ResearchNest - Academic Question Bank & Paper Generation System

A comprehensive Flask-based platform for educational institutions to manage question banks, generate custom question papers, and organize academic content by subjects, units, and topics.

✨ Key Features

📚 Question Bank Management

• Document Processing: Upload and process PDF question papers
• Smart Extraction: Automatically extract questions with metadata
• Categorization: Organize by department, subject, unit, and topic
• Difficulty Classification: Auto-classify questions by difficulty level

📝 Intelligent Paper Generation

• Custom Papers: Generate question papers based on criteria
• Smart Distribution: Control difficulty levels and mark allocation
• Multiple Formats: Support for various question types (MCQ, descriptive, etc.)
• Branded Output: Professional PDF generation with institutional branding

🏛️ Academic Organization

• Structured Hierarchy: Departments → Subjects → Units → Topics
• Advanced Search: Find questions by multiple criteria
• User Management: Role-based access control
• Analytics Dashboard: Track usage and generate reports

🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Python 3.11+
• pip (Python package manager)
• Git (for cloning the repository)
• SQLite (included) or PostgreSQL

Installation

1. Clone the Repository

   git clone https://github.com/Devlinx-s/ResearchNest.git
   cd ResearchNest

2. Set Up Virtual Environment

   # Create and activate virtual environment
   python -m venv venv
   source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate

3. Install Dependencies

   pip install -r requirements.txt

4. Configuration Create a .env file in the project root:

   # Application
   FLASK_APP=app.py
   FLASK_ENV=development
   SECRET_KEY=your-secret-key-here
   
   # Database
   DATABASE_URI=sqlite:///researchnest.db
   
   # File Uploads
   UPLOAD_FOLDER=uploads
   MAX_CONTENT_LENGTH=20971520  # 20MB
   
   # Email (optional)
   MAIL_SERVER=your-smtp-server.com
   MAIL_PORT=587
   MAIL_USE_TLS=True
   MAIL_USERNAME=your-email@example.com
   MAIL_PASSWORD=your-email-password

5. Initialize Database

   flask db upgrade

6. Run the Application

   flask run

7. Access the System

   • Open your browser: http://localhost:5000
   • Admin Login: admin@researchnest.local / admin123
   • Instructor/Student: Register with your institutional email

📚 Documentation

Project Structure

ResearchNest/
├── app/                      # Application package
│   ├── __init__.py          # App factory and extensions
│   ├── models/              # Database models
│   ├── routes/              # Application routes
│   ├── static/              # Static files (CSS, JS, images)
│   │   ├── css/
│   │   ├── js/
│   │   └── img/
│   └── templates/           # Jinja2 templates
│       ├── auth/            # Authentication templates
│       ├── admin/           # Admin interface templates
│       └── questions/       # Question management templates
├── migrations/              # Database migrations
├── tests/                   # Test files
├── uploads/                 # User uploads
├── .env.example            # Example environment variables
├── config.py               # Configuration settings
├── requirements.txt        # Python dependencies
└── README.md               # This file

Database Models

Core Models

• User: System users (Admin, Instructor, Student)
• Department: Academic departments
• Subject: Courses within departments
• Unit: Course units
• Topic: Specific topics within units
• Question: Individual questions with metadata
• QuestionDocument: Source documents for questions
• GeneratedQuestionPaper: Generated exam papers

API Endpoints

Authentication

• POST /login - User login
• POST /register - New user registration
• POST /logout - User logout

Question Management

• GET /questions - List all questions
• POST /questions - Create new question
• GET /questions/<id> - Get question details
• PUT /questions/<id> - Update question
• DELETE /questions/<id> - Delete question

Paper Generation

• POST /generate-paper - Generate new question paper
• GET /generated-papers - List generated papers
• GET /generated-papers/<id>/download - Download paper

🛠️ Development

Running Tests

pytest

Creating Migrations

flask db migrate -m "Migration message"
flask db upgrade

Code Style

• Follow PEP 8 guidelines
• Use type hints for better code clarity
• Write docstrings for all public methods

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Built with ❤️ for educational institutions
• Special thanks to all contributors and the open-source community

📧 Contact

For support or queries, please email: support@researchnest.local

---

Made with ❤️ by the ResearchNest Team

© 2025 ResearchNest. All rights reserved.

├── models.py # Database models (User, Subject, Unit, Topic, Question, etc.) ├── question_processor.py # Core question extraction and paper generation logic ├── routes.py # Application routes and views ├── forms.py # Form definitions using Flask-WTF ├── utils.py # Helper functions and utilities ├── requirements.txt # Python dependencies ├── static/ # Static files (CSS, JS, images) │ ├── css/ │ └── js/ └── templates/ # Jinja2 templates ├── admin/ # Admin interface templates ├── questions/ # Question management templates └── ... ```

🔧 System Requirements

• Python 3.11 or higher
• SQLite (included) or PostgreSQL
• 1GB RAM minimum, 2GB+ recommended
• 100MB free disk space (plus space for uploaded files)

🔒 Security Features

• Secure password hashing with Werkzeug
• CSRF protection
• File type validation
• Role-based access control
• Session management
• Input sanitization

📚 Documentation

For Administrators

• Manage departments, subjects, and courses
• Set up academic structures
• Monitor system usage
• Generate reports

For Instructors

• Upload and organize question banks
• Create custom question papers
• Track question usage and difficulty
• Manage class materials

For Students

• Access question banks
• Practice with past papers
• Download study materials
• Track progress

🤝 Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature)
5. Open a Pull Request

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Built with ❤️ for educational institutions
• Special thanks to all contributors
• Inspired by the need for better academic resource management