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Zotero & Mendeley Guide

An instructional guide on how to use citation managers Zotero and Mendeley.

Get Started with Mendeley

What is Mendeley?

Mendeley is a free citation manager that allows you to:

  • Store and manage your own personal library of references and PDFs using the Mendeley Reference Manager desktop application
  • Easily export citation information and documents from databases and websites to your library using the Mendeley Web Importer
  • Insert in-text references and bibliographies into your Word document using the Mendeley Cite for Microsoft Word plug-in
  • Collaborate with colleagues by utilizing group libraries

Create an Account

  • Go to www.mendeley.com
  • Click on Create an Account in top right hand corner
    • If you want to access your Mendeley Library after you leave St. Kate's, create your account with a personal email.

Download/Install Mendeley Reference Manager Application

If you have a St.Kate's issued computer/laptop:

  • Go to https://kace.stkate.edu and log in using your University login username/password
  • Go to Downloads and find Mendeley
  • Click on the link to install it and follow the direction prompts
  • A Mendeley shortcut might appear on your desktop (a red box with a large M), or you can find it by using the search feature in Windows
  • Open Mendeley, and sign in with the username/password you created at www.mendeley.com

If you have a personal computer/laptop:

  • Go to www.mendeley.com and click on Download in the upper right hand corner
  • Download the Mendeley Desktop application, and follow the installation prompts
  • A Mendeley shortcut might appear on your desktop (a red box with a large M), or you can find it by using the search feature on your computer
  • Open Mendeley, and sign in with the username/password you created at www.mendeley.com

Install Web Importer and MS Word Plug-In

  • Open Mendeley Desktop application
  • Go to Tools in the toolbar at the top of the Mendeley Reference Manager window
  • Install both the Mendeley Web Importer and Mendeley Cite for Microsoft Word

Mendeley Desktop Application Quick Tour

  • Tool Bar: Add references, create folders, and sync your library.
  • Collections: Organize your references into folders or access Groups to collaborate with colleagues.
  • Groups: Collaborate with colleagues by saving documents to a Group. 
  • All References: Displays basic reference information for the documents in the selected collection.
  • Details: Provides citation details and your notes for the document you have selected in the All References panel.

Add References to Mendeley

There are four ways to add references to your Mendeley account:

  • Manually add a reference
  • Drag/drop a PDF
  • Use Mendeley's Web Importer
  • Import documents from computer

Add Reference Manually

  • Click on +Add New > Add entry manually.
  • Select your Reference Type and enter all of the required information and click on Add entry. 

Drag & Drop a PDF

  • Select the Collection where you would like to save your reference.
  • Drag and drop the PDF from your desktop into the main panel. 

Mendeley Web Importer

  • The Mendeley web importer can be used for articles, websites, and other documents. 
  • Click the Mendeley browser button to save the citation and pdf (if available) in your Mendeley library.
  • Select the Collection and the reference(s) you want to save, then click Add. 

Files from Computer

  • Click on +Add new > File(s) from computer and browse/select the documents you want to save to your account. 

Organize with Collections

Keep Organized with Collections

  • Keep your citations/documents organized by using Collections.  Organize by class, assignment, project, etc.
  • Click on New Collection and type the name of your collection into the blank box that appears. 

  • To move citations within your account, either drag/drop citations into a Collection, or select the citation from the list and click Organize to Add/Remove an item from a Collection. 

Edit Information

  • When you click on a reference, a window will pop out and you can see all of the information available on that citation.  
  • If you notice some information that is missing or inaccurate, click on the field and correct the information to ensure you will have accurate citations in your bibliography/works cited. 

Mendeley Cite for Word

Install Mendeley Cite for Word

  • To add in-text citations and a list of references to a Word Doc, install Mendeley Cite for Word from the Tools menu. 

Insert In-Text Citations

  • To open Mendeley Cite, click on the References tab in Word, and then click on the Mendeley Cite button. 

  • The Mendeley Cite pane will then appear on the right hand side of the window.  You can find all of the citations in your Mendeley account here. 

Select Citation Style

  • Before you start writing your paper, select the citation style you are going to use by clicking on the Citation Style tab, and search for the correct style. 

Add In-Text Citations

  • Place your cursor where you want your in-text citation(s) to appear. 
  • Browse for you citation either by selecting the correct collection from the drop-down box or search by keyword in the Mendeley Cite pane. 
  • Select the citation(s) you want to include, and click on Insert citations. 
  • The formatted in-text citation(s) should appear in the text of your paper.  

Insert Bibliography

  • Once you have added all your in-text citations and are ready to add your bibliography/works cited list, click on More in the Mendeley Cite pane, and select Insert Bibliography.
  • Your formatted bibliography should appear after the text of your paper.  
  • Although Mendeley does most of the work for you, you must proof read for accuracy. If the information was not correct in your Mendeley account, it will no be correct in your formatted paper.  Either go back into your Mendeley account and make corrections to the information and re-insert your bibliography, or just edit the text directly in your Word document. 

Help

Upgrading Your Account ($)

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