A comprehensive reference of tools and resources for conducting Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) research in an academic context.

Academic

Google Scholar

Updated: Sept. 2025

Search across a wide database of scholarly literature, including articles, theses, books, and academic publications. Features advanced citation tracking and comprehensive academic search capabilities.

Features:
  • Citation tracking
  • Author profiles
  • Academic search
  • Library links
Tool Information:
Author:
Google Scholar Team
Role:
Academic Search Platform
Organization:
Google
Setup Time:
2 min setup

Internet Archive

Updated: Sept. 2025

Digital library providing free access to millions of books, movies, software, music, websites, and more. Essential for historical research and data preservation in academic contexts.

Features:
  • Historical archives
  • Wayback Machine
  • Open library
  • Media collections
Tool Information:
Author:
Brewster Kahle
Role:
Digital Librarian
Organization:
Internet Archive Foundation
Setup Time:
3 min setup

Social Media

Social Searcher

Updated: Sept. 2025

Collection of tools for searching across social media platforms and analyzing social media data. Ideal for research involving public opinion, trends, and social behavior analysis.

Features:
  • Cross-platform search
  • Real-time monitoring
  • Analytics
  • Export capabilities
Tool Information:
Author:
Social Searcher Team
Role:
Social Media Analytics
Organization:
Social Searcher
Setup Time:
5 min setup

Data Analysis

Maltego

Updated: Sept. 2025

Powerful data mining tool that provides a library of transforms for open-source intelligence gathering and forensics, visualizing complex relationships between data points.

Features:
  • Data visualization
  • Link analysis
  • Transform hub
  • Integration capabilities
Tool Information:
Author:
Maltego Technologies
Role:
OSINT Platform
Organization:
Maltego
Setup Time:
15 min setup

OpenRefine

Updated: Sept. 2025

Powerful tool for working with messy data, cleaning it, transforming it, and extending it with web services. Essential for preparing and analyzing research data sets.

Features:
  • Data cleaning
  • Transformation
  • Reconciliation
  • Extension
Tool Information:
Author:
OpenRefine Community
Role:
Data Processing Tool
Organization:
OpenRefine
Setup Time:
10 min setup

Gephi

Updated: Sept. 2025

Open-source network analysis and visualization software, perfect for analyzing social networks, citation networks, and other complex data structures.

Features:
  • Network visualization
  • Data analysis
  • Dynamic filtering
  • Statistical tools
Tool Information:
Author:
Gephi Consortium
Role:
Network Analysis Tool
Organization:
Gephi
Setup Time:
12 min setup

Search Engines

DuckDuckGo

Updated: Sept. 2025

Privacy-focused search engine that doesn't track users and provides unbiased search results. Ideal for conducting research while maintaining privacy and avoiding search bias.

Features:
  • Privacy protection
  • Unbiased results
  • Instant answers
  • !bang commands
Tool Information:
Author:
DuckDuckGo Team
Role:
Privacy Search Engine
Organization:
DuckDuckGo
Setup Time:
1 min setup

Shodan

Updated: Sept. 2025

Search engine for Internet-connected devices, allowing researchers to find specific types of devices, vulnerabilities, and services across the internet.

Features:
  • Device search
  • Network mapping
  • Vulnerability tracking
  • API access
Tool Information:
Author:
Shodan Team
Role:
IoT Search Engine
Organization:
Shodan
Setup Time:
5 min setup

Verification

InVID Verification Plugin

Updated: Sept. 2025

Browser extension for verifying the authenticity of images and videos online. Essential for fact-checking and verification in academic research.

Features:
  • Image analysis
  • Video verification
  • Metadata extraction
  • Reverse image search
Tool Information:
Author:
InVID Project Team
Role:
Media Verification Tool
Organization:
InVID Project
Setup Time:
3 min setup

TinEye

Updated: Sept. 2025

Reverse image search engine that finds where images appear online, helping researchers verify image sources and track image usage.

Features:
  • Reverse image search
  • Image tracking
  • Usage history
  • API access
Tool Information:
Author:
TinEye Team
Role:
Image Verification Tool
Organization:
TinEye
Setup Time:
1 min setup

Comprehensive collection of tools and resources for online investigations, fact-checking, and verification of digital content.

Features:
  • Tool directory
  • Verification guides
  • Research methods
  • Case studies
Tool Information:
Author:
Bellingcat Team
Role:
Investigation Resource
Organization:
Bellingcat
Setup Time:
20 min setup
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