Grammarly: A Smart Writing Assistant for Research Scholars

In the academic and research world, the clarity, accuracy, and credibility of writing are critical. Whether drafting a thesis, preparing a research article, or writing grant proposals, scholars must present their work in a grammatically sound and professionally polished manner. This is where Grammarly, a powerful AI-based writing assistant, becomes a valuable tool for research scholars.

What is Grammarly?

Grammarly is an AI-powered digital writing assistant that helps users write clearly, concisely, and correctly. It offers grammar, spelling, punctuation, style, and tone suggestions in real time. Available as a browser extension, desktop app, Microsoft Word add-in, and mobile app, Grammarly caters to users across platforms.

It has both free and premium versions, with the premium plan offering advanced features ideal for academic and research writing.

How Grammarly Helps Research Scholars

1. Grammar and Punctuation Correction

Academic writing demands high precision in grammar and punctuation. Grammarly identifies and corrects:

• Subject-verb agreement issues
• Improper comma placement
• Run-on sentences
• Passive voice (with context-based recommendations)

This allows scholars to focus on content rather than proofreading every sentence manually.

2. Clarity and Readability

Research scholars often write complex texts. Grammarly helps simplify language and improve flow by:

• Suggesting clearer sentence structures
• Recommending word replacements for clarity
• Highlighting overly long or convoluted sentences

This ensures the writing is not only correct but also easy to understand, especially for an international audience.

3. Academic Style Suggestions

Grammarly Premium offers formality and tone suggestions, which are critical in academic writing. It:

• Replaces informal expressions with formal alternatives
• Identifies hedging language and vague terms
• Maintains consistency in terminology

This helps ensure that writing aligns with scholarly tone and conventions.

4. Plagiarism Detection

Grammarly Premium includes a plagiarism checker that scans texts against billions of web pages and academic articles. It:

• Detects unintentional plagiarism
• Highlights improperly cited content
• Encourages originality and integrity in research writing

This is especially useful before submitting articles to journals or repositories.

5. Vocabulary Enhancement

Academic writing often requires precise vocabulary. Grammarly:

• Suggests advanced vocabulary appropriate for scholarly work
• Helps avoid word repetition
• Encourages varied sentence structures

Such refinements increase the quality and credibility of the writing.

6. Citations and References (Complementary Tools)

Although Grammarly itself doesn’t manage citations, it integrates well with other tools like Zotero, Mendeley, or EndNote, ensuring that the grammar and style around citations are clean and professional.

Practical Use Cases for Research Scholars

• Thesis or dissertation writing
• Research paper and journal article submissions
• Abstracts and conference presentations
• Research grant applications and proposals
• Correspondence with academic supervisors and editors

Limitations to Keep in Mind

While Grammarly is highly effective, it should not replace critical thinking or professional editing. Scholars must still verify technical terms, domain-specific language, and citation accuracy themselves.

Conclusion

Grammarly is a powerful ally for research scholars aiming to write with confidence and professionalism. It streamlines the editing process, enhances clarity, ensures grammatical correctness, and reduces the risk of plagiarism—key requirements for successful academic communication. By integrating Grammarly into their research workflow, scholars can save time, reduce stress, and improve the overall impact of their written work.

 

The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA): Championing Libraries Worldwide

The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) stands as the global voice of the library and information profession. Established in 1927, IFLA has grown into a vibrant international organization, shaping the future of libraries, promoting equitable access to information, and fostering professional collaboration across borders. With its deep-rooted history, broad divisions, strategic goals, and global activities, IFLA is instrumental in transforming libraries to meet the challenges of the 21st century. Nepal Library Association (NLA) is the member of IFLA, representing Nepal to the global network. 

History

Founded in Edinburgh, Scotland, during the International Congress of Libraries, IFLA began as a small federation of library associations in Europe. Over the decades, it has evolved into a truly international body with more than 1,500 members from over 150 countries. Its headquarters are located at the National Library of the Netherlands in The Hague. IFLA has continually expanded its scope to represent all types of libraries—academic, public, national, and special—and has taken a strong role in international advocacy and policy development.

