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Transcend the page and navigate research with deep context and collaboration.
Transcend the page and navigate research with deep context and collaboration.
Transcend the page and navigate research with deep context and collaboration.
692 backers pledged $23,608 to help bring this project to life.

About this project

Reader: Dragging science publications into the 21st century project video thumbnail
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Reader: Dragging science publications into the 21st century

$23,608

pledged of $15,000 goal

What is the Reader?

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 What more people are saying

Have you ever had to read a bunch of science papers for a class assignment, for research, or because you were simply interested in understanding a new science report or discovery? Did you find yourself flipping back and forth between a figure on page 1 and the text on page 13? Did you find yourself wanting to know more about a citation and why it was used? As an author, have you wished for a better way to get feedback on your published work? These are the sorts of pain points we are solving with Reader.

Reader is a software platform that allows you to better interact with and discuss papers. There is no software or app to install. It is all server-side and runs on your web browser, tablet, or phone.

Rewards

$95: NEW! Only 10 spots available 
IMMORTALIZE YOUR THESIS IN READER

Give us your thesis (or favorite article) and we'll plug it into Reader. When it's ready, you'll receive a URL to show off your work - no further hassle required.
Give us your thesis (or favorite article) and we'll plug it into Reader. When it's ready, you'll receive a URL to show off your work - no further hassle required.

$10: Early access to the reader + badge

Get access to the latest Reader technology months before it's released to the world!  You'll be the first to read faster and smarter than anyone else with the Reader early release.
Get access to the latest Reader technology months before it's released to the world! You'll be the first to read faster and smarter than anyone else with the Reader early release.

 The early access reward will be included in every other pledge of $10 or more!

$25: T-shirts

We are going to be designing some clever t-shirts with your help! We'll send out surveys to all of the t-shirt backers to pick winners. Design submissions and concepts are welcome!

Choose from a company logo or a clever design you help choose!
Choose from a company logo or a clever design you help choose!

$40: Lab Notebook

Show your support in style with a high-quality hardbound lab notebook.

The lab notebook will be hardback, water resistant and have several logo options
The lab notebook will be hardback, water resistant and have several logo options

$80: Book Bag

Be stylish and supportive with a Reader messenger book bag!
Be stylish and supportive with a Reader messenger book bag!

If you believe in what we're doing, click "Back this project" now and help us make Reader a reality!

                                                         

About this project

Reader is a software platform that brings scientific and technical documents into the 21st century by adding intuitive navigation and rich context to scientific and technical documents. We are three friends who are passionate about open science and eager to better the process of discovery by making it easier to find, navigate, and discuss research.

More about Reader

Reader is a powerful viewer for scientific documents that works on mobile, tablet, and computer platforms. You can access manuscripts via a URL in your web browser and there is no software or app to install or configure. Here are some key features:

Share or comment on any sentence or figure in the paper. Share or comment on any sentence or figure in the paper.
Share or comment on any sentence or figure in the paper. Share or comment on any sentence or figure in the paper.
Get inline context and discussion of figures in a paper as well as the entire discussion for a figure, even if it is distributed throughout the paper.
Get inline context and discussion of figures in a paper as well as the entire discussion for a figure, even if it is distributed throughout the paper.

There are lots of other features, like the ability to bookmark papers and citations as well as the ability to search through papers and the supporting information (references, comments, etc).

We hope that Reader will improve the reading experience for everyone including scholars, journalists, and citizen scientists. That's why we're making it 100% free. We hope Reader will ignite discussion between scientists, non-scientists, and authors of all kinds.

Reader is designed with mobile in mind and works on your mobile devices and desktop web browser.
Reader is designed with mobile in mind and works on your mobile devices and desktop web browser.
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Using a traditional format like .pdf is like watching the big game in a room by yourself. There's no context or discussion and you're likely to miss something important.
Using a traditional format like .pdf is like watching the big game in a room by yourself. There's no context or discussion and you're likely to miss something important.

We want to build a sustainable enterprise so we can continue innovating and adding features to Reader and other related future tools. We also need the resources to precompute large sets of scientific papers from PubMed Central and elsewhere.

We are looking for the support of our families, friends, and colleagues to help us bring Reader to life. Reader will always be free to use for anyone that wants a better way to navigate scientific literature.

Please support us now by doing what dozens of others have already done: click here and make a pledge!

Risks and challenges

We have a lot of experience in designing and building software. Rudy is a product manager that specialized in social gaming, user experience, and user engagement. Gareth is a programmer and previously contributed to and moderates the free genomics resource GCAT (www.bioplanet.com/GCAT). David is a former professor and well-published in the DNA repair and genomics fields. He brings along vision and direction, having been a long-time creator and consumer of scientific content. Furthermore we have a number of academic scientists, bloggers, and non-experts advising along the way to help us build a tool that really brings value to everyone. We would love input from all of you as well.

We have hired designers and developers to help us complete our mission and are looking to the community for help in getting to the finish line.

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FAQ

Have a question? If the info above doesn't help, you can ask the project creator directly.

