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Mendeley Reference Manager

This guide helps you step-by-step use Mendeley to manage your sources/references.

Add References

Sources can be added to Mendeley Manually or Imported from a database.

Manually

To add a reference manually, follow the steps below:

  1. Click on Add new and select Add Manual Entry.
  2. Select the appropriate Reference Type of entry from the drop-down list.
  3. Enter the author of your entry as: Last Name, First Name/Initial
  4. Enter all the information that you have of the item and then click on Add entry.

 

 

 

Using DOI

If you know the DOI (Digital Object Identifier) of a source, you can look up the source and add it to your library. Just type-in the DOI and the system will import the metadata. Revise it, and then Add entry.

Adding PDFs

Click on Add new then choose File(s) from computer. Select the files you wish to add.

You may also select a group of PDF files, drag and drop then into your library. The references for these documents will be created automatically with their respective metadata (whenever embedded in the PDF files).

 

The metadata is not always complete/correct. It is essential to check each entry and correct the mistakes and add missing information.

Importing from Google Scholar

Install Web Importer

In Mendeley Reference Manager, click on Tools, then select Install Web Importer and follow the instructions to finish the installation. You may also download the Mendeley Importer browser extension (or bookmarklet) from the web.

Mendeley Importer comes as an extension for Chrome and Firefox only, and as a bookmarklet for other browsers (Edge, Safari, etc.).
 
Import References
  1. steps to import references from Google ScholarOn Google Scholar results page, click on Mendeley icon in your browser, then Sign in.
  2. Select the articles you would like to import.
  3. Tick the box Add PDFs if available if you want to import them with the references.
  4. To edit the reference before adding it to Mendeley, click on the title and edit any fields and then click on Add or Cancel edits if you decide otherwise.
  5. Choose the folder or group you wish to add the reference(s) to.
  6. Click on Add to add the references to your library.
Each time you go to a new page you need to reopen the Web Importer. You might need to sync your Mendeley Library for the new references to appear.

Importing from Scopus

Mendeley and Scopus are both owned by Elsevier, therefore you can send your Scopus search results directly to your Mendeley library:

  1. Sign in to Scopus using your Mendeley credentials.
  2. Perform your search and go to the results, select the articles you wish to export and click on Export.
  3. Select Mendeley and click Export.
  4. You will see a confirmation message at the top of your search results.

 

You might need to Sync your Mendeley Library for the new references to appear.

Import from PubMed

PubMed doesn't export references in either RIS or BibTeX format, only in NBIB, which is not compatible with Mendeley. Therefore, the best way to import references from PubMed is to use the Mendeley Importer browser extension (or bookmarklet).

Mendeley Importer comes as an extension for Chrome and Firefox only, and as a bookmarklet for all browsers (Edge, Safari, etc.).

Perform your search in PubMed. By default, 20 results will be shown on the results page (not recommended to increase the number to more than 50, for good performance).

  1. No need to select results in PubMed, instead open the Mendeley Importer browser extension (or bookmarklet). It will provide the results list showing the ones currently displayed in PubMed.
  2. Select the references you wish to export in Mendeley Importer pane.
  3. Select the folder in which you’d like to add them.
  4. Click the blue "Add" button. A green checkmark next to the imported references indicates a successful transaction.

Importing from Databases

To import references from a database into Mendeley, you need first to "Export" them as a file, then import the file to Mendeley.

  1. On your search results page, select the articles you wish to add and then find the export or Cite option. 
  2. The file formats compatible with Mendeley are: BibTex (.bib), RIS (.ris), or XML. Choose one of them.
  3. When prompted to save or open the file, save it to a location on your computer that you will remember.
  4. Click on the Add new icon in the top left corner then go to Import library.
  5. Choose the type that fits the file that you downloaded and double-click on it. Your exported references are now added into your Mendeley library.

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