Reference Management Tools for Academic Writing

If the style you need cannot be found in Mendeley, you can try to download and install it with the following steps:

1. Click on View.
2. Select Citation Style.
3. Then click on More Styles...
4. Switch to Get More Styles tab.
5. Search for a style you wish to Install.
6. Click on Install.

Click to see steps in screenshots

To use the installed style in Word document, you can:

1. Click on the Style.
2. Select More Styles...
3. Search the installed style.
4. Click on Use this Style.
5. You can then use the chosen style in Word document.

Click to see steps in screenshots

Sometimes, you may need a separate list of references in the Word document for backup or sharing purpose. In this case you may follow the steps below:

1. Click on View > Citation Style > Select the citation style you wish to use.
2. Select the references you would like to include in the list of references.
3. Right-click on the selected references, then choose Copy As > Formatted Citation.
4. Paste into your Word document. Then, you will see a list of selected references displayed in your chosen style.

Click to see steps in screenshots

References in the Mendeley library can be exported to Latex by generating a BibTeX file. Follow the steps below to do so:

1. Click on Mendeley Desktop (For Windows users, click on Tools).
2. Select Preferences... (For Windows users, select Options).
3. Switch to BibTeX tab.
4. Check the box of Enable BibTeX syncing.
5. Select an appropriate option.
6. The BibTeX file will be generated into this location after clicking OK.
7. Click OK to generate the BibTeX file.

Click to see steps in screenshots

References in the Mendeley library can be exported to EndNote or Zotero by generating a RIS file. If you have created groups in your Mendeley library, we advise you to export your references group by group so that the grouping can be kept in EndNote and Zotero.

Export your references...

1. Select the references you wish to export.
2. Click on File.
3. Select Export...
4. Change the file type to RIS.
5. Click Save to export the references in .ris format.

Click to see steps in screenshots

Import to EndNote...

1. Launch EndNote and click on File.
2. Select Import...
3. Browse for the .ris file exported from Mendeley
4. Click on Options (if you cannot find Import Options in step 5).
5. Select Multi-Filter (Special) for the Import Options.
6. Click on Import.

Click to see steps in screenshots

Import to Zotero...

1. Launch Zotero and click on File.
2. Select Import...
3. Browse for the .ris file exported from Mendeley.
4. Click on Open to import the references.

Click to see steps in screenshots

Important! The Mendeley mobile app will be discontinued on 15 March 2021.  You will no longer be able to access or sign in to the app.

Mendeley has mobile apps for iOS and Android. You can import references, organize your library, read and annotate PDFs saved in Mendeley anytime, anywhere with your mobile devices.

To learn more, please refer to the following guides for iOS and Android respectively.

Getting started with Mendeley for iOS

Getting started with Mendeley for Android

Mendeley is not only a tool for reference management, it also has built in functions for social networking - you can upload your published work, connect with other researchers and discover interesting topics through joining groups.  

It is important to note that there are limitations on disseminating your works publicly in Mendeley because in most cases you do not have the permission to distribute the publisher's version of the your article. This is because usually,  the copyright of the published version of your work has been transferred to the publisher. 

To learn more about the sharing function of Mendeley and the way to share your research work online, read Tip 4: Engage in academic social networks (Mendeley, ResearchGate, Academia.edu) in the 5 tips to raise your research visibility guide.