the “green “Search” button located in the upper right corner.
  • Enter your search terms into the search box. In addition to the keywords, you can look up authors’ collections, journals publishers, as well as others.

CORE is an aggregater of research that is open access and published in journals and research repositories across the globe. Its primary objective is to protect the rights of the public and citizens to public to gain access to the findings of their research, to which they’ve contributed by paying taxes. It accomplishes this by providing an easy accessibility to millions of research papers with open access.

how can i download research papers for free

To find a research article using CORE:

  • Visit: https://core.ac.uk/.
  • Enter your search terms into the search box.
  • Hit the “Search” link.
  • Select on the “Get PDF” button to download any research document you are looking for.

OA.mg seeks to create a platform that makes research accessible and accessible by offering direct download links to more than 200 million papers from research.

Its main goal is to make everyone more efficient in every phase of their academic endeavors starting with research and ending with the creation of bibliographies. By aggregating and combining the various Open Access databases, they can direct you to the most recent open access research , as well as the studies behind paywalls. If there’s no direct download link, they’ll assist you to locate a method to access it.

free research paper download

Research papers can be found by using OA.mg by following these steps:

  • Follow the link below: https://oa.mg
  • You can enter your keywords or DOI number into the search field that is available there.
  • Select on the “search” button, and wait for results to show up.
  • In the search results Download any research document you require by clicking this link for download.

9. Citationsy Archives

Citationsy Archives allows you to look up journals and papers to download, download them, and (obviously) incorporate them into your work.

Citationsy is a no-cost to use software, however it has some restrictions to the plan that is free. For $9.99 monthly ($4.99 when you’re in school) and you will get unlimitted citations, reference Word export, bibliographies and much more. Citationsy Archives offers only 3-days trial. However, if you make use of the promo code GAURAVTIWARI you will be able to get a premium versions at no cost for the entire month.

free journal paper download

It is important to note that you can access Citationsy Archives with or without an account.

All you have to do is make a request, and it will then search for the exact phrase in all research papers around the world and show the pertinent matches to you. Click on each of them to view more information, and then access it directly from the search results.

The platform also allows you to download the papers using a number of different and totally open access and legal options.

Use Citationsy Archives from https://citationsy.com/archives/

10. PaperPanda

It’s a free extensions for your browser Chrome that gives you the ability to access various journals and documents in PDF format.

When you turn on the tool it locates the DOI of the article on the page you are viewing and proceeds to look for it. It starts by searching different Open Access repositories like OaDoi, SemanticScholar, ArXiV, and the Internet Archive.

The developers are currently working on a feature to be released soon that lets you define the university library’s domain within the setting. PaperPanda will then look for the paper you require within your library. If required, you’ll be able to create an alternative domain within the settings.

where can i download research papers for free

I’ve included the instructions for using this tool.

  • Installation of the PaperPanda extension to Google Chrome.
  • Pin PaperPanda to the toolbar of your browser.
  • When you are on a website for a research paper click the tiny panda symbol within the toolbar.
  • PaperPanda will locate your PDF files. If you need to, access “settings” and change the domain that it employs to search for your files.

11. Education Resources Information Center (ERIC)

It includes not just journal articles as well as book and grey literature too.

ERIC is element of the United States Department of Education. It is a vast archive of books and is widely recognized as the best way to download research papers for free without paying an amount. It is not just a repository of journals but also book sources and grey literature too.

free research paper

The journal as well as non-journal materials available at ERIC is reviewed by peer reviewers and are reliable. The site adds new research sources to its index database system two times each year.

You can get access to ERIC through the official website of ERIC: https://eric.ed.gov/

12. Other Website

  • Csulb California State University
  • Project Gutenberg
  • UNPAYWALL PLUG IN
  • RESEARCHER RESEARCH PAPER APP

It’s a fact that publishing research is a costly field both for readers and researchers. Most scientific research studies are behind paywalls in the event that the researcher does not cost of publication for open access publications. The cost for downloading research papers is approximately $40, which is not something everyone would be financially able to pay for. That’s why the sites listed in this article were created to assist you with.

However, prior to using one of these sites for research papers to download for free, remember that removing paywalls that are erected by paywalls is unlawful in many areas of the world. So, it is recommended making use of a VPN to secure your identity. This extends your private network over an open network. It also allows users to transmit and receive data in a private manner and safely.

1 thought on “12 Top Websites to Download Research Papers for Free”

سلام سایت اریک فیلتر شده راهی برای استفاده از آن وجود دارد؟

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Adblocker detected! Please consider reading this notice.

We've detected that you are using AdBlock Plus or some other adblocking software which is preventing the page from fully loading.

We don't have any banner, Flash, animation, obnoxious sound, or popup ad. We do not implement these annoying types of ads!

We need money to operate the site, and almost all of it comes from our online advertising.

Please add Microbiologynote.com to your ad blocking whitelist or disable your adblocking software.

Help | Advanced Search

Computer Science > Human-Computer Interaction

Title: paper plain: making medical research papers approachable to healthcare consumers with natural language processing.

Abstract: When seeking information not covered in patient-friendly documents, like medical pamphlets, healthcare consumers may turn to the research literature. Reading medical papers, however, can be a challenging experience. To improve access to medical papers, we introduce a novel interactive interface-Paper Plain-with four features powered by natural language processing: definitions of unfamiliar terms, in-situ plain language section summaries, a collection of key questions that guide readers to answering passages, and plain language summaries of the answering passages. We evaluate Paper Plain, finding that participants who use Paper Plain have an easier time reading and understanding research papers without a loss in paper comprehension compared to those who use a typical PDF reader. Altogether, the study results suggest that guiding readers to relevant passages and providing plain language summaries, or "gists," alongside the original paper content can make reading medical papers easier and give readers more confidence to approach these papers.

Submission history

Access paper:.

  • Download PDF
  • Other Formats

license icon

References & Citations

  • Google Scholar
  • Semantic Scholar

BibTeX formatted citation

BibSonomy logo

Bibliographic and Citation Tools

Code, data and media associated with this article, recommenders and search tools.

  • Institution

arXivLabs: experimental projects with community collaborators

arXivLabs is a framework that allows collaborators to develop and share new arXiv features directly on our website.

Both individuals and organizations that work with arXivLabs have embraced and accepted our values of openness, community, excellence, and user data privacy. arXiv is committed to these values and only works with partners that adhere to them.

Have an idea for a project that will add value for arXiv's community? Learn more about arXivLabs .

Logo

Shodhganga Mirror Site https://sg.inflibnet.ac.in -->

  • About Shodhganga
  • Why Join Shodhganga ?
  • Responsibilities
  • Data Format
  • Type of Access
  • MoU with Universities 763
  • MoU with CFTI 105
  • e-INDIA Award
  • Shodhganga In News
  • Shodhganga Album
  • Universities & Departments
  • Upload Date
  • Researcher/Guide
  • AICTE/P& AP/Misc/2022_23.12.2022
  • UGC Notification PhD Amendment Nov 2022
  • MoE D.O. No. 31-5/2022-TS-II_CFTIs/CUs_30.11.2022
  • UGC D.O.No.2-10/2021 (CPP-II)_22.12.2021
  • Min. of Education (MoE)-TS.II_CFTIs - 2021
  • Self Plagiarism-UGC Public Notice - 2020
  • UGC Notification for Plagiarism - 2018
  • M.Phil/Ph.D Amendment - 2018
  • M.Phil/Ph.D Regulation - 2016
  • M.Phil/Ph.D Regulation - 2009 (Old)
  • UGC Guidelines for Shodhganga
  • Shodhganga Questionnaire for Fund
  • User Guide and Tutorial
  • APS Video & Guide
  • Awareness Guidelines
  • How to Submit?
  • How to Convert PDF?
  • How to Cite?
  • Thesis Template
  • User's Guide (ebook)
  • Other Indian ETDs
  • Download MoU
  • Download MoU for INI
  • Application Form for Fund
  • Shodhganga User
  • University Coordinator
  • Administrator
  • Shodhganga Dashboard
  • Universities
  • User Registration

darkblurbg

http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/jspui/handle/10603/ Shodhganga Membership is not for Colleges.

MRPs/PDFs/Fellowships Reports

A reservoir of Indian Theses

The Shodhganga@INFLIBNET Centre provides a platform for research students to deposit their Ph.D. theses and make it available to the entire scholarly community in open access. The repository has the ability to capture, index, store, disseminate and preserve ETDs submitted by the researchers. [Read More]

  • Latest Updates

Webinar on "An Overview of Research Ethics & Plagiarism Issues" organized by INFLIBNET Centre on 03 June 2020 at 11.30 AM - 01.00 PM. Registration | Brochure

Webinar on "Introduction to ETDs & Shodhganga / Shodhgangotri" organized by INFLIBNET Centre on 05 June 2020 at 11.30 AM - 01.00 PM. Registration | Brochure

Webinar on "Introduction to PDS and ShodhShuddhi" organized by INFLIBNET Centre on 12 June 2020 at 11.30 AM - 01.00 PM. Registration | Brochure

Three Days Online Advanced Training Programme on Shodhganga and Plagiarism Issues organized by INFLIBNET Centre during 25th - 27th November 2020. More Details || Apply Online

Three Days Training (Offline Mode) on Research Methodology and Ethics: Plagiarism Issues, Reference Management Tools and Altmetrics 10th-12th April, 2023 Registration

Three Days Training Programme on "Research Methodology and Ethics: Plagiarism Issues, Reference Management Tools and Altmetrics" (offline mode) during 07th - 09th February 2024. Registration Download Brochure

5,00,000th Thesis is uploaded into Shodhganga by Prof Yogesh Singh, Hon'ble Chairman, Governing Board, INFLIBNET Centre & Vice Chancellor, University of Delhi, Delhi in the august presence of Prof J P Singh Joorel, Director, INFLIBNET Centre, Gandhinagar and other Governing Board Members on 14.12.2023.

All the Theses (CDs) received from Universities were successfully uploaded into Shodhganga Portal till August 2023.

ETD 2023 website is launched by Hon'ble Chairman of UGC Prof M Jagadesh Kumar on 17-02-2023 at 10.00 AM, in presence of the Director INFLIBNET Centre, other Bureau Heads of UGC, staff of INFLIBNET Centre. Please visit at etd2023.inflibnet.ac.in for more details.

Creation of Metadata and Uploading Theses into Shodhganga for more details

Shodhganga crossed 4,00,000 Theses on 8th December 2022.

IISc Bangalore and 55 CFTIs like IITs,IIMs,NITs etc. have joined Shodhganga.

Restricted Dashboard and Subject Portal is released in January 2020.

Shodhganga crossed 3,00,000 Theses on 9th April 2021.

Plagiarism Detection Software under ShodhShuddhi is provided to all 1000+ Universities/Institutions.

Shodhganga Membership is not for Colleges. Read More.

UGC (Promotion of Academic Integrity and Prevention of Plagiarism in Higher Educational Institutions) Regulations, 2018. UGC Letter / Regulation

The NDLTD Leadership Award 2017 was conferred to Shodhganga Team leaders during August 7 - 9, 2017 at Washington, DC. The Award is instituted by the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD) since 2004. More Details

Edushine Excellence Award - 2019 presented to INFLIBNET Centre by Sh. Suresh Prabhu, Hon'ble Minister for Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation, Government of India.

Theses received at the Centre till 30th November 2020 have been uploaded.

720+ Universities started contributing Theses Repository.

830+ Universities+CFTIs/INIs Signed MoU.

