AI your students can use — and you can mark.
Students are already using AI for research. The problem isn't the AI; it's the invented references. MyOwnArc is built around one constraint: the model can only answer from papers in the student's own library, and every claim carries a citation that opens the exact passage in the source PDF.
Grounded answers, verifiable citations
Every answer is grounded in the student's uploaded sources — no open-web generation, no fabricated bibliography entries. Each sentence's citation is a live link, and if a claim can't be traced, it isn't in the answer. Watch it:
Does retirement increase the risk of depression in men?
Evidence is mixed but leans toward elevated risk in the first two years post-retirement 1, particularly for involuntary retirees . Longitudinal data suggest the effect fades once new social roles are established 13.
Don't trust the AI. Check the source. Click the 2 — go on.
- Academic integrity by construction — the tool can't invent a reference, and students learn that claims require sources they can produce.
- Research literacy, practised — the click-through-and-check loop is exactly the verification habit research-skills teaching tries to build; here it's the interface.
- Real scholarly workflow — PubMed, OpenAlex and Semantic Scholar search; BibTeX/Zotero import; extraction matrices for literature reviews; reference lists in APA 7, Harvard, Vancouver, IEEE, MLA and Chicago; export to Word, BibTeX and CSV with no lock-in.
- Priced for students — a genuinely usable free plan (30 documents, 25 cited answers/month, no card), and $5/month with an academic email. Comparable tools charge $20–49.
Free Researcher access for library & academic-skills staff
If you teach research skills, run a library service, or support students through dissertations, we'll give you the full Researcher plan free — for evaluation, for teaching demonstrations, or just for your own work. No time limit, no card, no obligation to recommend us.
One email with your role and institution is all it takes — we upgrade the account you sign up with, usually within a day. Evaluating for a class or a LibGuide? We're happy to answer questions or do a 10-minute walkthrough: hello@myownarc.com.
What MyOwnArc is not
It doesn't write essays, and it can't answer beyond the sources a student has collected. Answers are starting points with receipts — students still do the reading (one click away is the point), the synthesis, and the writing. Several instructors frame it to students this way:
"Use whatever AI you like — but every claim you keep must survive the click." How instructors frame MyOwnArc to their students
Privacy, plainly
Cookieless analytics (Plausible), no data sold or shared for advertising, student libraries are private to their accounts, and everything exports on demand. Payment handling is entirely Stripe's. Details: privacy policy.
Just want to try it?
Not staff, or recommending it to a student? The free plan needs no card and takes two minutes.
Start free — no card neededSharing with a class or a LibGuide? Link to myownarc.com/educators so students land on this context first.