Science42:DORA

AI drafting assistant for academic and biomedical papers

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Screenshot of Science42:DORA, AI drafting assistant for academic and biomedical papers

What is Science42:DORA?

Science42:DORA is an academic research tool. DORA is an AI drafting assistant for academic and biomedical writing that pairs 20+ document templates with selectable AI agents, PubMed and PMC reference search, and automatic in-text citations. Free tier, paid plans and an open source self-host option.

Science42: DORA (Draft Outline Research Assistant) is an AI writing system built around a specific claim: that academic drafts can be assembled faster without losing citations or structure. The homepage positions it for research articles, review papers, essays, conference abstracts, patents, grant proposals and press releases, with a template library of 20 or more document types that come pre-configured with sections. In practice, DORA is less a chat box and more a guided pipeline: a user picks a template, states an objective, uploads PDFs or their own results, selects which AI agents should gather data, adjusts a generation plan, and lets the tool produce a full draft with the agents' work shown along the way. The research layer is where the product differentiates. DORA can query scientific repositories including Arxiv, BioRxiv, MedRxiv, PMC and PubMed, alongside biomedical resources such as PDB, GEO, STRING, HPA and clinical trial data. Two Insilico Medicine assets are wired in as optional agents: PandaOmics for gene-disease association analysis and P3GPT for geroprotector research. A Reference Finder adds citations to highlighted text, and an included AI review agent produces structured feedback before submission. Diagram generation covers flowcharts, state, timeline and sequence visuals, and the Deep Research template targets referenced topic analyses. Academics, PhD students and postdocs are the obvious audience, but the product also courts biomedical researchers, labs and general business teams writing reports or press releases. Enterprise users get custom templates, multi-user access and priority support, while developers can self-host DORA from GitHub using their own LLM API keys and Docker images. The free tier is a genuine trial rather than a demo: two document generations per day, five Deep Research uses per month and three daily uses across the other AI tools. On data handling, the site states that user documents and uploads are not used to train models, that content is not shared with third parties, and that authors keep rights to their work. It is a desktop browser experience only, with no mobile app.

How do you use Science42:DORA?

  1. 1Create an account and start the trial
    Register from the DORA site to open the seven day free trial, which the FAQ says can be cancelled at any time. No credit card is required for the free tier.
    Science42:DORA — Create an account and start the trial
  2. 2Pick a template
    Choose from the template collection, for example Deep Research, Review article, Research article, Target feasibility or Scientific essay. Each template arrives with pre-configured sections that steer the agents' writing.
  3. 3Upload files and define the objective
    State what the document should cover and upload PDFs, drafts or your own results. Uploaded sources are reused across projects and feed custom bibliographies and citations.
  4. 4Select agents and research resources
    Choose which AI agents gather data and which repositories to draw on, including PubMed, PMC, BioRxiv and biomedical databases. Reference settings for year, citation style and article type can be adjusted.
  5. 5Generate and inspect the draft
    Review the generation plan, then let DORA produce the draft while showing what each agent contributed. Use Find reference and Add citation to close any remaining gaps.
  6. 6Refine and review before submission
    Apply the AI editing tools and run the review agent for structured feedback, then add diagrams and finalize the document in your own workflow.

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Template-driven drafting covers research articles, reviews, essays, abstracts, grant proposals and patentsAI
  • Reference finder searches PMC and PubMed and adds citations to highlighted textAI
  • Biomedical-specific agents include PandaOmics for omics analysis and P3GPT for aging researchAI
  • Site states uploaded documents are not used for model training and rights stay with the authorAI
  • Open source self-host build lets teams run DORA with their own LLM API keysAI

Cons

  • Free tier caps output at two document generations per day, which runs out fast on real projectsAI
  • Deep Research uses are limited even on paid plans, at 20 per month on ProfessionalAI
  • Desktop web only, with no iOS or Android appAI
  • Biomedical templates are strongest, so humanities and social science users get less tailored structureAI
  • Generated drafts still need substantive human review before submissionAI

How much does Science42:DORA cost?

Free trial

A 7 day free trial is available after registration, plus a permanent free tier that needs no credit card and includes 2 document generations per day.

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Pricing

Free tier with 2 document generations per day and 5 Deep Research uses per month. Professional is $17 monthly or $175 annual, Advanced $250 annual, both listed at 50 percent off, and Enterprise is quoted on contact. A self-host open source build is also offered.

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Support

Contact by email or schedule a call with the business development team; Enterprise plans include priority support. Self-host users rely on the GitHub repository.

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Integrations

Draws on Arxiv, BioRxiv, MedRxiv, PMC and PubMed, plus biomedical resources including PDB, GEO, STRING, HPA and clinical trial data, with PandaOmics and P3GPT agents. Self-hosting uses your own LLM API keys.

Features

20+ templates, 13 configurable AI agents, automatic in-text citations, PMC and PubMed reference finder, PDF uploads for custom bibliographies, diagram generation (flowchart, state, timeline, sequence), an AI review agent, and Deep Research.

Frequently asked questions about Science42:DORA

  • How much does Science42:DORA cost?
    Free tier with 2 document generations per day and 5 Deep Research uses per month. Professional is $17 monthly or $175 annual, Advanced $250 annual, both listed at 50 percent off, and Enterprise is quoted on contact. A self-host open source build is also offered.
  • Does Science42:DORA offer a free trial?
    A 7 day free trial is available after registration, plus a permanent free tier that needs no credit card and includes 2 document generations per day.
  • How do you use Science42:DORA?
    The walkthrough on this page covers 6 steps: 1. Create an account and start the trial 2. Pick a template 3. Upload files and define the objective 4. Select agents and research resources 5. Generate and inspect the draft 6. Refine and review before submission.
  • What platforms does Science42:DORA support?
    Science42:DORA is available on Web App.
  • What does Science42:DORA integrate with?
    Draws on Arxiv, BioRxiv, MedRxiv, PMC and PubMed, plus biomedical resources including PDB, GEO, STRING, HPA and clinical trial data, with PandaOmics and P3GPT agents. Self-hosting uses your own LLM API keys.
  • What are the limitations of Science42:DORA?
    Free tier caps output at two document generations per day, which runs out fast on real projects. Deep Research uses are limited even on paid plans, at 20 per month on Professional. Desktop web only, with no iOS or Android app.

Status

StatusActive
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Added10/22/2026

Platforms

Web App

Pricing

FreeFreemiumSubscription