Mendeley

Mendeley is a reference manager that allows you to create a personal database of references related to your research, and it allows you to insert citations into Word using any one of hundreds of citation styles. If you are collaborating with other researchers, Mendeley allows you to share references.

There is a free version of Mendeley that anyone can sign up for. However, MSU faculty, staff, and students have access to Mendeley Institutional Edition, which provides more storage space for PDFs and more functionality.

For Mendeley accessibility information, please visit https://www.mendeley.com/accessibility. 

• Register for an Account and Access the Web Version 

  To access the Institutional Edition of Mendeley, you do not need to use your MSU email address, though you use it if you'd like. However, you should not use your MSU Net Password. You should NOT use the "sign in via your organization" option. Unfortunately, that option does not work correctly. Once you access Mendeley on the MSU campus network or using the MSU VPN (Virtual Private Network), you should get access to the Institutional Edition.
   

  If you already have a Mendeley account and need to change the email address, you can do so in your account settings.

   
• Download Mendeley Reference Manager for Desktop (optional)

  Use Mendeley Reference Manager for Desktop to build and organize your collection of references and documents, which you can sync with the web version. Drag & drop PDF files into the Desktop to instantly create references. Annotate PDFs with highlights and sticky notes as you read them. Please note that the downloadable version of Mendeley Reference Manager is sometimes unstable. For best results, use the web version, which has most functions found in the downloadable version.

   
• Install the Mendeley Web Importer

  Adding the Web Importer to your favorite web browser makes it easy to import references and documents from academic databases.
   
• Install Mendeley Cite

  The plugin allows you to insert citations and bibliographies into your Microsoft Word, LibreOffice, or BibTeX document. Look for the Install link in the Tools menu of Mendeley Desktop.

Recorded Mendeley Workshop

This video was recorded in September 2024. Please note that the downloadable version of Mendeley Reference Manager is sometimes unstable. For best results, use the web version, which has most functions found in the downloadable version.