| Tool | Est. Usage | Primary Users |
|---|---|---|
| MS Word | 60-70% | Biology, Medicine, Social Sciences, Humanities |
| LaTeX | 10-30% | Math, Physics, CS, Engineering |
| Google Docs | 10-20% | Collaboration, Early Drafts |
Note: No formal peer-reviewed survey exists. Estimates from academic forums and community data.
| Field | Primary Tool | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | LaTeX (90%+) | Equations, proofs require LaTeX |
| Theoretical Physics | LaTeX (90%+) | Heavy math, arXiv submissions |
| Computer Science | LaTeX (70-80%) | Conferences require LaTeX |
| Engineering | Mixed (50/50) | Depends on subfield |
| Biology | Word (80%+) | Journals accept Word |
| Medicine | Word (90%+) | Clinical journals prefer Word |
| Social Sciences | Word (85%+) | APA formatting in Word |
| Humanities | Word (90%+) | Track changes for editing |
| Law | Word (95%+) | Track changes essential |
- Word dominates overall - Most researchers use Word/Docs
- LaTeX dominates STEM math-heavy fields - Non-negotiable for equations
- Collaboration drives Google Docs - But final submission usually Word/LaTeX
- Journal requirements matter - Many journals require specific formats
Word (.docx) via OnlyOffice:
- 60-70% of researchers
- Required by most journals
- Track changes for co-author collaboration
- Familiar to advisors/reviewers
LaTeX (.tex) via Custom Editor:
- 10-30% of researchers (but 70-90% in STEM math fields)
- Required by CS/Math/Physics conferences (ACM, IEEE, arXiv)
- Better equation support
- Version control friendly (plain text)
Combined Coverage: ~95%+ of academic researchers
| Tool | Word | LaTeX | AI | Local |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MS Word | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ Copilot | ❌ |
| Google Docs | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ Gemini | ❌ |
| Overleaf | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| ScienceStudio | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Our differentiator: Only tool that supports BOTH Word AND LaTeX with AI assistance AND local-first architecture.
The difference comes down to one word: Output.
Everything else fails on one of our three core pillars: IDE-Grade, Native .docx, or Agentic.
| Product | The Limitation (Why it fails our user) |
|---|---|
| Notion | It's a Wiki, not a Document. Creates "Blocks," not "Pages." Cannot format to strict APA/Harvard guidelines with 1-inch margins and page breaks. Impossible to submit a Notion doc to a journal. Cloud-only (HIPAA/GDPR risk). |
| Obsidian | It's for Notes (PKM), not Publishing. Markdown is amazing for thinking, but terrible for publishing strict academic papers. "Pandoc Hell" converting to formatted .docx. No "Project" view—doesn't understand relationships between Data, Scripts, and Manuscript. |
| Zettlr | Markdown Only. Forces researchers to write in Markdown and "export" to Word. Breaks formatting, comments, and track-changes. "Note Taking" app, not "Production" environment. |
| Cursor / Windsurf | Code Only. Fantastic Agentic IDEs, but view PDF or .docx as binary blobs. Cannot "refactor" a paragraph of text—optimized for ASTs of code, not semantic arguments. |
| OnlyOffice Desktop | Not an IDE. Has an "AI Plugin" (ChatGPT/LM Studio sidebar), but it's just a chatbot. No "Project View," Git integration, or programmable API to build a "Research Loop". |
| Overleaf | LaTeX Only. Alienates the 90% of researchers (Bio, Psych, Med) who must use Microsoft Word. Cloud-only (privacy risk). |
- Obsidian helps you remember.
- ScienceStudio helps you produce.
Because we use OnlyOffice, we are WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get). The file you see on screen is exactly the file the professor receives. No conversion errors.
The specific combination of VS Code (Shell) + OnlyOffice (Canvas) + Local Agent (Brain) has never been built before.
- The "Science Writer" Extension: A VS Code extension exists, but it's just snippets for Markdown. Not a WYSIWYG editor.
- The "LM Studio" Plugin: OnlyOffice has an LLM plugin, but it creates a chatbot, not an Agent. Cannot "Plan" a thesis or "Verify" citations against a library.
Using OnlyOffice instead of building a ProseMirror editor from scratch:
Pros:
- Zero Format Risk: OnlyOffice uses
.docx(OOXML) natively. 100% Word compatibility guaranteed. - Dev Time Saved: Don't build toolbar, ruler, spellcheck, or comments—all built-in.
- Bonus: Excel editing for data files comes free.
Cons (Solved):
- "Black Box" Problem: Can't inject HTML like ProseMirror.
- Solution: Use the OnlyOffice Connector API to send commands:
connector.executeCommand("InsertText", { text: "..." })
If anyone asks "Why not Obsidian?", say:
"Obsidian is for taking notes. ScienceStudio is for publishing science. We use the engine of VS Code to manage your data, and the engine of OnlyOffice to guarantee your formatting. It is the only Local-First environment where you can code your analysis and write your paper in the same window."
Positioning: We are building "Cursor for Scientists." It does not exist, and the market is wide open.
- Top 7 Open Source AI Agent Frameworks (YouTube) - Validates that current frameworks (CrewAI, AutoGen) are raw tools for developers, not polished IDEs for end-users like researchers.
Segment 1: Psychology/Biology PhD (Word users)
- Primary persona (Andy's girlfriend)
- 50-100 PDFs, writes in Word
- Needs: Citation management, evidence finding
- Tool: OnlyOffice + MCP servers
Segment 2: CS/Math PhD (LaTeX users)
- Writes papers in LaTeX
- Submits to arXiv, ACM, IEEE
- Needs: BibTeX management, equation help
- Tool: LaTeX editor + MCP servers
Segment 3: Cross-disciplinary Researcher
- Sometimes Word, sometimes LaTeX
- Collaborates with people in both camps
- Needs: Both tools in one place
- Tool: ScienceStudio (both editors)
| Segment | Global Estimate |
|---|---|
| PhD Students | ~3-4 million |
| Postdocs | ~500k |
| Professors | ~2 million |
| Research Staff | ~1 million |
| Total | ~7 million researchers |
Even 1% penetration = 70,000 users
| Tool | Pricing |
|---|---|
| Overleaf | Free / $15-30/mo premium |
| Mendeley | Free / $5/mo |
| Zotero | Free |
| Grammarly | $12-30/mo |
| Notion AI | $10/mo |
| ChatGPT Plus | $20/mo |
Potential pricing:
- Free tier: Local-only, limited AI
- Pro tier: $10-20/mo (cloud sync, unlimited AI)
- Team tier: $20-30/mo (collaboration features)
Last updated: December 2024