With the Mendeley Web Importer, Mendeley’s browser extension, you can easily add references from the web to your library.

1. Install Mendeley Web Importer via the Mendeley website or your Mendeley library (Tools > Install Web Importer). Once you have installed the extension, the Web Importer button will appear in the top right-hand corner of your browser.
2. When you find a list of sources on a web page — for example, in the catalogue, Google Scholar, or another academic database — click on the Web Importer to detect the sources on the page.
3. Select the relevant item(s) and add them to your library.

This is how you import references into your library using the Mendeley Web Importer.

You can easily import a reference directly from the library catalogue.

1. Click the Export button next to an item.
2. Select Mendeley.

The reference will now be automatically added to your library.

BibTeX, RIS and EndNote XML are bibliographic files that contain all the information you need to cite a source, such as the title, author and publisher. You can use EndNote XML to transfer items from your EndNote library to Mendeley.

1. In the catalogue, download an RIS file by clicking the button on the far right of an item: Export > Export RIS or Export BibTeX. Export EndNote XML from the EndNote reference management software: File > Export...
2. In Mendeley, go to Add references > Import file(s) and select the correct file.
3. For EndNote XML, click on Add references > Import library.

In Mendeley, you can import references directly using a DOI, ISBN or other identifiers.

1. Select Add references > Add reference manually
2. Paste the DOI, ISBN or other identifier into the top bar.
3. The reference will now be automatically updated with the necessary information.

If you have the PDF of a source, you can import the reference via Add references > Import file(s). The PDF, including all available metadata, will be added to your library.

Please note: Mendeley is not always able to correctly read and convert information from a PDF into an accurate reference. Always check whether all required fields are filled in correctly.

When you import a reference manually (Add reference > Add reference manually), you first select the reference type. This will display the correct fields, that can subsequently be filled in.

When you click on a source in your library, you can view the source details under Info and edit and/or add to the information.

To organise your references, you can make use of Collections feature in Mendeley. For example, it may be useful to create collections on different topics, or for different chapters of the paper you are working on. 

You’ll find your collections on the left-hand side of your library. You can add references to a collection by drag-and-dropping them into a collection. References you have not yet sorted appear in the Unsorted folder.

Do you have duplicate references in your Mendeley library? You can find and remove them in the Duplicates folder.

Once you have imported a PDF into your library, you can read it and make notes within Mendeley.

• Annotations contains the notes (sticky notes) that have been added to the PDF.
• Notebook is your notepad in Mendeley. This provides an overview of all notes made that are not specifically attached to a PDF.

In Microsoft Word, you can use the Mendeley Cite plug-in, which you can install via Tools > Install Mendeley Cite for Microsoft Word. Before installing the plug-in, make sure to close the Microsoft Word application. Once the plug-in is installed, Mendeley Cite will appear in Microsoft Word, under References.

Click on Mendeley Cite to create a citation and use the search function in the menu to find the correct reference. You can then easily insert the citation into your text by selecting Insert citation. You can create a bibliography via Insert Bibliography. New citations are automatically added to your bibliography.

Having problems with Mendeley Cite? Reinstall the plug-in and Mendeley; or check the Mendeley Support Centre for solutions.

Mendeley offers a wide range of citation styles, and it is very easy to switch from one style to another. You can change the citation style in a Word document by clicking on Citation Settings. If a citation style is not listed, click on Get more styles or Search for another style.

If you spot a mistake in one of your references, do not correct it manually in Word; instead, correct the error in Mendeley itself. After correcting the error, click Sync with Mendeley library. The changes you’ve made in Mendeley will now also appear in your document.

A useful feature in Mendeley is the possibility to set up a Watched Folder. This is a folder on your computer from which Mendeley automatically imports PDFs — and, where possible, the bibliographic information — into your library. This means you don’t have to download and import each reference individually; Mendeley does the importing for you automatically. 

To set up a Watched Folder, click on Add references > Set up watched folder. 

Are you working on a computer other than the one where you have Mendeley installed? No problem! You can easily access your library by logging into Mendeley Web. Here you can edit, manage and organise your references. 

Instead of importing your references one by one, it can be useful to import all the sources you have used into your Mendeley library at the same time. You can easily do this when searching for sources in the catalogue.

Among your search results, select the sources you wish to export. Then click the Export button in the bar above your search results and choose the desired file type. The downloaded file can be imported into your library. In the same way, you can export multiple items from your Saved items list in your account.