Google Chrome extension developed by MSU doctoral student supports researchers globally
Contact: Bethany Shipp
STARKVILLE, Miss.—An online research tool developed by a Mississippi State College of Education doctoral student is helping researchers across the world manage their references, generating more than 1,000 installs in less than 90 days.
Timothy Okunoye, an instructional systems and workforce development student from Ada, Osun State, Nigeria, created NotebookLM to Zotero, a free Google Chrome extension that saves researchers’ time by automating the tedious process of migrating research documents, citations and AI-generated insights. Okunoye developed the tool as a response to what he described as a “real-world pain point” in the AI-integrated research workflow.
“Researchers often express frustration with moving citations from AI-powered research tools into a reference manager and refer to it as a time-consuming process, often resulting in incomplete or missing reference details,” Okunoye said. “Few open-source solutions bridge AI research environments with standard reference managers, leaving a critical workflow gap for the global academic community. I built this tool to bridge the gap between AI-powered insights and professional bibliography management so researchers can focus on what actually matters in their research workflow.”
The innovative tool reached its first 1,000 installs in less than 90 days, spanning four global regions with a 91% retention rate. Okunoye plans to expand the tool to support more source types and additional reference management platforms.
“My goal is to make research workflows smoother and more accessible for everyone, whether you are an experienced researcher or a student just getting started,” Okunoye said. “As an excellence-oriented and research-inclined institution, MSU inspires me to create solutions for the real world. This innovation wouldn’t have been possible without the hands-on learning ecosystem that MSU promotes.”
MSU’s College of Education, home of the Department of Technology, Leadership, and Design, also includes four additional academic departments, a division of education, one research unit and numerous service units. Learn more at www.educ.msstate.edu.
Mississippi State University is taking care of what matters. Learn more at www.msstate.edu.