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Research Guides

Citation Management Software: Adding New References

A guide to the commonly used citation - or reference - management software available to the U-Idaho community.

Adding New References

Install Mendeley Web Importer

This browser extension allows you to capture online references and save them directly to your Mendeley library. The Mendeley Web Importer is only available for Chrome and Firefox

  • Open Mendeley Reference Manager
  • Click Tools and Install Mendeley Web Importer
  • Follow on-screen instructions and add to Chrome or Firefox

Add References using the Mendeley Web Importer

  • Navigate to an article, webpage, etc. you'd like to save
  • Click the 'Mendeley Web Importer' browser icon
    • Log-in to your Mendeley account, if prompted
  • Check the box for the references you would like to import
  • Click 'Add to Mendeley Library'
  • The Mendeley Web Importer will automatically add the reference(s) to your Mendeley library

Add References from an Existing Reference Manager

  • Export references as BibTex, EndNote XML, or RIS file format from existing reference manager 
  • Open Mendeley Reference Manager
  • Click 'Add new' and 'Import Manually'
  • Select the file format and the correct file

Import PDFs and Extract Reference Metadata

  • Open Mendeley Reference Manager
    • Option 1:
      • Click 'Add new' then 'File(s) from computer'
      • Select the files from your computer
    • Option 2:
      • Drag and drop PDF files directly into the Mendeley Reference Manager window

Add References Manually

  • Open Mendeley Reference Manager
  • Click 'Add new' then 'Add Manual Entry'
  • In the Reference Type drop-down box, select the type of reference, such as a book, journal article, website, etc.
  • Fill out the necessary bibliographic fields and click 'Add entry'

Search Mendeley's Web Catalog

When searching the Mendeley Web Catalog, you can see the references other Mendeley users have added to their own personal libraries.

  • Click 'Tools' and 'Search for articles online'
  • Type your keywords into the box and click 'Search'
  • View a list of references that other Mendeley users have added to their own libraries
  • Click 'Add to Library' to add the reference to your own Mendeley Library
  • Visit the University of Idaho Library's website to see if the full-text is available

Note: A search within Mendeley Web Catalog will not show you all references that are related to your topic; you will only see items that other Mendeley users have saved to their own libraries.