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Rewards

  1. Select this reward

    Pledge $1 or more
    About $1.00 USD

    69 backers

    YOU BELIEVE IN SCIENCE
    Your $1 pledge is worth more to us than you can imagine! Make your voice heard by backing us with $1 or more. The more pledges we get, the easier it will be for us to get grants and other funding by showing that people really believe -- enough to transact -- in our vision of a better way to view science and medicine!

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  2. Select this reward

    Pledge $10 or more
    About $10 USD

    469 backers

    SUPER EARLY ACCESS TO READER
    You'll get a personalized account before anyone with a special badge identifying you as a Reader Founder!

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  3. Select this reward

    Pledge $25 or more
    About $25 USD

    57 backers

    READER T-SHIRT
    T-shirt with designs picked by you! We have a bunch of clever t-shirts that you can choose from. Choose the one that you like best at the end of the campaign.

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    Ships to: Ships anywhere in the world
  4. Select this reward

    Pledge $40 or more
    About $40 USD

    23 backers

    READER LAB NOTEBOOK
    Your trusty companion just got 100x cooler. Ultra-high quality hard cover notebook with our Reader logo to show your support!

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    Ships to: Ships anywhere in the world
  5. Select this reward

    Pledge $60 or more
    About $60 USD

    12 backers

    READER LAB NOTEBOOK + T-SHIRT
    Show your support for science with the set! A clever and cool T-shirt PLUS an ultra-high quality hard cover notebook with our Reader logo to show your support!

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    Ships to: Ships anywhere in the world
  6. Select this reward

    Pledge $65 or more
    About $65 USD

    9 backers

    T-SHIRT 3 PACK
    T-shirts with designs picked by you! We have a bunch of clever t-shirts that you can choose from. Choose the designs that you like best at the end of the campaign and fill your wardrobe 3X faster!

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    Ships to: Ships anywhere in the world
  7. Select this reward

    Pledge $80 or more
    About $80 USD

    2 backers

    READER BOOK BAG
    Show off your support for the advancement of scientific research in the coolest possible way.

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    Ships to: Ships anywhere in the world
  8. All gone!

    Pledge $95 or more
    About $95 USD

    10 backers All gone!

    IMMORTALIZE YOUR THESIS IN READER. Want to experience Reader on a personal level? Jealous only Gareth gets his paper shown? Give us your thesis (or favorite article) and we'll plug it into Reader. Available to any file format but the printed page! When it's ready, you'll receive a URL to show off your work - no further hassle required.

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  9. Select this reward

    Pledge $100 or more
    About $100 USD

    11 backers Limited (89 left of 100)

    PATRON OF SCIENCE
    Be immortalized on the reader website on our "Patrons of Science" page, linked directly from our home page. You will be recognized as a supporter for a new way to do science! Your short bio will appear under our "$100+" section.

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  10. Select this reward

    Pledge $120 or more
    About $120 USD

    1 backer

    LAB NOTEBOOK 5 PACK
    Your trusty companion just got 100x cooler. Ultra-high quality hard cover notebook with our Reader logo to show your support!

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    Ships to: Ships anywhere in the world
  11. Select this reward

    Pledge $140 or more
    About $140 USD

    3 backers

    THE BIG BUNDLE!
    Early Access + Book bag + T-Shirt + Lab Notebook. Nice. Let the support surround you!

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    Ships to: Ships anywhere in the world
  12. Select this reward

    Pledge $350 or more
    About $350 USD

    2 backers Limited (8 left of 10)

    MEET THE DEVELOPERS
    Meet our team on a video conference call! Bring your ideas and help us shape the future of Reader!

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  13. Select this reward

    Pledge $1,000 or more
    About $1,000 USD

    0 backers Limited (10 left of 10)

    READER FOR YOUR BLOG
    Why limit Reader to research papers? Be one of the first to power your blog using Reader! Stimulate point-by-point discussion of your blog posts and keep readers on your blog longer!

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  14. Select this reward

    Pledge $1,000 or more
    About $1,000 USD

    0 backers Limited (10 left of 10)

    PATRON OF SCIENCE
    Be immortalized on the reader website on our "Patrons of Science" page, linked directly from our home page. You will be recognized as a supporter for a new way to do science! Your picture and a short bio will appear under our "$1,000+" section.

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  15. Select this reward

    Pledge $5,000 or more
    About $5,000 USD

    0 backers Limited (3 left of 3)

    MEET THE TEAM
    Spend the weekend in The Woodlands, Texas! Meet the team in person and bring your ideas to improve Reader. We'll cover everything but the flight! This reward also includes READER FOR YOUR BLOG.

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  16. Select this reward

    Pledge $10,000
    About $10,000 USD

    1 backer Limited (2 left of 3)

    PATRON OF SCIENCE
    Be immortalized on the reader website at the top of our "Patrons of Science" page, linked directly from our home page. You will be recognized as a supporter for a new way to do science! Your picture and a short bio will appear under our "$10,000+" section.

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Funding period

- (60 days)