  • Universities Contributed in Shodhganga
  • ShodhShuddhi
  • Shodhgangotri

Anna University 15564

University of madras 14843, university of calcutta 14168, savitribai phule pune university 12510, university of mumbai 10548, chhatrapati sahuji maharaj university 10165, aligarh muslim university 10148, andhra university 9691, babasaheb bhimrao ambedkar bihar university 9675, panjab university 9115, abhilashi university 13, academy of scientific and innovative research (acsir) 2286, acharya nagarjuna university 2231, acharya narendra deva university of agriculture and technology, ayodhya 907, adamas university 38, adesh university 24, adichunchanagiri university, mandya 6, adikavi nannaya university, rajahmundry 58, agriculture university, jodhpur 3, agriculture university, kota 13, ahmedabad university 18, aks university 28, alagappa university 2443, alliance university 51, all india institute of medical science, bhopal 1, all india institute of medical sciences rishikesh 7, ambedkar university, delhi 37, amet university 130, amity university haryana 201, amity university, kolkata 2, amity university madhya pradesh 61, amity university, mumbai 31, amity university, noida 1063, amity university rajasthan 231, amrita vishwa vidyapeetham university 596, anand agricultural university 122, annamalai university 3038, apeejay stya university 21, apex university, rajasthan 34, a p goyal shimla university 13, apj abdul kalam technological university, thiruvananthapuram 45, arka jain university 3, arni university 8, arunachal university of studies 2, aryabhatta knowledge university 26, ashoka university 1, assam agricultural university 151, assam don bosco university 123, assam down town university 76, assam rajiv gandhi university of cooperative management 2, assam science and technology university 2, assam university 2263, atal bihari vajpayee indian institute of information technology and management 103, atmiya university 16, auro university 1, avinashilingam institute for home science and higher education for women 706, awadhesh pratap singh university 899, baba ghulam shah badshah university 100, babasaheb bhimrao ambedkar university 525, babu banarasi das university 147, baddi university of emerging sciences & technology 7, bahra university 5, banaras hindu university 7617, banasthali vidyapith 2190, bangalore university 2451, bankura university 31, bareilly international university 4, barkatullah university 349, bennett university 33, berhampur university 207, bhagat phool singh mahila vishwavidyalaya 140, bhagwant university 310, bhaikaka university 1, bhakta kavi narsinh mehta university 13, bharathiar university 7393, bharathidasan university 8300, bharath institute of higher education and research 651, bharati vidyapeeth deemed university 623, bhartiya skill development university jaipur 16, bhupendra narayan mandal university 5, bihar agricultural university 89, birla institute of management technology 11, birla institute of technology and science 1570, birla institute of technology, mesra 154, blde (deemed to be university) 54, bml munjal university, gurugram 7, bodoland university 101, brainware university 19, b s abdur rahman crescent institute of science & technology 305, bundelkhand university 2199, calorx teachers university 2, career point university 29, central institute of technology kokrajhar 9, central sanskrit university 317, central university of gujarat 354, central university of haryana 95, central university of himachal pradesh 131, central university of jammu 110, central university of jharkhand 87, central university of karnataka 143, central university of kashmir 251, central university of kerala 169, central university of orissa 36, central university of punjab 180, central university of rajasthan 219, central university of south bihar 39, central university of tamil nadu 107, centurion university of technology and management 72, cept university 82, chaitanya university, hanamkonda 7, chanakya national law university 1, chandigarh university 136, chandra shekhar azad university of agriculture and technology 108, charotar university of science and technology 166, chaudhary charan singh university 2980, chaudhary devi lal university 270, chaudhary ranbir singh university 12, chaudhary sarwan kumar himachal pradesh krishi vishvavidyalaya 406, chettinad academy of research and education 147, chhatrapati shivaji maharaj university 3, chhattisgarh swami vivekanand technical university 147, childrens university 18, chitkara university 31, chitkara university, punjab 304, christ university 328, cmr university 51, cochin university of science & technology 2751, cooch behar panchanan barma university 34, cotton university 17, ct university 24, c.u. shah university 195, c.v. raman global university 23, datta meghe institute of medical sciences 208, davangere university 118, dav university 28, dayalbagh educational institute 1231, dayananda sagar university 48, deccan college post graduate and research institute 67, deenbandhu chhotu ram university of science and technology, sonipat 193, deen dayal upadhyay gorakhpur university 841, defence institute of advanced technology 42, delhi pharmaceutical sciences & research university (dpsru) 19, delhi technological university 373, desh bhagat university 246, devi ahilya vishwavidyalaya 2282, dev sanskriti vishwavidyalaya 13, dharmsinh desai university 24, dhirubhai ambani institute of information and communication technology (da-iict) 77, diamond harbour womens university 1, dibrugarh university 914, dit university 90, doon university 55, dr. a.p.j. abdul kalam technical university 394, dravidian university 55, dr. babasaheb ambedkar marathwada university 5569, dr. babasaheb ambedkar open university 186, dr. babasaheb ambedkar technological university 49, dr b r ambedkar national institute of technology jalandhar 109, dr. b. r. ambedkar open university, hyderabad 1, dr. b. r. ambedkar university agra 6006, dr. c.v. raman university 270, dr. d. y. patil vidyapeeth, pune 158, dr. harisingh gour vishwavidhyalay 2263, dr. k n modi university 28, dr. m.g.r. educational and research institute 478, dr. panjabrao deshmukh krishi vidyapeeth, akola 50, dr. rammanohar lohia avadh university, faizabad 4637, dr ram manohar lohiya national law university 53, dr. sarvepalli radhakrishnan rajasthan ayurved university 191, dr shakuntala misra national rehabilitation university 67, dr. shyama prasad mukherjee international institute of information technology naya raipur 9, dr. vishwanath karad mit world peace university 19, dr. y.s. parmar university of horticulture and forestry 177, dr.y.s.r. horticultural university 24, d y patil university, kolhapur 65, entrepreneurship development institute of india 1, eternal university 7, fakir mohan university, balasore 158, forest research institute university 344, galgotias university 82, gangadhar meher university 75, ganpat university 160, garden city university 7, gauhati university 6268, gautam buddha university 229, g.b.pant university of agriculture & technology 172, gd goenka university 121, geetanjali university 43, giet university, gunupur 19, gitam university 886, gla university 230, glocal university 87, gls university 123, gna university 27, goa university 1093, gokhale institute of politics and economics 31, gondwana university 182, graphic era hill university dehradun 14, graphic era university 139, gujarat ayurveda university 5, gujarat forensic sciences university 26, gujarat national law university 17, gujarat technological university 343, gujarat university 4487, gujarat vidyapith 609, gulbarga university 1117, guru angad dev veterinary and animal sciences university 5, guru ghasidas university 353, guru gobind singh indraprastha university 638, guru jambheshwar university of science & technology 657, guru kashi university 355, gurukul kangri vishwavidyalaya 372, guru nanak dev university 2015, harcourt butler technical university 16, hemchandracharya north gujarat university 565, hemchand yadav vishwavidyalaya 39, hemwati nandan bahuguna garhwal university 892, himachal pradesh national law university 1, himachal pradesh university 3127, himalayan garhwal university 64, himgiri zee university 29, hindustan institute of technology and science 308, homi bhabha national institute 2547, homoeopathy university 22, icfai foundation for higher education, telangana 89, icfai university, dimapur nagaland 15, icfai university himachal pradesh 5, icfai university, jaipur 16, icfai university, jharkhand 45, icfai university, tripura 12, iec university 9, iftm university 297, iilm university, gurugram 7, iimt university, meerut 13, iis (deemed to be university) 410, i k gujral punjab technical university 831, ims unison university 13, indian institute of engineering science and technology, shibpur 436, indian institute of foreign trade 62, indian institute of information technology, allahabad 204, indian institute of information technology, design and manufacturing, iiitdm jabalpur 144, indian institute of information technology design & manufacturing kancheepuram 70, indian institute of information technology dharwad 2, indian institute of information technology guwahati 21, indian institute of information technology nagpur 3, indian institute of informationtechnology, vadodara 1, indian institute of management ahmedabad 15, indian institute of management bangalore 47, indian institute of management (iim),indore 38, indian institute of management kashipur 21, indian institute of management kozhikode 27, indian institute of management lucknow 104, indian institute of management mumbai (formerly nitie) 68, indian institute of management raipur 44, indian institute of management rohtak 6, indian institute of management shillong 16, indian institute of management udaipur 1, indian institute of science bangalore 1207, indian institute of science education and research (iiser) bhopal 9, indian institute of science education and research (iiser) mohali 318, indian institute of science education and research (iiser) pune 506, indian institute of science education and research (iiser) thiruvananthapuram 208, indian institute of science education and research kolkata 105, indian institute of space science and technology 164, indian institute of teacher education 6, indian institute of technology bhilai 8, indian institute of technology bhubaneswar 76, indian institute of technology bombay 1635, indian institute of technology delhi 1260, indian institute of technology dharwad 9, indian institute of technology gandhinagar 39, indian institute of technology goa 2, indian institute of technology guwahati 2449, indian institute of technology hyderabad 290, indian institute of technology iit (bhu), varanasi 984, indian institute of technology indore 393, indian institute of technology (ism), dhanbad 934, indian institute of technology jammu 20, indian institute of technology jodhpur 149, indian institute of technology kanpur 1, indian institute of technology kharagpur 735, indian institute of technology madras 1469, indian institute of technology mandi 246, indian institute of technology palakkad 16, indian institute of technology patna 148, indian institute of technology roorkee 357, indian institute of technology ropar 175, indian institute of technology tirupati 11, indian maritime university 1, indian school of mines 53, indian veterinary research institute, izatnagar 325, indira gandhi delhi technical university for women 58, indira gandhi institute of development research 104, indira gandhi national open university ignou 906, indira gandhi national tribal university, amarkantak 155, indira gandhi university meerpur,rewari 43, indira kala sangeet vishwavidyalaya 132, indraprastha institute of information technology, delhi (iiit-delhi) 130, indrashil university 4, indus international university 7, indus university 37, institute of advanced research, gandhinagar 14, institute of advanced studies in education (iase) 175, institute of chemical technnology, mumbai 90, institute of infrastructure technology research and management 29, institute of trans-disciplinary health science & technology 32, integral university 601, international institute for population sciences iips 366, international institute of information technology bangalore 66, international institute of information technology, hyderabad 185, international management institute 9, international management institute kolkata 2, invertis university, bareily 1, isbr business school 1, islamic university of science and technology 42, itm university, gwalior 28, jadavpur university 3948, jagadguru ramanadacharya rajasthan sanskrit university 2, jagannath university 209, jagannath university, jhajjar 37, jagran lakecity university 31, jai narain vyas university 560, jain university 754, jain vishwa bharati university 246, jai prakash vishwavidyalaya 3, jaipur national university 334, jamia hamdard university 921, jamia milia islamia university 2463, janardan rai nagar rajasthan vidhyapeeth 1, jawaharlal nehru architecture and fine arts university 5, jawaharlal nehru centre for advanced scientific research 33, jawaharlal nehru technological university, anantapuram 1290, jawaharlal nehru technological university, hyderabad 1450, jawaharlal nehru technological university, kakinada 310, jawaharlal nehru university 6831, jayoti vidyapeeth women s university 308, jaypee institute of information technology 324, jaypee university of engineering & technology, guna 121, jaypee university of information technology, solan 274, j. c. bose university of science and technology, ymca, faridabad 63, jecrc university 87, jharkhand rai university 48, jis university, kolkata 16, jiwaji university 2261, jk lakshmipat university 22, jodhpur national university 2, jss academy of higher education & research 396, jss science and technology university, mysuru 13, j.s. university, shikohabad 4, junagadh agricultural university 1, kadi sarva vishwavidyalaya 581, kakatiya university, warangal 506, kalasalingam university 384, kalinga institute of social sciences (kiss) 8, kalinga university 238, kameshwara singh darbhanga sanskrit vishwavidyalaya, darbhanga 3, kannada university 101, kannur university 872, karnataka samskrit university 60, karnataka state law university 8, karnataka state open university 17, karnataka state womens university 285, karnataka veterinary, animal and fisheries sciences university 102, karnatak university 4984, karnavati university 9, karpagam university 298, karunya university 582, kavayitri bahinabai chaudhari north maharashtra university 1256, kavikulaguru kalidas sanskrit university 140, kazi nazrul university 18, kerala university of health sciences 1, khwaja moinuddin chishti urdu, arabi-farsi university 16, kiit university 1044, king george medical university 21, kle technological university 7, kle university 187, kolhan university 25, koneru lakshmaiah education foundation 814, krantiguru shyamji krishna verma kachchh university 124, krea university 1, krishna institute of medical sciences, deemed to be university karad 68, krishna kanta handiqui state open university 33, krishna university, machilipatnam 69, k.r. mangalam university, gurgaon 79, kumaun university 1719, kurukshetra university 1424, kushabhau thakre patrakarita avam jansanchar vishwavidyalaya 6, kuvempu university 1377, lakshmibai national university of physical education 212, lakulish yoga university 19, lalit narayan mithila university 6858, lingayas vidyapeeth 87, lnct university 125, lovely professional university 725, madan mohan malaviya university of technology 87, madhav university 234, madhyanchal professional university 3, madhya pradesh bhoj (open) university 9, madurai kamaraj university 5820, magadh university 15, mahapurusha srimanta sankaradeva viswavidyalaya 37, maharaja agrasen university 41, maharaja ganga singh university 2273, maharaja krishnakumarsinhji bhavnagar university 1506, maharaja ranjit singh punjab technical university 19, maharaja sayajirao university of baroda 4044, maharaja sriram chandra bhanja deo university 16, maharaja vinayak global university 102, maharana pratap university of agriculture and technology 157, maharashtra animal and fishery sciences university 17, maharashtra national law university nagpur 5, maharashtra university of health sciences 218, maharishi markandeshwar university, mullana 484, maharishi markandeshwar university, sadopur (ambala) 27, maharishi university of information technology 45, maharshi dayanand saraswati university 207, maharshi dayanand university 4588, mahatma gandhi antarrashtriya hindi vishwavidyalaya 254, mahatma gandhi chitrakoot gramodaya vishwavidyalaya 143, mahatma gandhi kashi vidyapith 4971, mahatma gandhi univeristy of medical sciences & technnology , jaipur 35, mahatma gandhi university 3824, mahatma gandhi university, nalgonda 10, mahatma jyotiba phule rohilkhand university 1606, makhanlal chaturvedi national university of journalism and communication, bhopal 22, malaviya national institute of technology jaipur 361, malwanchal university, indore 41, management development institute gurgaon 25, manav rachna international institute of research and studies 220, manav rachna university 45, mandsaur university 51, mangalayatan university 122, mangalore university 1994, manipal academy of higher education 1649, manipal university jaipur 296, manipur university 1756, manonmaniam sundaranar university 7341, martin luther christian university 44, marwadi university 14, mats university 82, maulana abul kalam azad university of technology 81, maulana azad national institute of technology bhopal 282, maulana azad national urdu university 389, m.b.m. university 13, medi caps university, indore 23, meenakshi academy of higher education and research 168, mewar university 335, mgm institute of health sciences 132, mica, ahmedabad 25, mit-adt university, pune 50, mizoram university 782, mody university of science and technology 119, mohammad ali jauhar university 4, mohan lal sukhadia university 1017, monad university 36, mother teresa womens university 1067, motilal nehru national institute of technology 556, m s ramaiah university of applied sciences 63, mvn university,palwal 65, nagaland university 513, narsee monjee institute of management studies 277, national brain research centre 93, national institute of educational planning and administration (niepa) 29, national institute of fashion technology delhi 29, national institute of food technology entrepreneurship and management - niftem (k)kundli 19, national institute of food technology entrepreneurship and management thanjavur (niftem-t) 20, national institute of pharmaceutical education and research, ahmedabad 26, national institute of pharmaceutical education and research, guwahati 20, national institute of pharmaceutical education and research, hajipur 11, national institute of pharmaceutical education and research, hyderabad 41, national institute of pharmaceutical education and research kolkata 14, national institute of pharmaceutical education and research, raebareli 6, national institute of technology agartala 162, national institute of technology arunachal pradesh 54, national institute of technology calicut 228, national institute of technology delhi 62, national institute of technology durgapur 158, national institute of technology goa 49, national institute of technology hamirpur 87, national institute of technology jamshedpur 110, national institute of technology karnataka 494, national institute of technology,kurukshetra 158, national institute of technology manipur 72, national institute of technology mizoram 34, national institute of technology nagaland 11, national institute of technology (nit) meghalaya 91, national institute of technology (nit), warangal 555, national institute of technology patna 326, national institute of technology puducherry 27, national institute of technology raipur 163, national institute of technology, rourkela 398, national institute of technology sikkim 18, national institute of technology silchar 69, national institute of technology srinagar 170, national institute of technology tiruchirappalli 235, national institute of technology uttarakhand 30, national law institute university, bhopal 8, national law school of india university 48, national law university and judicial academy, guwahati 9, national law university, delhi 37, national law university, odisha 12, national museum institute of hisotry of art conservation and musicology 2, national sanskrit university 46, navrachana university 23, nehru gram bharati university 155, netaji subhas open university 1, netaji subhas university of technology 9, niit university 15, nims university rajasthan 264, nirma university 371, nitte university 89, noida international university 76, noorul islam centre for higher education 351, north-eastern hill university 2670, north eastern regional institute of science and technology (nerist) 91, odisha university of agriculture and technology 160, om sterling global university 73, o.p. jindal university 6, opjs university 21, oriental university 90, osmania university 1473, pacific university 2283, padmashree dr. d.y. patil vidyapeeth, navi mumbai 64, pandit deendayal petroleum university 169, pandit s. n. shukla university, shahdol 7, parul university 172, patna university 320, peoples university, bhopal 7, periyar maniammai university 157, periyar university 3145, pes university 18, pondicherry university 2509, poornima university 73, potti sreeramulu telugu university 1, p p savani university 3, pravara institute of medical sciences 45, presidency university 98, presidency university, karnataka 141, prist university 86, pt. ravishankar shukla university 2911, pt. sundarlal sharma open university bilaspur 250, punjab engineering college (deemed to be university) 58, punjabi university 3092, rabindra bharati university 416, rabindranath tagore university, bhopal 234, raffles university 16, raiganj university 166, rai university 308, rajasthan technical university, kota 132, rajiv gandhi institute of petroleum technology 37, rajiv gandhi national institute of youth development 7, rajiv gandhi national university of law punjab 29, rajiv gandhi proudyogiki vishwavidyalaya 576, rajiv gandhi university 645, rama devi womens university 7, ramakrishna mission vivekananda educational and research institute 222, ramakrishna mission vivekananda university 1, rama university, uttar pradesh 74, ramchandra chandravansi university 3, ranchi university 30, rani channamma university 102, rani durgavati vishwavidyalaya 355, rashtrasant tukadoji maharaj nagpur university 298, rashtriya raksha university 19, ravenshaw university 485, rayat bahra university, mohali 16, regional centre for biotechnology 1, reva university 219, rimt university 32, rkdf university 114, rk university 280, rnb global university 1, sage university, indore 74, sai nath university 70, sambalpur university 1761, sam higginbottom institute of agriculture, technology and sciences 439, sampurnanand sanskrit vishwavidhyalaya 3, sanchi university of buddhist-indic studies, bhopal 6, sandip university 10, sangam university 62, sanjay gandhi post graduate institute of medical sciences, lucknow 12, sanjay ghodawat university 2, sankalchand patel university 54, sanskriti university 38, sant baba bhag singh university 36, sant gadge baba amravati university 2794, sant longowal institute of engineering and technology 302, santosh deemed to be university 104, sardarkrushinagar dantiwada agricultural university 0, sardar patel university 3311, sardar vallabhbhai national institute of technology surat 392, sarvepalli radhakrishnan university 139, sastra university 553, satavahana university 6, sathyabama institute of science and technology 422, saurashtra university 3273, saveetha university 813, school of planning and architecture, bhopal 20, school of planning and architecture, new delhi 49, school of planning and architecture vijayawada 10, seacom skills university 107, sgt university 84, sharda university 215, sher-e-kashmir university of agricultural sciences and technology of jammu 135, shivaji university 4872, shiv nadar university 167, shobhit university, gangoh 29, shobhit university, meerut 166, shoolini university of biotechnology and management sciences 509, shree somnath sanskrit university 100, shri guru ram rai university 52, shri jagdishprasad jhabarmal tibarewala university 3638, shri khushal das university 106, shri lal bahadur shastri national sanskrit university 545, shri mata vaishno devi university 221, shri ramswaroop memorial university 142, shri vaishnav vidyapeeth vishwavidyalaya 47, shri venkateshwara university, uttar pradesh 2, shyam university 2, sidho kanho birsha university 105, sido kanhu murmu university 3, sikkim manipal university 87, sikkim university 202, siksha "o" anusandhan university 552, singhania university 23, sir padampat singhania university 72, sndt womens university 1254, solapur university 267, south asian university 2, s. p. jain institute of management and research 1, sree sankaracharya university of sanskrit 717, sri balaji vidyapeeth 47, sri chandrasekharendra saraswathi viswa mahavidyalaya 417, sri devaraj urs academy of higher education and research 43, sri guru granth sahib world university 84, sri guru ram das university of health sciences 9, sri krishnadevaraya university 3434, srinivas university 10, sri padmavathi womens university 237, sri ramachandra institute of higher education and research 356, sri sai university 2, sri sathya sai institute of higher learning 110, sri satya sai university of technology & medical sciences 77, sri siddhartha academy of higher education 54, sri sri university 17, sri venkateswara institute of medical sciences 21, sri venkateswara university 5376, srm institute of science and technology 1503, srm university- ap 21, srm university, delhi-ncr, sonepat 83, st. joseph university, dimapur 3, st. peter’s institute of higher education and research 273, sumandeep vidyapeeth deemed to be university 33, sunrise university 5, suresh gyan vihar university 385, sushant university (earlier ansal university) 55, swami rama himalayan university 14, swami ramanand teerth marathwada university 5564, swami vivekanad subharti university 178, swami vivekananda yoga anusandhana sansthana 142, swami vivekanand university 80, swarnim gujarat sports university 7, symbiosis international university 505, tamil nadu agricultural university 1409, tamil nadu dr. ambedkar law university 59, tamil nadu open university 47, tamilnadu physical education and sports university 248, tamil nadu teachers education university, chennai 203, tamil nadu veterinary and animal sciences university 59, tamil university 161, tantia university 240, tata institute of fundamental research 954, tata institute of social sciences 583, techno india university 4, teerthanker mahaveer university 131, teri school of advanced studies 138, tezpur university 882, thapar institute of engineering and technology 1118, the assam kaziranga university 5, the assam royal global university 10, the charutar vidya mandal cvm university 5, the english & foreign languages university, hyderabad 786, the gandhigram rural institute 1353, the icfai university, dehradun 42, the iihmr university, jaipur 35, the indian law institute, new delhi 19, the lnm institute of information technology 28, the national academy of legal studies and research (nalsar) university of law 49, the national university of advanced legal studies 4, the neotia university 4, the northcap university 107, the tamil nadu dr. m.g.r. medical university 390, the university of burdwan 3079, the west bengal national university of juridical sciences 32, thiruvalluvar university 289, thunchath ezhuthachan malayalam university 16, tilak maharashtra vidyapeeth 906, tilka manjhi bhagalpur university 268, tripura university 426, tumkur university 299, uka tarsadia university 110, university of agricultural sciences, bangalore 411, university of agricultural sciences, dharwad 278, university of agricultural sciences, raichur 63, university of allahabad 2467, university of calicut 2210, university of delhi 5299, university of engineering and management, kolkata 15, university of gour banga 12, university of hyderabad 2600, university of jammu 1198, university of kalyani 2836, university of kashmir 1890, university of kerala 6594, university of kota 111, university of lucknow 1979, university of mysore 4196, university of north bengal 2066, university of patanjali 26, university of petroleum and energy studies (upes) 398, university of rajasthan 1810, university of science and technology, meghalaya 85, u.p. pt. deen dayal upadhyaya pashu chikitsa vigyan vishwavidhyalaya evam go anusandha sansthan 9, u p rajarshi tondon open university 336, usha martin university 12, utkal university 5638, uttarakhand open university 18, uttarakhand sanskrit university 54, uttarakhand technical university 271, uttaranchal university 72, vardhaman mahaveer open university, kota 21, v. b. s. purvanchal university 9001, veer kunwar singh university, arrah 17, veer narmad south gujarat university 3301, veer surendra sai university of technology 154, vellore institute of technology bhopal 2, vellore institute of technology, vellore 2247, vellore institute of technology (vit-ap) 52, vels university 785, vel tech rangarajan dr. sagunthala r&d institute of science and technology 229, vidyasagar university 849, vignans foundation for science technology and research 204, vijayanagara sri krishnadevaraya university, bellary 131, vikram university 95, vinayaka missions research foundation 361, vinoba bhave university 211, vishwakarma university 21, visva bharti university 1479, visvesvaraya national institute of technology 263, visvesvaraya technological university, belagavi 1048, vivekananda global university 73, william carey university 1, xim university 21, yashwantrao chavan maharashtra open university 330, ybn university 32, yenepoya (deemed to be university) 135, yogi vemana university 86, about shodhshuddhi.

