Reference Management Tools for Academic Writing

It is a good habit to check if the information of the imported references are correct and accurate. You can correct the information manually when necessary.

1. Select an imported reference for review.  
2. Confirm if the Details are Correct.
3. Correct the information manually, if needed.

Click to see steps in screenshots

Using folders help you organize references by different subjects so that you can quickly locate the reference later on. References added to or deleted from groups will not affect the master record of your library under “All Documents”.

Manage your references with folder(s) following the steps below:

1. Click on this icon to add a folder.
2. Name the folder.
3. Drag-and-drop the references into the folder.

Click to see steps in screenshots

Select a record and click Add File to attach files such as PDF to your references as indicated below.

Sorting references at the Mendeley library

References in your library can be sorted by authors, title, year and so on by clicking the corresponding column headings.

Searching references at the Mendeley library

You may search references using the Search Box or using the Filter function.

Search Box:

To conduct a search, you can:

1. Select the folder you wish to search.
2. Conduct a search using the search box.
3. Results with search term will be highlighted, including text in the PDF attached.
4. Click on Clear to remove the search result.

Click to see steps in screenshots

Filter:

Tags can be added to the record of reference. With the tags, you can search relevant references via the "Filter by My Tags" function.

Steps:

1. Add preferred tag(s) for your references by clicking the Details tab on the right hand side of Mendeley.
2. Select Filter by My Tags at the bottom left corner of the Mendeley.

Click to see steps in screenshots

Removing duplicate references from the Mendeley library

Duplicate references can be removed easily with the following steps:

1. Click on Tools.
2. Select Check for Duplicates.
3. Confirm if there are unchecked boxes which indicate discrepancies between the duplicate references.
4. Verify the fields in the duplicate records to decide which record to keep if needed.
5. Otherwise, click on Confirm Merge to merge the duplicate records.

Click to see steps in screenshots

To work with your references anytime, anywhere, you can synchronize your references with Mendeley's online library. This is also an effective way to back-up your references.

1. Click on the Sync button.
2. Visit https://www.mendeley.com/library.  The references are already synchronized.

Click to see steps in screenshots