Western Libraries

MME9617 Library Session and Project Support

Introduction to Reference Management Software

Reference/citation management software helps you organize the information sources that you find and automates the process of creating your bibliography. Many reference management software packages are available, each of them with their own strengths and weaknesses. Western Libraries doesn't subscribe to any of these packages, but we can help you get started using some of the more common ones.

Mendeley

Mendeley is a free reference management software system. Its features include the ability to manage, share, read, annotate, and cite reference papers. It supports private and public collaborations and offers 2 GB of online storage. 

Creating an Account

Mendeley has desktop and online components. You need an account to use Mendeley. Click the "Create a free account" tab on the Mendeley website to set one up.

Download Mendeley

  1. Mendeley Reference Manager
  2. Web Importer
  3. Mendeley Cite

Importing Citations

Citations can be imported from websites, databases, and PDF documents.

PDF file

Drag and drop a PDF file on your computer into your Mendeley Desktop. The bibliographic information will automatically be extracted and organized by title, author, year, journal title, etc.

Webpage

  1. Get Web Importer for your browser. 
  2. An "Web Importer" button is added to your browser's toolbar.
  3. Find the article you need.
  4. Click the "Web Importer" button, and the article's details will display on the right-hand side of the page.
  5. Click the "Save" button if the citation looks good.

Databases

Import references from databases using Mendeley's "Web Importer" OR using the .ris, .nbib, or BibText formats.

Inserting Citations Within Word

Mendeley Cite is compatible with Microsoft Office 365, Microsoft Word versions 2016 and above.

  1. Place your cursor where you want the citation to go in your Word document.
  2. Check the references under the "References" tab of Mendeley Cite.
  3. Or, enter a search term in the search box to locate the citation.
  4. Select the citations to insert.
  5. Click the "Insert # citations" button.
  6. Add all necessary in text citations.
  7. Select the "Citation Settings" to choose a citation style.
  8. Click on "..." to expand a drop-down list.
  9. Place your cursor at the end of your document.
  10. Click "Insert Bibliography."

Mendeley's Videos and Tutorials Site & Mendeley LibGuide offer more tutorials. 

Tags: MME9617