Based on the recommendation of Sub-Committee, National Steering Committee (NSC) of e-ShodhSindhu, The Ministry of Education, Govt. of India has initiated a programme "ShodhShuddhi" which provides access to Plagiarism Detection Software (PDS) to all universities/Institutions in India since Sept 1, 2019 [Read More...]

Under this initiative, URKUND a Web Based Plagiarism Detection Software system is being provided to all users of universities/Intuitions in the country. This initiative is formally launched by Honorable Minister of HRD (now renamed as Minister of Education) on September 21, 2019

The INFLIBNET Centre receives numerous queries from Colleges regarding membership to Shodhganga and e-ShodhSindhu. Following clarifications are being provided in this regard: Read More.

Full Text Theses

Synopses/mrps/pdfs/fellowships, universities contributing, universities+cftis/inis signed mou, prof devika p madalli, sh. manoj kumar k, general / technical query, antiplagiarism query.

Graph

The Shodhganga@INFLIBNET Centre provides a platform for research students to deposit their Ph.D. theses and make it available to the entire scholarly community in open access. The repository has the ability to capture, index, store, disseminate and preserve ETDs submitted by the researchers. [Read l]

medical research papers free download

  • Newsletters

OpenAI teases an amazing new generative video model called Sora

The firm is sharing Sora with a small group of safety testers but the rest of us will have to wait to learn more.

  • Will Douglas Heaven archive page

OpenAI has built a striking new generative video model called Sora that can take a short text description and turn it into a detailed, high-definition film clip up to a minute long.

Based on four sample videos that OpenAI shared with MIT Technology Review ahead of today’s announcement, the San Francisco–based firm has pushed the envelope of what’s possible with text-to-video generation (a hot new research direction that we flagged as a trend to watch in 2024 ).

“We think building models that can understand video, and understand all these very complex interactions of our world, is an important step for all future AI systems,” says Tim Brooks, a scientist at OpenAI.

But there’s a disclaimer. OpenAI gave us a preview of Sora (which means sky in Japanese) under conditions of strict secrecy. In an unusual move, the firm would only share information about Sora if we agreed to wait until after news of the model was made public to seek the opinions of outside experts. [Editor’s note: We’ve updated this story with outside comment below.] OpenAI has not yet released a technical report or demonstrated the model actually working. And it says it won’t be releasing Sora anytime soon. [ Update: OpenAI has now shared more technical details on its website.]

The first generative models that could produce video from snippets of text appeared in late 2022. But early examples from Meta , Google, and a startup called Runway were glitchy and grainy. Since then, the tech has been getting better fast. Runway’s gen-2 model, released last year, can produce short clips that come close to matching big-studio animation in their quality. But most of these examples are still only a few seconds long.  

The sample videos from OpenAI’s Sora are high-definition and full of detail. OpenAI also says it can generate videos up to a minute long. One video of a Tokyo street scene shows that Sora has learned how objects fit together in 3D: the camera swoops into the scene to follow a couple as they walk past a row of shops.

OpenAI also claims that Sora handles occlusion well. One problem with existing models is that they can fail to keep track of objects when they drop out of view. For example, if a truck passes in front of a street sign, the sign might not reappear afterward.  

In a video of a papercraft underwater scene, Sora has added what look like cuts between different pieces of footage, and the model has maintained a consistent style between them.

It’s not perfect. In the Tokyo video, cars to the left look smaller than the people walking beside them. They also pop in and out between the tree branches. “There’s definitely some work to be done in terms of long-term coherence,” says Brooks. “For example, if someone goes out of view for a long time, they won’t come back. The model kind of forgets that they were supposed to be there.”

Impressive as they are, the sample videos shown here were no doubt cherry-picked to show Sora at its best. Without more information, it is hard to know how representative they are of the model’s typical output.   

It may be some time before we find out. OpenAI’s announcement of Sora today is a tech tease, and the company says it has no current plans to release it to the public. Instead, OpenAI will today begin sharing the model with third-party safety testers for the first time.

In particular, the firm is worried about the potential misuses of fake but photorealistic video . “We’re being careful about deployment here and making sure we have all our bases covered before we put this in the hands of the general public,” says Aditya Ramesh, a scientist at OpenAI, who created the firm’s text-to-image model DALL-E .

But OpenAI is eyeing a product launch sometime in the future. As well as safety testers, the company is also sharing the model with a select group of video makers and artists to get feedback on how to make Sora as useful as possible to creative professionals. “The other goal is to show everyone what is on the horizon, to give a preview of what these models will be capable of,” says Ramesh.

To build Sora, the team adapted the tech behind DALL-E 3, the latest version of OpenAI’s flagship text-to-image model. Like most text-to-image models, DALL-E 3 uses what’s known as a diffusion model. These are trained to turn a fuzz of random pixels into a picture.

Sora takes this approach and applies it to videos rather than still images. But the researchers also added another technique to the mix. Unlike DALL-E or most other generative video models, Sora combines its diffusion model with a type of neural network called a transformer.

Transformers are great at processing long sequences of data, like words. That has made them the special sauce inside large language models like OpenAI’s GPT-4 and Google DeepMind’s Gemini . But videos are not made of words. Instead, the researchers had to find a way to cut videos into chunks that could be treated as if they were. The approach they came up with was to dice videos up across both space and time. “It’s like if you were to have a stack of all the video frames and you cut little cubes from it,” says Brooks.

The transformer inside Sora can then process these chunks of video data in much the same way that the transformer inside a large language model processes words in a block of text. The researchers say that this let them train Sora on many more types of video than other text-to-video models, varied in terms of resolution, duration, aspect ratio, and orientation. “It really helps the model,” says Brooks. “That is something that we’re not aware of any existing work on.”

“From a technical perspective it seems like a very significant leap forward,” says Sam Gregory, executive director at Witness, a human rights organization that specializes in the use and misuse of video technology. “But there are two sides to the coin,” he says. “The expressive capabilities offer the potential for many more people to be storytellers using video. And there are also real potential avenues for misuse.” 

OpenAI is well aware of the risks that come with a generative video model. We are already seeing the large-scale misuse of deepfake images . Photorealistic video takes this to another level.

Gregory notes that you could use technology like this to misinform people about conflict zones or protests. The range of styles is also interesting, he says. If you could generate shaky footage that looked like something shot with a phone, it would come across as more authentic.

