Mendeley Desktop | Mendeley Reference Manager | Mendeley

TL;DR

Mendeley Desktop is a free reference manager for collecting PDFs, organizing a personal library, and generating citations and bibliographies.

Briefing Cornell Notes

Briefing

Mendeley Desktop is positioned as a free reference manager that helps researchers collect papers, organize citations, and generate bibliographies—then keeps those citations synchronized with Microsoft Word while writing. It also functions as an academic social network, letting researchers share work, collaborate in public or private groups, and discover related scholarship across a subject area.

The workflow starts with building a personal Mendeley library: install Mendeley Desktop from mandalay.com, sign in (or register), and then add documents. Mendeley supports multiple ways to populate that library, including adding individual PDF files, adding an entire folder of PDFs at once, and using a “watch folder” so newly added files automatically flow into the library. For cases where no PDF exists, users can add items manually by selecting the document type (book, journal article, thesis, and others) and entering key bibliographic fields such as title, authors, year, and page numbers. For online discovery, a browser extension called the Mendeley Web Importer can pull citation metadata directly from search results or journal pages into the desktop library.

Once papers are in the library, accuracy matters: each item can be reviewed in a details pane, and missing fields can be repaired using a DOI-based “lookup” that automatically updates metadata. Because Mendeley Desktop can work offline, the transcript emphasizes using synchronization (“sync”) after adding or importing items so the library stays current.

Mendeley also supports importing references exported from other reference managers. The transcript lists three acceptable import formats—.ris (Web), .xml (EndNote XML), and .bib (RIS)—so a supervisor’s EndNote export can be brought into Mendeley and merged into the user’s library. After the library is ready, the next step is connecting Mendeley to Word via the “Install MS Word Plugin” tool, enabling in-text citation insertion and bibliography generation.

During writing, users place the cursor in Word, choose “Insert Citation,” and search within the Mendeley library by author, title, year, or keywords. Citations are inserted in the selected style (the transcript uses IEEE as an example), and a bibliography can be generated at the end of the document using “Insert Bibliography.” If edits change the order or content of sentences, the transcript highlights that citations and references can be refreshed so numbering and formatting update automatically—saving time compared with manual rearranging.

Finally, Mendeley Desktop supports switching citation styles to match journal requirements. Users can browse and install additional styles (including university- or journal-specific ones), then apply the new style so both in-text citations and the reference list update. The transcript also notes an export option to send manuscripts without Mendeley fields, preventing others from altering citation formatting. Overall, the core value is a tight loop between library management, citation insertion, and style-compliant bibliography generation that reduces repetitive work and errors.

Cornell Notes

Mendeley Desktop is a free reference manager that builds a searchable library of papers, generates citations and bibliographies, and keeps formatting synchronized with Microsoft Word. Researchers can add documents via PDFs, folders, watch folders, manual entry, the Mendeley Web Importer, or by importing exports from other tools (using formats like .ris, EndNote XML .xml, and .bib). After connecting Mendeley to Word with the MS Word plugin, users insert in-text citations by searching the library and generate a bibliography in the chosen style (e.g., IEEE). When writing changes the text, refreshing updates citation placement and numbering automatically. Style changes for journal submissions can be applied by installing and selecting the correct reference style, then reformatting the document accordingly.

What are the main ways to add references into a Mendeley Desktop library?

The transcript lists several routes: (1) add file(s) from the computer (select one or multiple PDFs), (2) add an entire folder so all PDFs inside are imported at once, (3) use “watch folder” so any new documents added to that folder automatically appear in the library, (4) add manually for items without a PDF (choose document type like book, journal article, thesis, then enter fields such as title, authors, year, and page numbers), (5) use the Mendeley Web Importer extension to add items directly from web search or journal pages, and (6) import from other reference managers using supported export formats (the transcript names .ris, EndNote XML .xml, and .bib). After adding, the library may require “sync” to ensure changes are applied.

How does Mendeley keep citation metadata accurate once documents are added?

Each library item can be reviewed in a details pane to check required fields like title and authors. If information is missing or incorrect, users can run a DOI-based “lookup,” which updates missing metadata automatically. The transcript repeatedly emphasizes checking each document after import and using lookup when fields such as issue number or other bibliographic details are absent.

What is the process for inserting citations and generating a bibliography in Word?

After installing the MS Word plugin (via Mendeley Desktop tools), users open a Word document and place the cursor where a citation should go. They then choose “Insert Citation,” search the Mendeley library by author/title/year/keywords, and select the correct item. For the reference list, they place the cursor at the end (or in the bibliography section) and choose “Insert Bibliography,” which generates the references in the currently selected citation style (IEEE is used as the example). Only cited items appear in the bibliography, not every library item.

Why does refreshing matter during writing and editing?

When sentences are rearranged or edited, citations and reference numbering can change. The transcript notes that with Mendeley integration, users can refresh after edits so Word updates citations and the bibliography automatically, avoiding manual reordering and reformatting.

How can researchers switch citation styles to match different journals?

Users can change styles inside Mendeley/Word by selecting a different reference style. The transcript describes searching for styles by keywords (e.g., “APA”) and also finding journal- or university-specific styles. After installing and selecting the desired style, citations and the reference list update to match the new formatting requirements.

What does exporting “without Mendeley fields” accomplish?

When sending a manuscript to a journal, the transcript recommends exporting without Mendeley fields so the downloaded document appears without Mendeley’s embedded citation data. That prevents others from altering citation numbering or reference formatting through the Mendeley integration.

Review Questions

What steps are required to connect Mendeley Desktop to Microsoft Word, and where do citations get inserted from during writing?
Compare the “add folder” and “watch folder” approaches—what problem does each solve?
How does DOI lookup improve the reliability of citations, and what should a researcher verify after importing documents?

Key Points

1
Mendeley Desktop is a free reference manager for collecting PDFs, organizing a personal library, and generating citations and bibliographies.
2
References can be added through files, folders, watch folders, manual entry, web importing, or importing exports from other reference managers.
3
After adding items, researchers should review metadata and use DOI lookup to fill missing bibliographic fields, then sync to update the library.
4
The MS Word plugin enables in-text citation insertion and automatic bibliography generation in a chosen style (e.g., IEEE).
5
Refreshing after edits updates citation placement and numbering automatically, reducing manual correction.
6
Citation styles can be switched to meet journal requirements by installing and selecting the appropriate reference style.
7
Exporting without Mendeley fields helps prevent others from changing citation formatting when submitting to journals.

Highlights

Mendeley Web Importer can pull citation metadata directly from web pages into the desktop library, cutting out manual entry.

DOI lookup is used to automatically repair missing or incorrect bibliographic fields like authors, titles, and issue details.

Only items actually cited in the Word document appear in the generated bibliography, not the entire library.

Refreshing after text edits updates both in-text citations and the reference list automatically.

Exporting without Mendeley fields produces a submission-ready document that others can’t reformat via Mendeley.

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