Mendeley Reference Manager and Academic Research Tool for Scholars

Mendeley is a reference management software and academic social network that helps researchers organize PDFs, generate citations, and collaborate with peers.

Best for: Reference Management
Key capability: Reference Management

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What is Mendeley?

Mendeley is a comprehensive reference manager and academic social network designed to help researchers organize their research, collaborate with others online, and discover the latest scientific papers. It provides tools to manage PDFs, generate citations, and connect with a global community of scholars.

Mendeley interface screenshot highlighting the main features and user experience

Key features of Mendeley

Mendeley offers reference management, PDF organization with annotation tools, citation generation in various styles, collaborative group libraries, and a research discovery platform to enhance academic productivity.

Reference Management

Efficiently organize and manage research references and documents.

PDF Viewer and Annotation

Built-in PDF reader with tools for highlighting, commenting, and note-taking.

Citation Plugin

Integrates with word processors to insert citations and format bibliographies automatically.

Collaborative Groups

Share and collaborate on research with private or public groups.

Research Discovery

Access a vast catalog of research papers and receive personalized recommendations.

Pros and cons of Mendeley

Pros

User-friendly interface for managing references and PDFs
Strong collaboration features with group libraries
Automatic citation generation in multiple styles
Free plan available with essential features

Cons

Limited storage on free plan
Some advanced features require paid subscription
Occasional syncing issues reported by users

Key use cases for Mendeley

Reference Management

Organize and manage academic references and citations efficiently for research papers and projects.

PDF Organization and Annotation

Store, organize, and annotate PDF documents to streamline literature review and note-taking.

Collaboration and Networking

Share research papers and collaborate with colleagues or research groups through shared libraries and groups.

Citation Generation

Automatically generate citations and bibliographies in multiple citation styles for academic writing.

Research Discovery

Discover relevant research papers and articles through Mendeley’s research catalog and recommendations.

How Mendeley works

1
Create an Account
Sign up for a free Mendeley account to access all features.
2
Import References and PDFs
Add research papers and references by importing PDFs or using browser plugins.
3
Organize and Annotate
Organize your library with folders and tags, and annotate PDFs with highlights and notes.
4
Collaborate with Groups
Create or join groups to share references and collaborate with peers.
5
Generate Citations
Use Mendeley’s citation plugin to insert citations and bibliographies into your documents.

Who is using Mendeley

Academic researchers

Graduate students

University faculty

Scientific authors

Research institutions

Mendeley pricing

$0/month

Basic reference management with 2GB storage and limited group collaboration.

$4.99/month

Increased storage (5GB) and more group collaboration features.

$9.99/month ($110/year)

Includes unlimited Reading Assistant, Compare Experiments, Ask My Library and 10GB storage.

$14.99/month

Unlimited storage.

Plans and prices are as published by the vendor and can change. Check the official site before you buy. Open the pricing page (opens in a new tab)

Frequently asked questions about Mendeley

Is Mendeley free to use?

Yes, Mendeley offers a free plan with basic features and storage.

Can I use Mendeley to generate citations?

Yes, Mendeley integrates with word processors to generate citations and bibliographies automatically.

Does Mendeley support collaboration?

Yes, users can create groups to share references and collaborate with others.

Which platforms does Mendeley support?

Mendeley is available on web, desktop (Windows, Mac, Linux), and mobile platforms.

How does Mendeley work?

It depends on your specific needs and how you plan to use the tool. The official website and documentation are the best sources for the latest details.

Is Mendeley free?

Some tools offer a free plan or trial with limited features. Availability can vary, so confirm on the official website.

Can Mendeley generate citations?

Yes, it can help with that use case depending on how you configure it and what features are available. You’ll get the best results with clear inputs and a defined goal.

What platforms support Mendeley?

Yes, it can help with that use case depending on how you configure it and what features are available. You’ll get the best results with clear inputs and a defined goal.

Conclusion

Papers enter the library as imported PDFs or through browser plugins, then get organized with folders and tags. A built-in PDF reader handles highlighting, comments and notes, and a citation plugin for word processors inserts citations and formats bibliographies automatically. Private or public groups let researchers share references and collaborate, and a research catalog offers personalized paper recommendations.

It serves academic researchers, graduate students and scientific authors. The free plan includes 2GB of storage and Plus costs $4.99 per month, while Pro costs $9.99 per month and Max costs $14.99 per month with unlimited storage.

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