The tech is not there yet, but generative video has gone from zero to Sora in just 18 months. “We’re going to be entering a universe where there will be fully synthetic content, human-generated content and a mix of the two,” says Gregory.

The OpenAI team plans to draw on the safety testing it did last year for DALL-E 3. Sora already includes a filter that runs on all prompts sent to the model that will block requests for violent, sexual, or hateful images, as well as images of known people. Another filter will look at frames of generated videos and block material that violates OpenAI’s safety policies.

OpenAI says it is also adapting a fake-image detector developed for DALL-E 3 to use with Sora. And the company will embed industry-standard C2PA tags , metadata that states how an image was generated, into all of Sora’s output. But these steps are far from foolproof. Fake-image detectors are hit-or-miss. Metadata is easy to remove, and most social media sites strip it from uploaded images by default.  

“We’ll definitely need to get more feedback and learn more about the types of risks that need to be addressed with video before it would make sense for us to release this,” says Ramesh.

Brooks agrees. “Part of the reason that we’re talking about this research now is so that we can start getting the input that we need to do the work necessary to figure out how it could be safely deployed,” he says.

Update 2/15: Comments from Sam Gregory were added .

Artificial intelligence

Ai for everything: 10 breakthrough technologies 2024.

Generative AI tools like ChatGPT reached mass adoption in record time, and reset the course of an entire industry.

What’s next for AI in 2024

Our writers look at the four hot trends to watch out for this year

  • Melissa Heikkilä archive page

Google’s Gemini is now in everything. Here’s how you can try it out.

Gmail, Docs, and more will now come with Gemini baked in. But Europeans will have to wait before they can download the app.

Deploying high-performance, energy-efficient AI

Investments into downsized infrastructure can help enterprises reap the benefits of AI while mitigating energy consumption, says corporate VP and GM of data center platform engineering and architecture at Intel, Zane Ball.

  • MIT Technology Review Insights archive page

Stay connected

Get the latest updates from mit technology review.

Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.

Thank you for submitting your email!

It looks like something went wrong.

We’re having trouble saving your preferences. Try refreshing this page and updating them one more time. If you continue to get this message, reach out to us at [email protected] with a list of newsletters you’d like to receive.

This paper is in the following e-collection/theme issue:

Published on 20.2.2024 in Vol 26 (2024)

Comparing the Effectiveness of the Blended Delivery Mode With the Face-to-Face Delivery Mode of Smoking Cessation Treatment: Noninferiority Randomized Controlled Trial

Authors of this article:

Author Orcid Image

Original Paper

  • Lutz Siemer 1, 2, 3 , PhD   ; 
  • Marcel E Pieterse 2 , PhD   ; 
  • Somaya Ben Allouch 4, 5 , PhD   ; 
  • Marloes G Postel 3 , PhD   ; 
  • Marjolein G J Brusse-Keizer 6, 7 , PhD  

1 School of Social Work, Saxion University of Applied Sciences, Enschede, Netherlands

2 Department of Psychology, Health and Technology, Centre for eHealth & Well-being Research - Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences, University of Twente, Enschede, Netherlands

3 Research Group Technology, Health & Care, Saxion University of Applied Sciences, Enschede, Netherlands

4 Digital Life Research Group, Amsterdam University of Applied Science, Amsterdam, Netherlands

5 Digital Interactions Lab (DIL), Informatics Institute, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands

6 Medical School Twente, Medisch Spectrum Twente, Enschede, Netherlands

7 Health Technology & Services Research, Technical Medical (TechMed) Centre, University of Twente, Enschede, Netherlands

Corresponding Author:

Lutz Siemer, PhD

School of Social Work

Saxion University of Applied Sciences

M. H. Tromplaan 28

Enschede, 7513 AB

Netherlands

Phone: 31 657459469

Email: [email protected]

Background: Tobacco consumption is a leading cause of death and disease, killing >8 million people each year. Smoking cessation significantly reduces the risk of developing smoking-related diseases. Although combined treatment for addiction is promising, evidence of its effectiveness is still emerging. Currently, there is no published research comparing the effectiveness of blended smoking cessation treatments (BSCTs) with face-to-face (F2F) treatments, where web-based components replace 50% of the F2F components in blended treatment.

Objective: The primary objective of this 2-arm noninferiority randomized controlled trial was to determine whether a BSCT is noninferior to an F2F treatment with identical ingredients in achieving abstinence rates.

Methods: This study included 344 individuals who smoke (at least 1 cigarette per day) attending an outpatient smoking cessation clinic in the Netherlands. The participants received either a blended 50% F2F and 50% web-based BSCT or only F2F treatment with similar content and intensity. The primary outcome measure was cotinine-validated abstinence rates from all smoking products at 3 and 15 months after treatment initiation. Additional measures included carbon monoxide–validated point prevalence abstinence; self-reported point prevalence abstinence; and self-reported continuous abstinence rates at 3, 6, 9, and 15 months after treatment initiation.

Results: None of the 13 outcomes showed statistically confirmed noninferiority of the BSCT, whereas 4 outcomes showed significantly ( P <.001) inferior abstinence rates of the BSCT: cotinine-validated point prevalence abstinence rate at 3 months (difference 12.7, 95% CI 6.2-19.4), self-reported point prevalence abstinence rate at 6 months (difference 19.3, 95% CI 11.5-27.0) and at 15 months (difference 11.7, 95% CI 5.8-17.9), and self-reported continuous abstinence rate at 6 months (difference 13.8, 95% CI 6.8-20.8). The remaining 9 outcomes, including the cotinine-validated point prevalence abstinence rate at 15 months, were inconclusive.

Conclusions: In this high-intensity outpatient smoking cessation trial, the blended mode was predominantly less effective than the traditional F2F mode. The results contradict the widely assumed potential benefits of blended treatment and suggest that further research is needed to identify the critical factors in the design of blended interventions.

Trial Registration: Netherlands Trial Register 27150; https://onderzoekmetmensen.nl/nl/trial/27150

International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID): RR2-doi.org/10.1186/s12889-016-3851-x

Introduction

Tobacco’s global impact.

According to the World Health Organization [ 1 ], the tobacco epidemic is one of the biggest public health threats the world has ever faced: tobacco kills up to half of its consumers, which means >8 million people every year. Of these, >7 million deaths are because of direct tobacco consumption, whereas approximately 1.2 million are because of the exposure of nonsmokers to passive smoking [ 1 ]. The economic costs of tobacco consumption are considerable and include significant health costs of treating the disease caused by tobacco consumption and the loss of human capital through the morbidity and mortality attributable to tobacco consumption [ 1 ]. Smoking addiction is more prevalent in specific, often susceptible subpopulations, such as individuals in lower education or socioeconomic groups [ 2 ]. Approximately 80% of the world’s 1.1 billion smokers live in low- and middle-income countries, where the burden of tobacco-related diseases and deaths is the highest [ 1 ].

Smoking Cessation Progress

People who stop smoking greatly reduce their risk of disease and early death [ 3 ] and will have major immediate and long-term health benefits [ 4 , 5 ]. Among smokers who are aware of the dangers of tobacco and the benefits of quitting, most want to quit [ 1 ]. Compared with quitting without professional support, smoking cessation treatment can more than double the success rates of quitting attempts [ 1 ]; this ultimately results—for treatments comparable with those in this study—in estimated point prevalence abstinence rates of 28.4% (95% CI 21.3-35.5) for treatments with a total amount of contact time of 91 to 300 minutes and of 24.7% (95% CI 21.0-28.4) for treatments with >8 person-to-person treatment sessions (both intention-to-treat [ITT]; 6 months after the quit date [ 6 ]). Previous research in the hospital smoking cessation clinic where this study was conducted showed a 19% abstinence rate for comparable treatment in the target group of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at the 12-month follow-up [ 7 ].

Blended Treatment Evolution

In the past decades, a variety of effective interventions for smoking cessation have become available [ 8 , 9 ], including, more recently, eHealth services such as web-based interventions [ 10 , 11 ] or mobile phone–based interventions [ 12 , 13 ]. At present, traditional face-to-face (F2F) interventions, on the one hand, and both web-based and mobile phone–based interventions, on the other hand, are increasingly being developed into blended treatments. This development is consistent with the idea that blended treatment combines the best of both worlds [ 14 , 15 ], as the strengths of one type of treatment should compensate for the weaknesses of the other [ 14 - 21 ]. For example, personal attention from a professional in F2F treatment could compensate for the lack of personal contact in web-based treatment. In turn, one of the main features of web-based treatment is the possibility of being available anytime and anywhere, which could bridge the interval between sessions in F2F treatment.

A systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) by Erbe et al [ 17 ] on blended F2F and web-based interventions suggests that compared with stand-alone F2F therapy, blended therapy may save clinician time and lead to lower dropout rates and higher abstinence rates in patients with substance abuse. The authors concluded that for common mental health disorders, blended interventions are feasible and can be more effective than no-treatment controls, but more RCTs on the effectiveness of blended treatments compared with nonblended treatments are necessary.

Although promising, evidence available for blended deaddiction treatment is still emerging, addressing abuse of substances such as alcohol [ 22 ], cocaine, marijuana [ 23 ], or opioids [ 24 ]. For smoking cessation, we only found studies on the promising adjunctive use of smartphone apps with F2F contact [ 25 - 27 ]. To the best of our knowledge, there is no published research on the effectiveness of blended smoking cessation treatments (BSCTs) compared with F2F treatments, where in the blended treatment, the web-based components are not an adjunct but a substitute for specific F2F treatment components. Therefore, in this study, we present the results of an RCT comparing a blended 50% F2F and 50% web-based smoking cessation treatment with a traditional F2F treatment that was similar in content and intensity. The primary objective was to determine if a BSCT resulted in noninferior abstinence rates compared with an F2F treatment with identical ingredients. The rationale for choosing a noninferiority design was that we expected secondary benefits for the BSCT, such as lower costs, lower dropouts, and higher patient satisfaction, even if the BSCT only led to comparable abstinence rates.

This study reports the results of an unblinded 2-arm, parallel group, noninferiority RCT with 1:1 allocation using stratified randomization (nicotine dependency, internet skills, and quitting strategy).

The study was conducted at the outpatient smoking cessation clinic (Dutch: Stoppen met Roken Poli ) of the Medical Spectrum Twente Hospital in Enschede, the Netherlands. Enschede is a municipality and city in the east of the Netherlands with a population of 150,000 inhabitants. The estimated daily smoking prevalence in Enschede was 17.2% in 2017, which is approximately the same as the average (17.4%) in the Netherlands, which is one of the countries with the least number of smokers in Europe [ 28 ].

Trial Registration

The trial was registered in the Netherlands Trial Register on March 24, 2015 (Acronym: LiveSmokefree-Study; Title: Blended Smoking Cessation Treatment; new ID: NL5975; old ID: NTR5113), and a detailed protocol has been published previously [ 29 ].

Participants

We recruited participants between March 2015 and March 2019. The participants were self-referred to the treatment or were referred to the clinic by their general practitioner or hospital physician and were called by members of the research department to check for eligibility. Eligible participants were current daily smokers (eg, at least 1 cigarette, cigar, pipe, or e-cigarette per day [ 30 ]), those who were aged ≥18 years, those who had access to the internet (eg, email and websites), and those who were able to read and write Dutch. Eligible patients completed a questionnaire at the beginning of the study before being randomized.

Ethical Considerations

Consistent with the Dutch Medical Research Ethics Committee guidelines, this study was approved by the accredited Medical Research Ethics Committee Twente (P14-37/NL50944.044.14) and subsequently by the Board of Directors of Medisch Spectrum Twente Hospital. Before initiation, the trial was registered and a detailed protocol has been published previously [ 29 ].

A patient information letter outlining the burden of participation was distributed to all patients, and eligible patients attended an intake interview and signed a consent form.

We processed participants’ personal data in accordance with the Dutch Personal Data Protection Act. The data were collected in 2 ways as follows:

  • The data of the personal contacts were recorded on data collection forms and collected centrally at Medisch Spectrum Twente Hospital. The data manager of the study recorded all collected data in an Access 2007 (Microsoft Corp) database.
  • Most data were collected by Tactus Addiction Treatment, a regional addiction care organization with expertise in web-based treatment, using web-based questionnaires offered to both treatment groups.

Individual patients and caregivers had a log-in with a username and password secured by the Secure Sockets Layer. All data transferred between the patient’s PC and the application were encrypted and sent using the https protocol. All data were encrypted and stored on servers in secure data centers in the Netherlands. To further ensure data security, daily backups of the server were performed.

The participants did not receive any compensation for their participation in the study.

Interventions

The study interventions to be compared were a blended F2F treatment and web-based BSCT and an F2F treatment. Except for the differences in the mode of delivery (ie, F2F mode and web mode), both treatments had the same features as follows:

  • High-intensity treatment that comprised 10 sessions (20-minute contact time for each session, except for the first session, which lasts 50 minutes) and supportive pharmacotherapy, if needed, within a 6-month period with an expected quit date after about 3 months
  • Delivered by health care professionals in an outpatient cessation clinic
  • Concordant with the Dutch guidelines for tobacco addiction [ 31 ], fulfilling the requirements of the Dutch care module for smoking cessation [ 32 ]
  • Executed by counselors registered in the Dutch quality register of qualified smoking cessation counselors
  • Supporting 3 quitting strategies that patients could choose at the start of the treatment: (1) stop at once, (2) change gradually by increasing the number of daily activities that are performed smoke free, or (3) decrease smoking at regular intervals (eg, scheduled smoking reduction by 100%->75% and 75%->50%). The chosen quitting strategy did not generally influence the course of the treatment. The order, pace, duration, and intensity were the same for all strategies.

Both BSCT and F2F treatment covered 52 behavior change techniques (using behavior change technique taxonomy v1 of 93 hierarchically clustered techniques by Michie et al [ 33 ]) as shown in Table 1 .

a BSCT: blended smoking cessation treatment.

b F2F: face-to-face.

F2F treatment consisted of 10 F2F sessions delivered at an outpatient smoking cessation clinic. BSCT consisted of 5 F2F sessions at the outpatient clinic and 5 web-based sessions delivered via the web-based treatment platform Roken De Baas (which translates loosely as “in control of smoking”). During the RCT, the software had to be revised once, as the European General Data Protection Regulation became enforceable from May 25, 2018, which changed the appearance and handling but not the content of the interventions.

