Mendeley

There are three (3) ways to add or import references into Mendeley:

1. Import from a webpage
2. Import from a file
3. Import from Literature Search

Note: any time you import a reference, double check the reference information, especially how the authors' names are displayed. This will save you time later on when you are citing references in papers. 

Import from Web

From an article page or webpage, click the Mendeley Web Importer. After signing into your Mendeley account, Save the Reference, with an option to save the reference to a folder or group (if desired). 

Import from File

Citation manager files (usually .RIS or BibTeX files) are easily available on publisher websites, library catalogs, and databases. Items can be exported individually or as a group. 

Different publishers, websites, and databases may use different terms relating to citation managers, including Cite, Export, or Share, then offer options to download as an .RIS file, specific or generic citation managers, or BibTeX files. 

From an article page on a publisher (or journal) website, select an option to Share, Cite, or Export and export to Mendeley. If a Mendeley export option is not available, export to .RIS (general citation manager file) and then import the file into Mendeley.

After downloading a citation manager file, go to Mendeley and select Add, then Files. Then, select the downloaded citation manager file from where it was saved and import the file into your library.

Import from Literature Search

On the left side menu, select Literature Search and enter search terms to search for references that other Mendeley users have added to their libraries. Click on references to view reference details. Select Save Reference to add a reference to your library.

There are several ways to edit and organize references in Mendeley:

• Folders
• Tags
• Groups

Folders

To create a folder, select the Add Folder icon on the toolbar or Create Folder option on the left side menu. To rename a folder, right click on the folder and select Rename Folder.

To add references to a folder, drag and drop the reference(s) from your All Documents library into the folder.

Adding references to a folder means they will be visible in the folder and All Documents. 

Tags

Select a reference and then view the reference Details (on the right side bar). Scroll down to add, edit, or view Tags. 

Tags are a form of controlled vocabulary that you create to easily find references. These may relate to different stages of a process (with a literature or systematic review, for example) or topics that the article is about. When you search your personal Mendeley library, tags are included in the search. 

Groups

Groups are ways to create a folder that is shared between different Mendeley users. To create a group, select Create Group. Then, give the group a name, enter emails for other Mendeley users to be a part of the group, and adjust privacy settings.

Groups have additional functionality in Mendeley Web, with the option to share files and post comments to the Group page.