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VoicedByMe / Use cases / Listen to research papers

Guide · PDF · Research · Updated 2 November 2026

Listen to research papers, not just read them.

To listen to a research paper, open the PDF in Microsoft Edge and press CtrlShiftU, use Read Out Loud in Adobe Acrobat Reader, or select the text on a Mac and press OptionEsc. All three are free. Papers trip readers up with two columns, citations, footnotes and equations, so it helps to go section by section. VoicedByMe reads papers offline in natural voices, scanned ones included, and saves them as audio for your commute, without uploading unpublished work.

Download for Windows Download for Mac Free for a day · then $30 once

Samples made offline with ready-made voices. All of them are AI-generated.

Why listen

More papers, less screen time.

The commute counts

A twenty-minute paper becomes twenty minutes of listening on the bus, the train or a walk.

Tired eyes

After a day at the screen, your ears still work.

Staying focused

Hearing the words while you follow them keeps you on the line. Why it helps.

Your own drafts

Hearing your manuscript read back catches clumsy sentences your eyes skip. Proofread by listening.

A second language

Hearing technical words pronounced helps when the paper isn't in your first language.

Free ways

With what's already on your computer.

Microsoft Edge

Right-click the PDF, choose Open with → Microsoft Edge, and press CtrlShiftU. Edge highlights the words as it reads. Its natural voices work online; offline it falls back to Windows' standard voices. More on Edge's Read Aloud.

Adobe Acrobat Reader

Choose View → Read Out Loud → Activate Read Out Loud (ShiftCtrlY), then Read This Page Only (ShiftCtrlV). It uses your computer's voices and works offline. It reads in the order the PDF's hidden tags give, so a paper without tags can be read straight across both columns.

On a Mac

Open the PDF in Preview and choose Edit → Speech → Start Speaking, or turn on Speak selection in Accessibility → Spoken Content, select a section and press OptionEsc. Download a Premium voice for a much better sound.

Apps made for papers

Services such as Listening and Audemic are built for academic PDFs, and some can skip citations and references for you. They work online, you upload each paper, and they're subscriptions.

Common problems

What trips readers up, and the fix.

Columns read across

Select one column or one section and read just that. In VoicedByMe, select it in any PDF reader and press CtrlAltR, or drag over a column with CtrlAltO.

Citations everywhere

Numbers like [12] and (Smith et al., 2021) pass quickly at a slightly faster speed. Stop when you reach the reference list.

Equations

No text-to-speech tool reads maths well. Skip the equations and look at them on the page.

Jargon said wrong

In VoicedByMe, add a term to the pronunciation list once, spelled the way it sounds, and it's said that way in every paper.

Headers and page numbers

Running heads and page numbers get read too. Select the body text if they bother you.

Old scanned papers

A scan has no text inside, so Edge and Acrobat stay silent or say "empty page". VoicedByMe recognises the text on your computer first. Why scans are different.

Private by default

Unpublished work stays on your computer.

Most online readers upload the PDF to their servers. For a published paper that's usually fine. For your own unpublished manuscript, a grant proposal or a paper you're reviewing, think twice: many publishers ask reviewers not to upload manuscripts under review to outside tools. Check your journal's policy.

VoicedByMe runs entirely on your computer: no upload, no account, and it works offline, in the lab or on a plane.

With VoicedByMe

Open it. Listen anywhere.

  1. Open the PDF

    Drag the paper into the app. Scanned pages are recognised, the part being read is highlighted, and your place is kept.

  2. Pick a voice and speed

    One of 70 natural voices, or your own. Set the speed, and teach it your field's jargon once.

  3. Take it with you

    Save a paper as an audio file, or a reading list as an audiobook with chapters, and listen on your phone.

Compared

Ways to listen to a paper.

Natural voicesWorks offlineScanned papersSaves audioThe paper is uploadedPrice
VoicedByMeYes, or your ownYesYesYes, and audiobooksNo$30 once
Microsoft EdgeYes, onlineWith standard voicesNoNoThe text, for natural voicesFree
Acrobat ReaderNo, the system's voicesYesNoNoNoFree
Mac Preview and Spoken ContentPremium voicesYesNoNoNoFree
Apps for papers (Listening, Audemic)YesNoSomeSomeYesSubscriptions

As of October 2026. Check each app's own site for its current features and prices.

Questions

How can I listen to research papers for free?

Open the PDF in Microsoft Edge and press CtrlShiftU, use Read Out Loud in Adobe Acrobat Reader, or use Speak selection on a Mac. All three are free.

What's the best app to listen to research papers?

For the odd paper, Edge's Read Aloud. To listen on your phone with citations skipped, an app made for papers, online and on a subscription. To read on a computer, offline, with scans and unpublished work kept private, VoicedByMe.

Can text to speech skip citations?

Some apps made for papers can. General readers read them; they pass quickly at a slightly faster speed, and you can stop at the reference list.

Why does it read the columns in the wrong order?

The PDF has no reading-order tags, so the reader goes straight across the page. Select one column and read just that.

Can it read equations?

Not well. No text-to-speech tool reads maths reliably, so skip equations and look at them on the page.

Can I listen to papers on my phone?

Yes. Save the paper as an audio file, or a collection as an audiobook with chapters, and copy it to your phone.

Is it safe to upload an unpublished paper?

Think twice: an upload sits on someone else's servers, and many publishers ask reviewers not to upload manuscripts under review. A reader that runs on your computer, like VoicedByMe, uploads nothing.

Does it work for papers in other languages?

Yes. VoicedByMe reads English, Spanish, German, French, Portuguese, Italian, Japanese and Russian, and finds the language of each part by itself. French, Portuguese and Italian need turning on first, in Settings.

How much does it cost?

$30 once for the first 50 customers, then $50. No subscription. The full app is free for one day so you can try it first. A license is for one computer.

For Windows 10 and 11, and Macs with Apple silicon

Your reading list, as audio.

$30once. Launch price for the first 50 customers, then $50.
One computer. No subscription.

Download for Windows Download for Mac Also for Windows 10 and 11 Also for Macs with Apple silicon

The full app, free for 24 hours. Purchases aren't refundable, so please try it first.