Both F2F treatment and BSCT consisted of counselor-dependent and counselor-independent components. The counselor-dependent web-based components of BSCT were interactive and relied on asynchronous communication (eg, email and SMS text messaging) between the counselor and patient. The counselor-independent components such as psychoeducational content or the smoking diary were used by the patients on their own and at their own time. In F2F treatment, these components were provided in a paper manual that clients took home. In BSCT, these components were accessible over the web. As such, both treatments were equivalent in terms of content and intensity. However, an additional benefit of BSCT was that the content of previous counselor-dependent components remained accessible as email and SMS text messaging correspondence saved on the web.

The characteristic feature of BSCT is an equal balance between F2F and web-based sessions, and the focus of the treatment was not supposed to be on the F2F mode or the web mode; in addition, there was a constantly alternating and interacting use of the F2F mode and web mode. Table 2 presents the order, timing, main features, duration, and modes of delivery of the treatment sessions for F2F treatment and BSCT. Although an even distribution was planned for BSCT with regard to the number of sessions, there was an uneven distribution for the duration of treatment because the first session (50 minutes of F2F mode) was longer than the remaining sessions (20 minutes of F2F mode or 20 minutes of web mode); therefore, BSCT patients spent 130 minutes in the F2F mode and 100 minutes in the web mode.

a F2F: face-to-face.

b BSCT: blended smoking cessation treatment.

c F2F mode: F2F sessions of BSCT.

d Web mode: web-based sessions of BSCT.

e CO: carbon monoxide.

f Cotinine measurement was only performed in patients who reported quitting smoking either in the 3-month follow-up questionnaire or during treatment to the counselor.

More information about both treatments can be found in the study protocol of the RCT [ 29 ] and in the description of the user experiences of BSCT [ 21 ]. The treatment fidelity of the counselors was not recorded. The adherence to the treatments was described elsewhere [ 34 , 35 ]; but, in brief, levels of adherence were comparable for BSCT and F2F treatment sessions. To provide an impression of the look and feel of the web interventions of BSCT, Multimedia Appendix 1 displays screenshots of the web-based sessions of BSCT.

For the primary objective (ie, effectiveness) of the analysis, the primary outcome for the ITT analysis of the treatments’ effectiveness in smoking cessation was the proportions of biochemically (ie, cotinine) validated point prevalence abstinence from all combustible tobacco products (eg, cigarettes, bags, cigars, and pipes) at 3 and 15 months after the start of the treatment. Additional outcomes were the proportions of carbon monoxide (CO)–validated point prevalence abstinence; self-reported point prevalence abstinence; and self-reported continuous abstinence at 3 (ie, shortly after the expected quit date), 6 (ie, end of treatment), and 9 and 15 (follow-up measurements) months. Applying the noninferiority margin justified in our protocol paper [ 29 ], BSCT was considered as noninferior if it resulted in abstinence rates that were <5% points lower than those of F2F treatment [ 29 ].

Measurements

Effectiveness.

Cotinine-validated and CO-validated abstinence measurements were used to measure biochemically validated point prevalence abstinence rates [ 36 - 38 ].

Cotinine measurement was performed at approximately the 3-month and 15-month follow-up (ie, shortly after the expected quit day, week 14; refer to Table 2 ) and at the 15-month follow-up only in patients who reported quitting either during the treatment to the counselor or in the 3-month or 15-month follow-up questionnaire. A 0.5 mL to 1 mL salivary sample was collected using a Salivette (Sarstedt AG and Co). Under supervision, patients chew on a cotton swab for 1 minute to stimulate the saliva flow rate. All saliva specimens were frozen until assayed and transported to the laboratory for the determination of cotinine levels using a gas chromatography technique. Abstinence was defined as having a salivary cotinine level <20 ng/mL [ 39 ].

The CO level was measured in all patients (independent of reporting quitting) at 3 months, at the last F2F treatment session at the hospital (for the BSCT group, the last F2F treatment session was at 5 months after the start of the treatment [week 22], and for the F2F treatment group, at 6 months after start of the treatment [week 26]; refer to Table 2 ), and in patients who reported quitting at 15 months together with the cotinine level. A breath CO level of 5 ppm was taken as the cutoff value between smokers and nonsmokers (≥5 ppm in smokers and <5 ppm in nonsmokers [ 40 ]). Breath CO levels were monitored using a piCO Smokerlyzer (Bedfont Instruments), a portable CO monitor.

Furthermore, self-reported point prevalence abstinence and self-reported continuous abstinence rates were measured at 3, 6, 9, and 15 months after treatment initiation. The measurement tool was a standardized questionnaire for Dutch tobacco research [ 30 ], which patients in both BSCT and F2F treatment completed over the web. Self-reported point prevalence abstinence rate was assessed by asking patients whether they had smoked ≥1 cigarette (eg, bags, cigars, and pipe) in the last 7 days, and the self-reported continuous abstinence rate was assessed by asking whether they had smoked since the current stop.

For each measurement during and after treatment, the participants were prompted twice via email and, in the absence of measurements, were additionally notified twice via telephone. If no measurement was available after 2 emails and 2 telephone calls, the participants were classified as lost to follow-up for the respective measurement and notified again for the next measurement.

Sample Size

For the RCT, we calculated the abstinence rates for 344 participants, assuming a long-term abstinence rate of 10% for those receiving F2F treatment [ 6 , 7 , 41 ] and—based on its expected benefits—15% for those receiving BSCT. If BSCT would lead to an abstinence rate not <5%, it would be considered as noninferior compared with F2F treatment. Therefore, 172 patients per group with a power of 80% and a Cronbach α of .025 were needed for this RCT (calculated using Power Analysis & Sample Size [NCSS Statistical Software]).

Randomization

We randomly allocated patients to either BSCT or F2F treatment using computerized randomization (Qminim Online Minimization). Randomization was performed at the individual level (allocation ratio 1:1). The minimization was stratified according to (1) the level of internet skills [ 42 ], (2) the level of nicotine dependence [ 30 ], and (3) the quitting strategy favored by the patient (eg, stop at once, gradual change, and scheduled reduced smoking; for details refer to the description in the Interventions section). The data used for minimization were collected using the baseline questionnaire, which was completed over the web by the patient after providing consent.

Owing to the nature of the treatment conditions, it was self-evidently impossible to blind the staff and patients involved in the study.

Statistical Methods

For both the BSCT group and the F2F treatment group, the patients’ demographic, smoking-related, and health-related characteristics at baseline were reported as means with SD for normally distributed continuous variables and as medians with IQR for nonnormally distributed continuous variables. Categorical variables were reported as numbers with corresponding percentages. To identify between-group differences, an independent 1-sided (1-tailed) t test or Mann-Whitney U test was performed as appropriate for continuous variables, and Pearson chi-square or Fisher exact test was performed for categorical variables.

As this was an ITT analysis, participants with missing data on smoking status were considered as smokers. The absolute and proportional abstinence rates in the treatment group were reported.

The noninferiority was analyzed by calculating the difference and the 95% CI of the observed difference in the abstinence rates and by comparing that to the previously defined noninferiority margin of 5% points [ 29 ]. In addition, the noninferiority analysis is illustrated in a forest chart.

To be able to compare the results of this study with those of other studies conducted using a more traditional RCT design, additional repeated measures analyses were conducted using generalized estimating equation to test for group, time, and group×time differences in abstinence rates.

All analyses were performed using the SPSS software (version 26.0; IBM Corp), except for the calculation of the CIs of the difference between abstinence rates, for which we used the web tool by VassarStats [ 43 ] for “The Confidence Interval For The Difference Between Two Independent Proportions.”

Participant Flow

Figure 1 shows the flow of participants throughout the study. A total of 344 patients were eligible for the study, provided written consent, and were randomized (smoking cessation treatment: BSCT, n=177; F2F treatment, n=177). Of 177 patients each in both groups, 167 (94.3%) patients of the BSCT group and all 177 (100%) of the F2F treatment group started treatment (ie, they received at least 1 session). Before the start of treatment, 151 (85.3%) of the 177 patients in the BSCT group and 175 (98.8%) of the 177 patients in the F2F treatment group completed the baseline questionnaire. Three months after starting treatment (ie, shortly after the expected quit date), of the 177 patients in the BSCT group, 14 (7.9%) who self-reported quitting were available for cotinine measurement, 68 (38.4%) were available for CO measurement, and 26 (14.6%) completed the follow-up questionnaire. Of the 177 patients in the F2F treatment group, 47 (26.5%) who reported quitting were available for cotinine measurement, 77 (43.5%) were available for CO measurement, and 47 (26.5%) completed the 3-month follow-up questionnaire. Of 177 patients in the BSCT group, 53 (29.9%) were available for the 5-month CO measurement and 18 (10.1%) completed the 6-month follow-up questionnaire. Of 177 patients in the F2F treatment group, 61 (34.4%) were available for the 6-month CO measurement and 53 (29.9%) completed the 6-month follow-up questionnaire. The 9-month follow-up questionnaire was completed by 20 (11.2%) patients of the BSCT group and 42 (23.7%) patients of the F2F treatment group. After 15 months of starting treatment, 9 (5.1%) of the 177 patients in the BSCT group who self-reported quitting were available for cotinine level measurement. A total of 16 (9%) patients in the BSCT group were available for CO level measurement and 7 (4%) completed the follow-up questionnaire. Of 177 patients in the F2F treatment group, 12 (6.8%) patients who reported quitting were available for cotinine level measurement, 15 (8.5%) were available for CO level measurement, and 31 (17.5%) completed the 15-month follow-up questionnaire.

medical research papers free download

Baseline Characteristics

Table 3 shows that the baseline characteristics, including demographic, smoking-related, and health-related characteristics, were comparable between the participants in both groups.

c VET: vocational education and training.

d Internet skills: range 10-60; higher numbers indicate better skills.

e Nicotine dependency (Fagerström): range 0-10; higher numbers indicate higher nicotine dependency.

f Negative attitude toward quitting: range −12 to 0; lower numbers indicate a more negative attitude toward quitting smoking.

g Positive attitude toward quitting: range 0-12; higher numbers indicate a more positive attitude toward quitting smoking.

h Self-efficacy: range −12 to 12; higher numbers indicate higher self-efficacy related to smoking cessation.

i Readiness to quit: range 0-4; higher numbers indicate higher readiness to quit.

j Social support: range 0-5; higher numbers indicate more social support in smoking cessation.

k Social modeling: range 0-8; higher numbers indicate more smokers in the social environment.

l Use of alcohol: range 0-4; 0=Never, 1=1 time per month, 2=2-4 times per month, 3=2-3 times per week, and 4=≥4 times per week.

m Health-related complaints: range 0-40; higher numbers indicate poorer health status.

n MAP HSS: Maudsley Addiction Profile Health Symptoms Scale.

o Smoking-related complaints: range 0-64; higher numbers indicate more smoking-related complaints.

p Health- and smoking-related complaints: range 0-104; higher numbers indicate poorer health status and more smoking-related complaints.

q Depression, anxiety and stress: range 0-42; higher numbers indicate a higher level of depression, anxiety and stress.

r DASS: sum score of depression, anxiety and stress (range 0-126; higher numbers indicate a more negative emotional status).

s EQ-5D-3L: societal-based quantification of the patients’ health status (range 0-1; higher numbers indicate better health status).

t EQ VAS: visual analog scale for quality of life (range 0-100, higher numbers indicate better state of health).

Table 4 shows the results of effectiveness measurements at 3, 5 or 6, 9, and 15 months after the start of treatment. The cotinine-validated point prevalence abstinence shortly after the expected stop day (ie, 3 months after the treatment initiation) showed a significantly lower and inferior abstinence rate in the BSCT group (4.8%) than in the F2F treatment group (17.5%; difference of 12.7, 95% CI 6.2-19.4; P <.001). The differences found in the 15-month cotinine level measurement (difference of 1.5, 95% CI −3.5 to 6.4) and in all CO level measurements at 3 months (difference of 2.5, 95% CI −6.9 to 11.8), 5 or 6 months (difference 3.7, 95% CI −4.0 to 11.4), and 15 months (difference 0.7, 95% CI −4.9 to 6.7) were not substantial and inconclusive in terms of inferiority.

c Data not available.

d CO: carbon monoxide.

e Answer “no” to the questionnaire question “Have you smoked one or more cigarettes (bags, cigars, pipe) in the last 7 days?”

f Answer “no” to the questionnaire question “Have you smoked since the stop?”

Furthermore, we observed significantly lower and inferior abstinence rates in the BSCT group for self-reported point prevalence abstinence at 5 or 6 months (BSCT 7.8% vs F2F treatment 27.1%; difference 19.3, 95% CI 11.5-27.0; P <.001), for self-reported point prevalence abstinence at 15 months (BSCT 3% vs F2F treatment 14.7%; difference 11.7, 95% CI 5.8-17.9; P <.001), and for self-reported continuous abstinence at 5 or 6 months (BSCT 6% vs F2F treatment 19.8%; difference 13.8, 95% CI 6.8-20.8; P <.001). Significantly lower—but in terms of inferiority, inconclusive—abstinence rates in the BSCT group were found for self-reported point prevalence abstinence at 9 months (BSCT 11.4% vs F2F treatment 22%; difference 10.7, 95% CI 2.8-18.4; P =.009) and for self-reported continuous abstinence at 15 months (BSCT 1.8% vs F2F treatment 11.3%; difference 9.5, 95% CI 4.4-15.1; P <.001).

Figure 2 presents the 95% CIs of the differences between BSCT and F2F treatment groups for all abstinence outcome measures by applying the 5% points noninferiority margin. The forest plot illustrates the inferiority of BSCT with cotinine-validated point prevalence abstinence at 3 months, self-reported point prevalence abstinence at 6 and 15 months, and self-reported continuous abstinence at 6 months. For the remaining outcomes, the forest plot shows inconclusive results.

medical research papers free download

The generalized estimating equation analysis showed significant differences ( P <.05) between both the groups with time and the group×time interaction for cotinine-validated point prevalence abstinence, self-reported point prevalence abstinence, and self-reported continuous abstinence rates. For the CO-validated point prevalence abstinence, a significant difference was found with time, but neither was there a difference between the groups nor a time×group interaction.

