Research Stack Recommendations? (2026 Shortlist)
Forum-thread voice:
“Trying to improve my research workflow. Currently using:
- Obsidian for thinking
- Zotero for formal sources
- PageStash for capturing webpages
- ChatGPT (or similar) for summaries
Anything I should add?”
Answers worth upvoting
- Wayback Machine bookmarklets—history, not private backup.
- A spreadsheet or database for queries you repeat (WHOIS pivots, etc.)—keep methodology consistent.
- Password manager + 2FA—boring, mandatory for source accounts you use in research.
What not to duplicate
- Another read-later app if you already never finish the queue.
- A second notes tool if Obsidian is working—fix capture instead.
Where PageStash fits
If Zotero handles papers and Obsidian handles ideas, PageStash is the web page layer that survives link rot. Add it before you add another AI wrapper.
Optional fourth bucket
A timeline tool for social datasets—only if your work truly needs it. Many teams fake timelines with dated folders in PageStash first.
Closing
Best stack is the one you actually use daily. Optimize capture friction before analytics dashboards.
