How to use Mendeley Desktop, Web Importer & MS Word Plugin (Full Tutorial)

Looking for our Mendeley Desktop walkthrough? This is the 2018 version, and we have a newer, fuller one linked below.
▶️ WATCH THE UPDATED MENDELEY TUTORIAL: youtu.be/PJXnfBSq4Lg
🧰 FREE RESEARCH TOOLKIT: go.gradcoach.com/1tfvV

*THE KEY QUESTIONS WE ANSWER IN THIS VIDEO*

*What does this Mendeley tutorial cover?*
Mendeley Desktop, the Mendeley Web Importer and the Microsoft Word integration, recorded in 2018. It walks through downloading and installing the software, getting references into your library four different ways, then citing them and building a bibliography in Word. Our 2023 tutorial covers Mendeley as it works today and goes considerably deeper, so start there if you're setting up from scratch.

*How do I install Mendeley Desktop and its add-ons?*
Download the software from mendeley.com, where it's available for Windows, Mac and Linux, then install it. Once it's open, go to the Tools menu and install the Web Importer and the Microsoft Word plugin from there. Those two add-ons are what let you capture references from the browser and cite them in Word.

*How do I get references into Mendeley?*
Four ways. Drag and drop a PDF straight into the interface, which auto-populates the year, volume, issue and abstract, and keeps the PDF accessible inside Mendeley. Use the built-in literature search to find a journal article by keyword or title and hit save reference. Use the Web Importer to capture a web page from your browser. Or right-click in the library and add an entry manually, choosing the resource type first.

*What are the limits of dragging in a PDF?*
It works well for journal articles and poorly for anything else. A textbook chapter or another non-article resource probably won't come through with the right information. Worth trying, but check what it captured. The same caution applies to the Web Importer on web pages: it usually detects the title, sometimes the author, and the rest is generally left to you.

*How do I insert citations and a bibliography in Word?*
Once the Word plugin is installed you'll find a new section in the References tab, with insert citation as the main button. Set your style first, Harvard or APA or whatever your university requires, and use "more styles" to search if yours isn't listed. Then write as normal and click insert citation where you need one. For the reference list, put your cursor where it belongs and click insert bibliography.

*Can I switch to Mendeley from Zotero?*
Yes. Mendeley has an import option, so you can move your existing library across rather than rebuilding it. Both are good pieces of software, so this is a preference rather than a clear win either way.

*OVERVIEW*
00:02 Introduction
00:43 Downloading and installing Mendeley Desktop
01:02 Installing the Web Importer and Word plugin
01:39 Getting references into your library
01:58 Option one: drag and drop a PDF
03:00 Why a saved PDF is worth having
03:09 Option two: the built-in literature search
04:38 Option three: the Web Importer
05:58 Option four: adding an entry manually
06:25 Using Mendeley inside Microsoft Word
06:46 Choosing your citation style
07:25 Inserting in-text citations
08:53 Building your reference list
09:10 Recap, and switching over from Zotero

*FREE RESOURCES*
Download Mendeley Reference Manager - mendeley.com/download-reference-manager/
Literature Review Catalog - go.gradcoach.com/4rX47
How to Reference in Microsoft Word - go.gradcoach.com/vBNqs
References, Bibliography & “Works Cited” - go.gradcoach.com/GsjPb
APA 7 Formatting Tutorial - youtu.be/sMorlA7kMB4
MLA 9 Formatting Tutorial - youtu.be/0wQFEpqD4ro

*PREMIUM RESOURCES*
Literature Review 101 (Blueprint) - go.gradcoach.com/4ioY1

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