Principal Findings

This paper presents the results of an RCT comparing the effectiveness of a blended 50% F2F treatment and 50% web-based BSCT to F2F-only treatment with similar ingredients and intensity. Contrary to our expectations, the abstinence rates of the BSCT group were lower than those of the F2F group. For the primary outcome (ie, cotinine-validated point prevalence abstinence rate), applying the 5%-point noninferiority margin indicated inferiority of BSCT at 3 months, whereas the outcome at 15 months was inconclusive. Both results should be considered with caution as the statistical power to detect differences was limited owing to nonresponse. Furthermore, BSCT was found to be inferior in 3 of the secondary outcomes (ie, self-reported point prevalence abstinence rate, self-reported continuous abstinence rate at 6 months, and self-reported point prevalence abstinence rate at 15 months), whereas the remaining outcomes were inconclusive. Although most outcomes from the repeated measures analyses showed significantly lower abstinence rates for the blended treatment, all remaining outcomes were nonsignificant, further corroborating the inferiority of BSCT against F2F treatment.

Given that our results suggest that it is more likely that BSCT is inferior to F2F treatment, our study is not consistent with the higher abstinence rates reported in the literature [ 17 ] for blended treatments compared with F2F treatment. Explanations for this likely inferiority of BSCT require further study. As the patients’ demographic, smoking-related, and health-related characteristics were comparable in both treatment groups, these factors did not seem to play a role in this context. This also applies to adherence; as we found in previous analyses [ 35 ], adherence was comparable for both the groups. However, we know from qualitative analyses conducted as part of this RCT [ 21 ] that participants found the web-based components of BSCT to be rather unmotivating and not enjoyable, which may have resulted in BSCT patients making less use of the web-based components both during and after the treatment, and thus, may be a factor in the lower abstinence rates. The experience of patients in the BSCT suggests that the highly protocolized, equally balanced mix for blended treatment chosen in this study, with a fixed sequence of alternating F2F and web-based sessions, was too restrictive for blended treatment in practice [ 35 ], thus limiting tailoring to individual patient needs. Which intervention components should be offered when and in what form to achieve optimal treatment outcomes requires further investigation.

Furthermore, even if this cannot be supported by systematic observations and analyses, we believe that provider-related factors at the microlevel (eg, the treatment fidelity of counselors and therapist drift) and at the mesolevel (eg, the organization’s preexisting knowledge, routines, and leadership) should be considered more closely. A relevant factor could be that, in the development of BSCT, half of the counseling sessions of the F2F treatment established in the outpatient smoking cessation clinic were replaced by web-based tools from a web platform unfamiliar to the clinic and counselors. Therefore, counselors had half of their F2F intervention replaced and had to integrate the new web-based components into a new blended workflow. The preexisting routine and familiarity with the F2F treatment among counselors might have disadvantaged the quality of execution of the blended treatment. The normalization process theory [ 44 ] could provide valuable perspectives in this context. It posits that the unclear definition of BSCT’s meaningfulness (coherence) for counselors may have diminished their motivation and engagement (cognitive participation). Limited collective agency in BSCT’s implementation, owing to rigid protocols and insufficient reflective monitoring, may have further impeded its establishment in clinical practice. Understanding these barriers through targeted investigations could enhance the integration and efficacy of the BSCT.

Although not the focus of this analysis, we noticed that both treatments mostly showed lower abstinence rates than those reported in the literature for comparable treatments (ie, point prevalence abstinence rates of 28.4% for treatments with a total contact time of 91 to 300 minutes 6 months after the quit date [ 6 ]). At 9 months (ie, 6 months after the quit date), for F2F treatment, we found a self-reported point prevalence abstinence rate of 22% and a self-reported continuous abstinence rate of 13%. For BSCT, this rate was even lower with 11.4% for self-reported point prevalence abstinence and 7.8% for self-reported continuous abstinence. These relatively low abstinence rates could be because of the population characteristics (ie, patients in an outpatient smoking cessation clinic in a hospital context). Further analysis should investigate whether the sample differs from the general population in terms of known effectiveness predictors [ 45 ], such as, in this context, age, socioeconomic status, alcohol and drug use, health status, nicotine dependence, motivation to quit, or family status. However, a previous study by Christenhusz [ 7 ] in the same clinic with a comparable treatment for the specific target group of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease showed much higher cotinine-validated abstinence rates (19%) compared with F2F treatment (5.7%) and BSCT (4.2%) at the 12-month follow-up. A more plausible explanation for this is the high dropout rate and missing data in this study. As we applied the common penalized imputation procedure (assuming missing=smoking [ 46 , 47 ]) to deal with missing data in our analyses, imputed quit rates will decrease proportionally to dropout rates.

A final point to consider is that toward the end of the RCT, the software of the web platform had to be updated because of legal changes, which temporarily caused accessibility problems. However, as only a few patients were affected by this and only toward the end of the RCT, these had no relevant influence on the results of this study.

Although blended treatment appears promising and reflects today’s digitalization of the lifestyle of patients and health care professionals [ 14 , 15 ], not every realization of blended treatment is automatically an improvement. This also underscores the need to answer the question Greenhalgh et al [ 48 ] raised earlier: “What explains the success of a blended treatment in one context and the failure of a comparable blended treatment in another context?” The likely inferiority of BSCT in this study indicates that the current realization of BSCT will have to be reconsidered, which may involve aspects such as the optimal balance and mix of F2F and web-based components or the use of synchronous versus asynchronous counseling within web-based components. Such a redesign process can be supported by an analysis using the normalization process theory [ 44 ] and guided by an eHealth development model such as the Center for eHealth Research Road map [ 49 ]; the nonadoption, abandonment, scale-up, spread, and sustainability framework [ 48 ]; or more practically by the “Fit for Blended Care” instrument [ 15 ], which is intended to support therapists and patients in deciding whether and how blended care can be established.

For the generalization of the results, it should be noted that this analysis referred to a hospital context and a blended treatment with a strict 50:50 ratio of web-based and F2F interventions. For example, hospital patients could be expected to have a higher disease burden and, possibly, owing to age, a lower eHealth literacy than the general population. The question arises whether the results would have been different in a healthier, younger population. In addition, as mentioned above, a fixed 50:50 ratio of web-based and F2F interventions was defined for BSCT, which did not consider the individual needs of patients or counselors. A blended treatment that is better tailored to the needs, characteristics, and skills of both the patients and the counselors could have led to better results [ 15 ]. We know from an earlier study by Siemer et al [ 21 ] that patients would have preferred to use a smartphone app instead of a web platform, for example, or that they would have liked to be free to choose the ratio and sequence of F2F and web-based interventions.

Limitations

A major limitation of this study was the high dropout rate at several follow-up time points, resulting in many missing values for both self-reported and biochemical measures, which had a major impact on the ITT analysis. According to the ITT procedure, all missing values for the outcomes were coded as smoking. As a result, both the biochemically validated outcomes and the self-reported outcomes of this study are likely to be overly conservative, which largely explains the relatively low abstinence rates found in both study groups compared with the existing literature.

Furthermore, because of the high dropout rate, we conducted an analysis of the factors associated with dropout. We identified 2 main predictors of dropout: having a smoking partner at baseline and lower mental health scores as indicated by the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale [ 50 ]. Both predictors are known to be associated with poorer treatment outcomes [ 51 ]. This finding suggests that neither of the interventions used in this study sufficiently reduced the barriers to successful intervention completion. Such nonrandom patterns of dropout pose a threat to the external validity of our findings as they suggest that our sample may not be fully representative of the wider population. However, it is notable that these attrition factors alone are unlikely to fully explain the relatively low quit rates observed in this trial compared with other similarly intensive interventions [ 7 ] as similar reasons for dropout are likely to occur in any smoking cessation trial sample. Nevertheless, the underrepresentation of participants with these risk factors at later follow-ups may have led to an overestimation of the effectiveness of our interventions, although it remains difficult to assess whether this occurred to a greater extent in this study than in other smoking cessation trials.

However, the most critical aspect is whether these predictors of attrition varied between the 2 treatment conditions [ 52 ]. Such differential attrition could compromise the internal validity of our findings, particularly in the noninferiority test comparing blended treatment with F2F treatment delivery. Owing to low cell counts of the two above-mentioned dropout predictors, a detailed analysis to examine the interaction effects of attrition predictors by treatment condition was not feasible. In addition, there were no consistent differences in the attrition rates between the study groups at any follow-up time points.

Another limitation to consider is the risk of bias in patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), such as social desirability or recall bias, particularly given that the study relies in part on self-reported smoking cessation for an extended period of 15 months. The participants’ ability to accurately recall their smoking behavior could be impaired, especially in the context of continuous abstinence, which could bias the study results. In general, the lower quit rates in our study compared with the existing literature argue against a significant self-report bias, as PROMs tend to overestimate quit rates compared with biochemical validation. Furthermore, biased PROMs will only have affected the internal validity of this study if they occur differently in the 2 study groups. We have no indications of this, but we lack data to verify this statistically. Because the determination of noninferiority is ultimately based on applying the 5% margin, it can also be considered a weakness that this 5% margin is based only on our considerations, as stated in the protocol paper of this study [ 29 ]. However, a slightly higher or lower margin would have led to slight changes in the results but not fundamental changes in the conclusions.

In addition to the cotinine measurements, this study collected CO measurements at the last 3 follow-up points. However, the second of these CO measurements showed a 4-week difference between the groups: 5 months after baseline for the blended treatment group and 6 months for the F2F group. Assuming that relapse rates would be expected to increase with time, this difference should have favored the effectiveness of the blended treatment. However, our results at this time point show the opposite, further supporting our claim of inferiority of the blended treatment compared with the F2F treatment.

Another limitation of this study is that our data, which were designed to compare the 2 approaches of blended and F2F treatment, did not allow analyses at the level of treatment components within the 2 delivery modes. Nevertheless, studies comparing different blended protocols are warranted to enable the design of improved BSCT in the future.

A final limitation of this study is that, as is often the case in clinical studies [ 53 ], we have not recorded the treatment fidelity and therefore deviations from the treatment protocol favoring one of both modes of delivery may have biased our findings. Although we cannot rely on systematic observations, we have some reason to believe that the implementation and adoption of the innovative BSCT may have had a negative impact on the effectiveness of the BSCT compared with the usual F2F treatment. However, based on our data on adherence from previous papers [ 34 , 35 ] and the findings on satisfaction (not reported in this study), we found no indication of a fidelity issue.

Conclusions

In this analysis of an RCT comparing a BSCT with a comparable F2F treatment, we found predominant results indicating inferiority of the blended mode compared with the traditional F2F mode, exceeding a 5% margin in abstinence rate. This could not be explained by lower adherence. Further research is required on the critical factors involved in the design of blended interventions.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the directors, the staff of both Medisch Spectrum Twente Hospital and Tactus Addiction Treatment, and the patients of the outpatient smoking cessation clinic of the Medical Spectrum Twente Hospital.

During the revision process, the authors assessed the efficacy of artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT 4.0 (OpenAI) [ 54 ], DeepL Translator (DeepL SE) [ 55 ], and DeepL Write (DeepL SE) [ 56 ] in enhancing language use. The objective of the authors was to determine whether this approach could optimize the academic writing quality for nonnative English speakers. Where the AI did not alter the content, the authors refined the language by altering the phrasing based on AI suggestions.

Data Availability

The data underlying this paper are available in Data Archiving and Networked Services [ 57 ].

Authors' Contributions

LS, MGP, MGJB-K, MEP, and SBA initiated collaboration with the data provider, designed the study, and wrote the study protocol. LS conducted the literature search, monitored data collection, drafted the paper, and is the guarantor of the paper. LS, MGP, and MGJB-K conducted the trial. LS and MGJB-K wrote the statistical analysis plan. LS and MGP designed the data collection tools. LS, MGJB-K, and MEP analyzed the data. LS, MGP, MGJB-K, MEP, and SBA revised the draft paper.

Conflicts of Interest

None declared.

Screenshots of web sessions of the blended smoking cessation treatment.

CONSORT eHEALTH checklist.