Divisions

IFLA is structured into Divisions that organize its vast network of sections and interest groups. These divisions reflect professional areas and ensure inclusive representation. The main divisions include:

• Division I: Library Types – Covers public, national, school, and academic libraries.
• Division II: Library Services – Focuses on library services to diverse communities.
• Division III: Collections and Access – Encompasses acquisition, cataloguing, preservation, and access.
• Division IV: Support of the Profession – Includes education, training, statistics, and research.
• Division V: Regions – Represents different geographical areas such as Africa, Asia and Oceania, Latin America and the Caribbean, etc.

Strategic Programmes

IFLA operates through Strategic Programmes that align with its IFLA Strategy 2019–2024. The four strategic directions are:

1. Inspire – Inspire and enhance professional practice.
2. Engage – Engage effectively in library advocacy.
3. Connect – Connect global library communities.
4. Enable – Enable and strengthen the profession.

These directions are supported by flagship initiatives like IFLA's Global Vision, Building Strong Library Associations (BSLA), and Advocacy for the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Committees

The governance and development of IFLA’s work are guided by its Governing Board, supported by various Advisory Committees, Professional Units, and Standing Committees. Key committees include:

• Professional Council
• Regional Council
• Advisory Committee on Freedom of Access to Information and Freedom of Expression (FAIFE)
• CLM (Copyright and other Legal Matters)
• PAC (Preservation and Conservation)

These committees ensure informed decision-making and support IFLA’s advocacy and strategic delivery.

Programs and Activities

IFLA conducts numerous programs and activities throughout the year to support its mission:

• World Library and Information Congress (WLIC) – The flagship annual event bringing together thousands of library professionals globally.
• Workshops, webinars, and training – Regular professional development programs on emerging issues like open access, digital inclusion, and AI.
• Advocacy campaigns – Including SDG Stories and International Advocacy Programmes that empower libraries to influence national development policies.

Library Map of the World

The IFLA Library Map of the World (LMW) is a groundbreaking platform that visualizes library data from across the globe. It highlights:

• The number and types of libraries by country
• Library staff and users
• Library services supporting the UN SDGs

This interactive tool supports advocacy by showcasing the global reach and impact of libraries. https://librarymap.ifla.org/

Knowledge Publications: Journals, News, and Announcements

IFLA regularly publishes a wealth of knowledge resources, including:

• IFLA Journal – A peer-reviewed academic journal covering research and innovation in library science.
• IFLA Newsletters – Providing updates from divisions, sections, and the Secretariat.
• IFLA Blogs and Statements – Addressing urgent global issues like copyright reform, digital access, and AI.
• IFLA Repository – A digital archive of all policy documents, presentations, and reports.

These publications serve as vital tools for library professionals, researchers, and policymakers.

Manifestos

IFLA develops and endorses Manifestos in collaboration with UNESCO and other international bodies to promote the roles of libraries in specific contexts. Key manifestos include:

• UNESCO/IFLA Public Library Manifesto
• IFLA School Library Manifesto
• IFLA Multicultural Library Manifesto
• IFLA Internet Manifesto

These declarations provide guiding principles and advocate for the essential role of libraries in education, cultural preservation, and human rights.

Standards

To ensure consistency, quality, and interoperability, IFLA produces international standards and guidelines. Some of the most influential include:

• IFLA Cataloguing Principles
• ISBD (International Standard Bibliographic Description)
• UNIMARC format
• Guidelines for Library Services to Persons with Dyslexia
• Preservation and Conservation Guidelines

These standards are widely adopted by library institutions and integrated into national policies and practices.

Conclusion

IFLA continues to be the cornerstone of global library development, advocating for access to information, cultural heritage preservation, equitable knowledge systems, and the advancement of open science. Its vision for strong libraries at the heart of inclusive societies drives its diverse activities, and through collaboration with members worldwide, IFLA is shaping a future where information truly empowers every individual.