  • Tobacco key facts. World Health Organization. URL: https://www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/tobacco [accessed 2019-07-26]
  • Drope J, Liber AC, Cahn Z, Stoklosa M, Kennedy R, Douglas CE, et al. Who's still smoking? Disparities in adult cigarette smoking prevalence in the United States. CA Cancer J Clin. Mar 2018;68(2):106-115. [ FREE Full text ] [ CrossRef ] [ Medline ]
  • The health consequences of smoking—50 years of progress: a report of the surgeon general. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2014. URL: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK179276/ [accessed 2024-01-23]
  • WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic 2019: offer help to quit tobacco use. World Health Organization. Jul 25, 2019. URL: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241516204 [accessed 2024-01-23]
  • Tobacco: health benefits of smoking cessation. World Health Organization. Feb 25, 2020. URL: https://www.who.int/tobacco/quitting/benefits/en/ [accessed 2024-01-23]
  • U. S. Department Human Services, Public Service. Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence 2008 Update - Clinical Practice Guideline. Scotts Valley, CA. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform; 2013.
  • Christenhusz LC. Smoking cessation in COPD patients: (cost-)effectiveness of the smokestoptherapy and validation of abstinence. University of Twente. Mar 24, 2006. URL: https:/​/research.​utwente.nl/​en/​publications/​smoking-cessation-in-copd-patients-cost-effectiveness-of-the-smok [accessed 2024-01-23]
  • Stead LF, Koilpillai P, Fanshawe TR, Lancaster T. Combined pharmacotherapy and behavioural interventions for smoking cessation. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. Mar 24, 2016;3(3):CD008286. [ FREE Full text ] [ CrossRef ] [ Medline ]
  • Lancaster T, Stead LF. Individual behavioural counselling for smoking cessation. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. Apr 18, 2005;3(2):CD001292. [ CrossRef ] [ Medline ]
  • Civljak M, Stead LF, Hartmann-Boyce J, Sheikh A, Car J. Internet-based interventions for smoking cessation. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. Jul 10, 2013;7:CD007078. [ CrossRef ] [ Medline ]
  • Taylor GM, Dalili MN, Semwal M, Civljak M, Sheikh A, Car J. Internet-based interventions for smoking cessation. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. Sep 04, 2017;9(9):CD007078. [ FREE Full text ] [ CrossRef ] [ Medline ]
  • Whittaker R, Borland R, Bullen C, Lin RB, McRobbie H, Rodgers A. Mobile phone-based interventions for smoking cessation. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. Oct 07, 2009;4:CD006611. [ CrossRef ] [ Medline ]
  • Whittaker R, McRobbie H, Bullen C, Rodgers A, Gu Y. Mobile phone-based interventions for smoking cessation. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. Apr 10, 2016;4(4):CD006611. [ FREE Full text ] [ CrossRef ] [ Medline ]
  • van der Vaart R, Witting M, Riper H, Kooistra L, Bohlmeijer ET, van Gemert-Pijnen LJ. Blending online therapy into regular face-to-face therapy for depression: content, ratio and preconditions according to patients and therapists using a Delphi study. BMC Psychiatry. Dec 14, 2014;14:355. [ FREE Full text ] [ CrossRef ] [ Medline ]
  • Wentzel J, van der Vaart R, Bohlmeijer ET, van Gemert-Pijnen JE. Mixing online and face-to-face therapy: how to benefit from blended care in mental health care. JMIR Ment Health. Feb 09, 2016;3(1):e9. [ FREE Full text ] [ CrossRef ] [ Medline ]
  • Barak A, Hen L, Boniel-Nissim M, Shapira N. A comprehensive review and a meta-analysis of the effectiveness of internet-based psychotherapeutic interventions. J Technol Hum Serv. Sep 08, 2008;26(2-4):109-160. [ CrossRef ]
  • Erbe D, Eichert HC, Riper H, Ebert DD. Blending face-to-face and internet-based interventions for the treatment of mental disorders in adults: systematic review. J Med Internet Res. Sep 15, 2017;19(9):e306. [ FREE Full text ] [ CrossRef ] [ Medline ]
  • Kemmeren LL, van Schaik DJ, Riper H, Kleiboer AM, Bosmans JE, Smit JH. Effectiveness of blended depression treatment for adults in specialised mental healthcare: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial. BMC Psychiatry. Apr 21, 2016;16:113. [ FREE Full text ] [ CrossRef ] [ Medline ]
  • Postel MG, Witting M, van Gemert-Pijnen JE. Blended behandeling in de geestelijke gezondheidszorg. Dth kwartaaltijdschrift voor directieve therapie en hypnose. 2013;33(3):210-221. [ FREE Full text ]
  • Siemer L, Allouch SB, Pieterse ME, Brusse-Keizer M, Sanderman R, Postel MG. Blended face-to-face and web-based smoking cessation treatment (BSCT): a description of patients’ user experience (UX). Eur Respir J. 2019;54(suppl 63):PA1690. [ CrossRef ]
  • Siemer L, Ben Allouch S, Pieterse ME, Brusse-Keizer M, Sanderman R, Postel MG. Patients' user experience of a blended face-to-face and web-based smoking cessation treatment: qualitative study. JMIR Form Res. Jun 03, 2020;4(6):e14550. [ FREE Full text ] [ CrossRef ] [ Medline ]
  • Blankers M. Commentary on Sundström et al. (2019): digital interventions for alcohol problems-time for more research on blended therapy. Addiction. May 2020;115(5):875-876. [ CrossRef ] [ Medline ]
  • Carroll KM, Ball SA, Martino S, Nich C, Babuscio TA, Nuro KF, et al. Computer-assisted delivery of cognitive-behavioral therapy for addiction: a randomized trial of CBT4CBT. Am J Psychiatry. Jul 2008;165(7):881-888. [ FREE Full text ] [ CrossRef ] [ Medline ]
  • Christensen DR, Landes RD, Jackson L, Marsch LA, Mancino MJ, Chopra MP, et al. Adding an internet-delivered treatment to an efficacious treatment package for opioid dependence. J Consult Clin Psychol. Dec 2014;82(6):964-972. [ FREE Full text ] [ CrossRef ] [ Medline ]
  • Barroso-Hurtado M, Suárez-Castro D, Martínez-Vispo C, Becoña E, López-Durán A. Smoking cessation apps: a systematic review of format, outcomes, and features. Int J Environ Res Public Health. Nov 06, 2021;18(21):11664. [ FREE Full text ] [ CrossRef ] [ Medline ]
  • O'Connor M, Whelan R, Bricker J, McHugh L. Randomized controlled trial of a smartphone application as an adjunct to acceptance and commitment therapy for smoking cessation. Behav Ther. Jan 2020;51(1):162-177. [ CrossRef ] [ Medline ]
  • Nomura A, Tanigawa T, Muto T, Oga T, Fukushima Y, Kiyosue A, et al. Clinical efficacy of telemedicine compared to face-to-face clinic visits for smoking cessation: multicenter open-label randomized controlled noninferiority trial. J Med Internet Res. Apr 26, 2019;21(4):e13520. [ FREE Full text ] [ CrossRef ] [ Medline ]
  • van Laar M, van Gestel B, Cruts G, van der Pol P, Ketelaars T, Beenakkers E, et al. Jaarbericht nationale drug monitor 2018. Trimbos-instituut. 2018. URL: https://www.trimbos.nl/aanbod/webwinkel/af1643-jaarbericht-nationale-drug-monitor-2018/ [accessed 2024-01-23]
  • Siemer L, Pieterse ME, Brusse-Keizer MG, Postel MG, Ben Allouch S, Sanderman R. Study protocol for a non-inferiority trial of a blended smoking cessation treatment versus face-to-face treatment (LiveSmokefree-Study). BMC Public Health. Nov 24, 2016;16(1):1187. [ FREE Full text ] [ CrossRef ] [ Medline ]
  • Mudde AN, Willemsen MC, Kremers SP, de Vries H. Meetinstrumenten Voor Onderzoek Naar Stoppen Met Roken. The Hague, The Netherlands. Stivoro; Jan 1, 2000.
  • Richtlijn behandeling van tabaksverslaving herziening 2009. Partnership Stop met Roken. 2009. URL: https://www.nvvp.net/stream/richtlijn-behandeling-van-tabaksverslaving-2009.pdf [accessed 2024-01-23]
  • Willems E. Zorgmodule stoppen met roken. Partnership Stop met Roken. 2009. URL: https:/​/www.​zorginzicht.nl/​binaries/​content/​assets/​zorginzicht/​kwaliteitsinstrumenten/​ZorgmoduleStoppenmetRoken.​pdf [accessed 2024-01-23]
  • Michie S, Richardson M, Johnston M, Abraham C, Francis J, Hardeman W, et al. The behavior change technique taxonomy (v1) of 93 hierarchically clustered techniques: building an international consensus for the reporting of behavior change interventions. Ann Behav Med. Aug 2013;46(1):81-95. [ FREE Full text ] [ CrossRef ] [ Medline ]
  • Siemer L, Brusse-Keizer MG, Postel MG, Ben Allouch S, Patrinopoulos Bougioukas A, Sanderman R, et al. Blended smoking cessation treatment: exploring measurement, levels, and predictors of adherence. J Med Internet Res. Aug 01, 2018;20(8):e246. [ FREE Full text ] [ CrossRef ] [ Medline ]
  • Siemer L, Brusse-Keizer MG, Postel MG, Ben Allouch S, Sanderman R, Pieterse ME. Adherence to blended or face-to-face smoking cessation treatment and predictors of adherence: randomized controlled trial. J Med Internet Res. Jul 23, 2020;22(7):e17207. [ FREE Full text ] [ CrossRef ] [ Medline ]
  • Benowitz NL, Bernert JT, Foulds J, Hecht SS, Jacob P, Jarvis MJ, et al. Biochemical verification of tobacco use and abstinence: 2019 update. Nicotine Tob Res. Jun 12, 2020;22(7):1086-1097. [ FREE Full text ] [ CrossRef ] [ Medline ]
  • SRNT Subcommittee on Biochemical Verification. Biochemical verification of tobacco use and cessation. Nicotine Tob Res. May 2002;4(2):149-159. [ CrossRef ] [ Medline ]
  • Hughes JR, Keely JP, Niaura RS, Ossip-Klein DJ, Richmond RL, Swan GE. Measures of abstinence in clinical trials: issues and recommendations. Nicotine Tob Res. Feb 2003;5(1):13-25. [ Medline ]
  • Jarvis MJ, Fidler J, Mindell J, Feyerabend C, West R. Assessing smoking status in children, adolescents and adults: cotinine cut-points revisited. Addiction. Sep 2008;103(9):1553-1561. [ FREE Full text ] [ CrossRef ] [ Medline ]
  • Cropsey KL, Trent LR, Clark CB, Stevens EN, Lahti AC, Hendricks PS. How low should you go? Determining the optimal cutoff for exhaled carbon monoxide to confirm smoking abstinence when using cotinine as reference. Nicotine Tob Res. Oct 2014;16(10):1348-1355. [ FREE Full text ] [ CrossRef ] [ Medline ]
  • Christenhusz LC, Prenger R, Pieterse ME, Seydel ER, van der Palen J. Cost-effectiveness of an intensive smoking cessation intervention for COPD outpatients. Nicotine Tob Res. Jun 2012;14(6):657-663. [ CrossRef ] [ Medline ]
  • van Deursen AJ, Courtois C, van Dijk JA. Internet skills, sources of support, and benefiting from internet use. Int J Hum Comput Interact. Mar 07, 2014;30(4):278-290. [ CrossRef ]
  • Lowry R. The confidence interval for the difference between two independent proportions 2023. VassarStats. URL: http://vassarstats.net/prop2_ind.html [accessed 2024-01-23]
  • May C, Finch T. Implementing, embedding, and integrating practices: an outline of normalization process theory. Sociology. Jun 15, 2009;43(3):535-554. [ CrossRef ]
  • Holm M, Schiöler L, Andersson E, Forsberg B, Gislason T, Janson C, et al. Predictors of smoking cessation: a longitudinal study in a large cohort of smokers. Respir Med. Nov 2017;132:164-169. [ FREE Full text ] [ CrossRef ] [ Medline ]
  • West R, Hajek P, Stead L, Stapleton J. Outcome criteria in smoking cessation trials: proposal for a common standard. Addiction. Mar 2005;100(3):299-303. [ CrossRef ] [ Medline ]
  • Blankers M, Smit ES, van der Pol P, de Vries H, Hoving C, van Laar M. The missing=smoking assumption: a fallacy in internet-based smoking cessation trials? Nicotine Tob Res. Jan 2016;18(1):25-33. [ CrossRef ] [ Medline ]
  • Greenhalgh T, Wherton J, Papoutsi C, Lynch J, Hughes G, A'Court C, et al. Beyond adoption: a new framework for theorizing and evaluating nonadoption, abandonment, and challenges to the scale-up, spread, and sustainability of health and care technologies. J Med Internet Res. Nov 01, 2017;19(11):e367. [ FREE Full text ] [ CrossRef ] [ Medline ]
  • van Gemert-Pijnen JE, Nijland N, van Limburg M, Ossebaard HC, Kelders SM, Eysenbach G, et al. A holistic framework to improve the uptake and impact of eHealth technologies. J Med Internet Res. Dec 05, 2011;13(4):e111. [ FREE Full text ] [ CrossRef ] [ Medline ]
  • Antony MM, Bieling PJ, Cox BJ, Enns MW, Swinson RP. Psychometric properties of the 42-item and 21-item versions of the depression anxiety stress scales in clinical groups and a community sample. Psychol Assess. 1998;10(2):176-181. [ CrossRef ]
  • Metse AP, Stockings E, Bailey J, Regan T, Bartlem K, Wolfenden L, et al. Rates of retention of persons with a mental health disorder in outpatient smoking cessation and reduction trials, and associated factors: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ Open. Sep 04, 2019;9(9):e030646. [ FREE Full text ] [ CrossRef ] [ Medline ]
  • Crutzen R, Viechtbauer W, Spigt M, Kotz D. Differential attrition in health behaviour change trials: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Psychol Health. Jan 2015;30(1):122-134. [ CrossRef ] [ Medline ]
  • Waller G. Evidence-based treatment and therapist drift. Behav Res Ther. Feb 2009;47(2):119-127. [ CrossRef ] [ Medline ]
  • ChatGPT-4. OpenAI. URL: https://openai.com/gpt-4 [accessed 2024-01-26]
  • DeepL Translator. DeepL. URL: https://www.deepl.com/ [accessed 2024-01-26]
  • DeepL Write. DeepL. URL: https://www.deepl.com/write/ [accessed 2024-01-26]
  • Blended smoking cessation smoking database (all data). DANS Data Station Social Sciences and Humanities. 2022. URL: https://ssh.datastations.nl/dataset.xhtml?persistentId=doi:10.17026/dans-xht-kn55 [accessed 2024-01-25]

Abbreviations

Edited by A Mavragani; submitted 06.03.23; peer-reviewed by L Harst, Z Ehtesham; comments to author 24.07.23; revised version received 04.11.23; accepted 29.12.23; published 20.02.24.

©Lutz Siemer, Marcel E Pieterse, Somaya Ben Allouch, Marloes G Postel, Marjolein G J Brusse-Keizer. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (https://www.jmir.org), 20.02.2024.

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work, first published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, is properly cited. The complete bibliographic information, a link to the original publication on https://www.jmir.org/, as well as this copyright and license information must be included.

medical research papers free download

Create a form in Word that users can complete or print

In Word, you can create a form that others can fill out and save or print.  To do this, you will start with baseline content in a document, potentially via a form template.  Then you can add content controls for elements such as check boxes, text boxes, date pickers, and drop-down lists. Optionally, these content controls can be linked to database information.  Following are the recommended action steps in sequence.  

Show the Developer tab

In Word, be sure you have the Developer tab displayed in the ribbon.  (See how here:  Show the developer tab .)

Open a template or a blank document on which to base the form

You can start with a template or just start from scratch with a blank document.

Start with a form template

Go to File > New .

In the  Search for online templates  field, type  Forms or the kind of form you want. Then press Enter .

In the displayed results, right-click any item, then select  Create. 

Start with a blank document 

Select Blank document .

Add content to the form

Go to the  Developer  tab Controls section where you can choose controls to add to your document or form. Hover over any icon therein to see what control type it represents. The various control types are described below. You can set properties on a control once it has been inserted.

To delete a content control, right-click it, then select Remove content control  in the pop-up menu. 

Note:  You can print a form that was created via content controls. However, the boxes around the content controls will not print.

Insert a text control

The rich text content control enables users to format text (e.g., bold, italic) and type multiple paragraphs. To limit these capabilities, use the plain text content control . 

Click or tap where you want to insert the control.

Rich text control button

To learn about setting specific properties on these controls, see Set or change properties for content controls .