As the digital and social landscape evolves, IFLA remains committed to connecting library professionals, strengthening institutions, and influencing international agendas in favor of a more literate, informed, and equitable world. 

FOLIO: A Modern Approach to Library Management

FOLIO (Future of Libraries is Open) is an open-source library services platform designed to revolutionize library operations in the digital age. Here's a glimpse into its key features:

Open Source and Community Driven: Unlike traditional, proprietary library systems, FOLIO is open-source, giving libraries greater control and flexibility. The development is driven by a collaborative community of librarians, developers, and vendors, ensuring features cater to actual library needs.

Modern Architecture: FOLIO boasts a cloud-based, microservices architecture. This means the system is built using independent, modular components that can be easily updated and scaled. This ensures flexibility, agility, and continuous innovation.

Unified Print & Electronic Resource Management: FOLIO seamlessly manages both physical and digital library collections. Libraries can catalog books, journals, e-resources, and other materials within a single platform.

Flexibility and Customization: FOLIO is highly configurable. Libraries can tailor the system to their specific workflows and user needs. Additionally, the open-source nature allows for further customization through code modifications.

Integration with Third-Party Apps: FOLIO integrates with various third-party library applications, expanding its functionality. This allows libraries to leverage specialized tools for specific tasks while maintaining a central platform for core library operations.

Open API and Interoperability: FOLIO offers open APIs enabling communication with external systems. This fosters data exchange and integration with other library technologies, creating a more streamlined information environment.

User-friendly Interface: FOLIO prioritizes a user-friendly interface for both librarians and library patrons. The intuitive design simplifies tasks and makes resource management and discovery efficient.

Focus on the Future: FOLIO is constantly evolving, with a strong emphasis on innovation. The community-driven development ensures the platform adapts to meet the changing needs of libraries and users in the digital landscape.

A modern Library Service Platform built by an open community

The platform is the only LSP designed for the cloud, created through the collaboration of libraries, developers, vendors, networks and consortia. Anyone can contribute, and everyone will benefit. Since its inception hundreds of librarians representing libraries of all types, sizes and locales have contributed their subject matter expertise to help define FOLIO functionality. Teams of developers around the globe have contributed design, code, and tests. Providers are delivering implementation, consulting and hosting services. The entire community continues to grow. More and more libraries and vendors are realizing the benefits of this modern, open collaboration.

Modern architecture

Modern means being designed for the cloud: multi-tenant, API-driven, app-based, modular, technically flexible and open. FOLIO checks all of these boxes. Designed from the outset to be multi-tenant, app based. API-first system, the platform provides a modular architecture which is extensible (reference the platform being used to create a resource sharing product). The modular architecture drives separation of business logic from implementation details allowing modules to leverage different technologies as are appropriate, or to include new technologies when they become available..

An LSP built for choice

Functionally flexible, FOLIO allows apps to be created that satisfy different combinations of library workflows and the community expects to have the luxury of choice between apps when configuring their deployment. There are multiple apps that can be used to manage the content in your Inventory, for example. Developers can choose specific technologies to leverage, or how to piece functionality together within an App. Vendors can choose which services to deliver. Libraries have the choice of how to host FOLIO – they can host it themselves, or choose one of the hosting providers in the community. Not only can they choose who will host their FOLIO, they can choose to have one vendor host part of their FOLIO solution and another vendor (or themselves) host other part(s). And of course when contracts expire those choices will resurface.

The future of libraries is open

While FOLIO is rich in community roots and interests, at its heart the FOLIO project was created to provide a service to Libraries. This open, modern, flexible, extendible, powerful platform that helps libraries solve needs of today, also provides leverage for the future. It allows libraries the choices and options needed to control their technical platforms into the future. FOLIO is open – truly open ensuring that control will remain in tact.

Nothing else provides this combination of traits. FOLIO is unique.

In summary, FOLIO offers a powerful, flexible, and future-proof library management solution. It empowers libraries to streamline operations, enhance resource discovery, and provide a more user-centric library experience. Foliodocs