Insert a picture control

A picture control is most often used for templates, but you can also add a picture control to a form.

Picture control button

Insert a building block control

Use a building block control  when you want users to choose a specific block of text. These are helpful when you need to add different boilerplate text depending on the document's specific purpose. You can create rich text content controls for each version of the boilerplate text, and then use a building block control as the container for the rich text content controls.

building block gallery control

Select Developer and content controls for the building block.

Developer tab showing content controls

Insert a combo box or a drop-down list

In a combo box, users can select from a list of choices that you provide or they can type in their own information. In a drop-down list, users can only select from the list of choices.

combo box button

Select the content control, and then select Properties .

To create a list of choices, select Add under Drop-Down List Properties .

Type a choice in Display Name , such as Yes , No , or Maybe .

Repeat this step until all of the choices are in the drop-down list.

Fill in any other properties that you want.

Note:  If you select the Contents cannot be edited check box, users won’t be able to click a choice.

Insert a date picker

Click or tap where you want to insert the date picker control.

Date picker button

Insert a check box

Click or tap where you want to insert the check box control.

Check box button

Use the legacy form controls

Legacy form controls are for compatibility with older versions of Word and consist of legacy form and Active X controls.

Click or tap where you want to insert a legacy control.

Legacy control button

Select the Legacy Form control or Active X Control that you want to include.

Set or change properties for content controls

Each content control has properties that you can set or change. For example, the Date Picker control offers options for the format you want to use to display the date.

Select the content control that you want to change.

Go to Developer > Properties .

Controls Properties  button

Change the properties that you want.

Add protection to a form

If you want to limit how much others can edit or format a form, use the Restrict Editing command:

Open the form that you want to lock or protect.

Select Developer > Restrict Editing .

Restrict editing button

After selecting restrictions, select Yes, Start Enforcing Protection .

Restrict editing panel

Advanced Tip:

If you want to protect only parts of the document, separate the document into sections and only protect the sections you want.

To do this, choose Select Sections in the Restrict Editing panel. For more info on sections, see Insert a section break .

Sections selector on Resrict sections panel

If the developer tab isn't displayed in the ribbon, see Show the Developer tab .

Open a template or use a blank document

To create a form in Word that others can fill out, start with a template or document and add content controls. Content controls include things like check boxes, text boxes, and drop-down lists. If you’re familiar with databases, these content controls can even be linked to data.

Go to File > New from Template .

New from template option

In Search, type form .

Double-click the template you want to use.

Select File > Save As , and pick a location to save the form.

In Save As , type a file name and then select Save .

Start with a blank document

Go to File > New Document .

New document option

Go to File > Save As .

Go to Developer , and then choose the controls that you want to add to the document or form. To remove a content control, select the control and press Delete. You can set Options on controls once inserted. From Options, you can add entry and exit macros to run when users interact with the controls, as well as list items for combo boxes, .

Adding content controls to your form

In the document, click or tap where you want to add a content control.

On Developer , select Text Box , Check Box , or Combo Box .

Developer tab with content controls

To set specific properties for the control, select Options , and set .

Repeat steps 1 through 3 for each control that you want to add.

Set options

Options let you set common settings, as well as control specific settings. Select a control and then select Options to set up or make changes.

Set common properties.

Select Macro to Run on lets you choose a recorded or custom macro to run on Entry or Exit from the field.

Bookmark Set a unique name or bookmark for each control.

Calculate on exit This forces Word to run or refresh any calculations, such as total price when the user exits the field.

Add Help Text Give hints or instructions for each field.

OK Saves settings and exits the panel.

Cancel Forgets changes and exits the panel.

Set specific properties for a Text box

Type Select form Regular text, Number, Date, Current Date, Current Time, or Calculation.

Default text sets optional instructional text that's displayed in the text box before the user types in the field. Set Text box enabled to allow the user to enter text into the field.

Maximum length sets the length of text that a user can enter. The default is Unlimited .

Text format can set whether text automatically formats to Uppercase , Lowercase , First capital, or Title case .

Text box enabled Lets the user enter text into a field. If there is default text, user text replaces it.

Set specific properties for a Check box .

Default Value Choose between Not checked or checked as default.

Checkbox size Set a size Exactly or Auto to change size as needed.

Check box enabled Lets the user check or clear the text box.

Set specific properties for a Combo box

Drop-down item Type in strings for the list box items. Press + or Enter to add an item to the list.

Items in drop-down list Shows your current list. Select an item and use the up or down arrows to change the order, Press - to remove a selected item.

Drop-down enabled Lets the user open the combo box and make selections.

Protect the form

Go to Developer > Protect Form .

Protect form button on the Developer tab

Note:  To unprotect the form and continue editing, select Protect Form again.

Save and close the form.

Test the form (optional)

If you want, you can test the form before you distribute it.

Protect the form.

Reopen the form, fill it out as the user would, and then save a copy.

Creating fillable forms isn’t available in Word for the web.

You can create the form with the desktop version of Word with the instructions in Create a fillable form .

When you save the document and reopen it in Word for the web, you’ll see the changes you made.

Facebook

Need more help?

Want more options.

Explore subscription benefits, browse training courses, learn how to secure your device, and more.

medical research papers free download

Microsoft 365 subscription benefits

medical research papers free download

Microsoft 365 training

medical research papers free download

Microsoft security

medical research papers free download

Accessibility center

Communities help you ask and answer questions, give feedback, and hear from experts with rich knowledge.

medical research papers free download

Ask the Microsoft Community

medical research papers free download

Microsoft Tech Community

medical research papers free download

Windows Insiders

Microsoft 365 Insiders

Was this information helpful?

Thank you for your feedback.

IMAGES

  1. 31+ Research Paper Templates in PDF

    medical research papers free download

  2. Free Research Paper Template [Word, PDF]

    medical research papers free download

  3. 31+ Research Paper Templates in PDF

    medical research papers free download

  4. FREE 27+ Research Paper Formats in PDF

    medical research papers free download

  5. FREE 40+ Research Paper Samples in PDF

    medical research papers free download

  6. FREE 40+ Research Paper Samples in PDF

    medical research papers free download

VIDEO

  1. How to download research papers for free|IEEE

  2. Clinical research methodology & tips for publishing medical research

  3. How to download paid research papers free of cost in Urdu & Hindi, Latest 2020

  4. HOW TO DOWNLOAD ANY RESEARCH PAPERS FREE

  5. 1-1- General Scheme of Clinical Research

  6. Call for Paper ~CSML ~ February Dubai 2024

COMMENTS

  1. Home

    PubMed Central ® (PMC) is a free full-text archive of biomedical and life sciences journal literature at the U.S. National Institutes of Health's National Library of Medicine (NIH/NLM) About PMC Discover a digital archive of scholarly articles, spanning centuries of scientific research. User Guide

  2. 14 Websites to Download Research Paper for Free

    1. Sci-Hub 2. Z-Library 3. Library Genesis 4. Unpaywall 5. GetTheResearch.org 6. Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) 7. Researcher 8. Science Open 9. OA.mg 10. Internet Archive Scholar 11. Citationsy Archives 12. CORE 13. Dimensions 14. PaperPanda - Download Research Papers for Free

  3. "Free Full Text Articles": Where to Search for Them?

    References form the backbone of any medical literature. Presently, because of high inflation, it is very difficult for any library/organization/college to purchase all journals. The condition is even worse for an individual person, such as private practitioners. The solution lies in the free availability of full-text articles.

  4. The New England Journal of Medicine: Research & Review Articles on

    The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) is a weekly general medical journal that publishes new medical research and review articles, and editorial opinion on a wide variety of topics of ...

  5. 3 Best Sites for Reading Medical Journals Online for Free

    1. FreeMedicalJournals.com FreeMedicalJournals.com is exactly what it sounds like, a list of links to medical journals that offer free access. It was created by a Portuguese university librarian named Manuel Montenegro, and Bernd Sebastian Kamps, Editor-in-Chief of Flying Publisher and the director of the Amedeo literature service.

  6. Sci-Hub: knowledge as a human right

    Sci-Hub website. Get free access to academic journals. Download research papers for free from ScienceDirect, IEEE, Wiley, Springer, Nature and others

  7. Directory of Open Access Journals

    DOAJ is a unique and extensive index of diverse open access journals from around the world, driven by a growing community, and is committed to ensuring quality content is freely available online for everyone. DOAJ is committed to keeping its services free of charge, including being indexed, and its data freely available. → About DOAJ → How to apply

  8. OA.mg

    Free access to millions of research papers for everyone. OA.mg is a search engine for academic papers. Whether you are looking for a specific paper, or for research from a field, or all of an author's works - OA.mg is the place to find it. Universities and researchers funded by the public publish their research in papers, but where do we ...

  9. Free Medical Journals

    Free Medical Journals. Free full-text articles in medical journals. Direct Link. Health Sciences , Medicine. University of Southern California. 3550 Trousdale Parkway. Los Angeles , CA 90089.

  10. Unpaywall

    An open database of 49,448,129 free scholarly articles. We harvest Open Access content from over 50,000 publishers and repositories, and make it easy to find, track, and use. Get the extension. "Unpaywall is transforming Open Science".

  11. MEDLINE

    MEDLINE is the National Library of Medicine's (NLM) premier bibliographic database that contains references to journal articles in life sciences, with a concentration on biomedicine. See the MEDLINE Overview page for more information about MEDLINE.

  12. Academia.edu

    Download 47 million PDFs for free. Sign Up. Registered Users. 252m+ Uploaded Papers. 47m+ ... Medical Ethics. 25.3 K papers. Political Philosophy. 59 K papers. Philosophy Of Religion. 25.1 K papers. ... Get access to 47+ million research papers and stay informed with important topics through courses.

  13. Medical news & recently published articles: The New England Journal of

    Medical news & recently published articles: The New England Journal of Medicine Recently Published Editorial Feb 8, 2024 Tenecteplase for Stroke — Opening the Window? D. Leifer DOI:...

  14. (PDF) Basics of Medical Research

    Abstract. 1 Basics of Medical Research Research in any field is an enterprise that carries its own risks and benefits. One may make heavy investment in terms of time, money and expertise yet the ...

  15. Medical research

    An animal study on the effectiveness of platelet-rich plasma as a direct pulp capping agent. Dina M. Elkady. , Yara R. Helaly. & Ahmad G. A. Khater. Article. 14 February 2024 | Open Access.

  16. Patient Advocacy: 7 Ways to Access Medical Journals for Free

    1. Search Google Scholar Google Scholar provides a simple way to broadly search for journal articles, alongside books from academic publishers. The site harvests the content of institutional repositories and links them in one record. 2. Explore online databases

  17. Journal of International Medical Research: Sage Journals

    Journal of International Medical Research is a peer-reviewed open access journal that focuses on innovative clinical and preclinical research, systematic reviews and meta-analyses. All manuscripts must follow ICMJE standards and will receive rigorous peer review. If accepted, they receive a full technical edit to make them highly accessible to the international medical community.

  18. Open Research Library

    The Open Research Library (ORL) is planned to include all Open Access book content worldwide on one platform for user-friendly discovery, offering a seamless experience navigating more than 20,000 Open Access books.

  19. 12 Top Websites to Download Research Papers for Free

    1. Sci-Hub 2. Library Genesis 3. Unpaywall 4. Directory of Open Access Journals 5. Open Access Button 6. ScienceOpen 7. CORE 8. OA.mg 9. Citationsy Archives 10. PaperPanda 11. Education Resources Information Center (ERIC) 12. Other Website Conclusion How to download research papers for FREE?

  20. All Medical Research Articles

    Harvard Medical School has created a large department dedicated to developing and teaching young scientists about the emerging field of computational medicine. This field uses new mathematical techniques to make sense of the thousands of numbers generated in experiments measuring various molecules. Analyzing such "big data" was once unimaginable.

  21. Journal of Medical Internet Research

    Interactive Journal of Medical Research 350 articles ... This paper is in the following e-collection/theme issue: Telehealth and Telemonitoring ... Download Download PDF Download XML. Share Article Journal of Medical Internet Research ISSN 1438-8871 Resource Centre

  22. Indian Journal of Medical Research

    Open Viewpoint Gaps in translating basic science research from bench to bedside Kshirsagar, N.; Pahuja, M.; Chatterjee, N. S.; More Indian Journal of Medical Research. 158 (3):228-232, September 2023. Favorite

  23. [2203.00130] Paper Plain: Making Medical Research Papers Approachable

    Download PDF Abstract: When seeking information not covered in patient-friendly documents, like medical pamphlets, healthcare consumers may turn to the research literature. Reading medical papers, however, can be a challenging experience. To improve access to medical papers, we introduce a novel interactive interface-Paper Plain-with four features powered by natural language processing ...

  24. Journal of Medical Internet Research

    Background: With the advent of a new era for health and medical treatment, characterized by the integration of mobile technology, a significant digital divide has surfaced, particularly in the engagement of older individuals with mobile health (mHealth). The health of a family is intricately connected to the well-being of its members, and the use of media plays a crucial role in facilitating ...

  25. Journal of Medical Internet Research

    Background: Psychological distress is common among patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and has considerable adverse impacts on disease progression and health outcomes. Mindfulness-based intervention is a promising complementary approach to address patients' psychological needs and promote holistic well-being. Objective: This study aims to examine the effects of a social media-based ...

  26. Shodhganga : a reservoir of Indian theses @ INFLIBNET

    A reservoir of Indian Theses. The Shodhganga@INFLIBNET Centre provides a platform for research students to deposit their Ph.D. theses and make it available to the entire scholarly community in open access. The repository has the ability to capture, index, store, disseminate and preserve ETDs submitted by the researchers.

  27. OpenAI teases an amazing new generative video model called Sora

    OpenAI has built a striking new generative video model called Sora that can take a short text description and turn it into a detailed, high-definition film clip up to a minute long.. Based on four ...

  28. Journal of Medical Internet Research

    Background: Tobacco consumption is a leading cause of death and disease, killing >8 million people each year. Smoking cessation significantly reduces the risk of developing smoking-related diseases. Although combined treatment for addiction is promising, evidence of its effectiveness is still emerging. Currently, there is no published research comparing the effectiveness of blended smoking ...

  29. Create a form in Word that users can complete or print

    Show the Developer tab. If the developer tab isn't displayed in the ribbon, see Show the Developer tab.. Open a template or use a blank document. To create a form in Word that others can fill out, start with a template or document and add content controls.