Library guides: Mendeley: Home

What is Mendeley?

Mendeley Reference Manager is a free reference management tool from Elsevier that enables you to:

store all your references in one location
insert citations in Word using Mendeley Cite
automatically sync your library between multiple devices
organise your thoughts, PDF annotations and highlights using the built-in notebook
collaborate and share in real-time
participate in the Mendeley academic social network.

Important Notice: Access to Mendeley Institutional Edition will cease on 31 December 2025. Users will still have access to Mendeley, but free storage will be limited to 2GB.

Library staff at ACU provide limited support for Mendeley users. For additional help, please visit the Mendeley Help Guides.

Which reference management tool is best for me?

Use this table to compare some key features of EndNote Desktop, Mendeley Reference Manager, and Zotero.
Feature	EndNote Desktop	Mendeley Reference Manager	Zotero
Ease of use	Harder to learn initially	Easy to use	Easy to use
Cost	Free for ACU staff and students	Free	Free (up to 300 MB)
Storage capabilities	Unlimited	Free account: 2GB	300 MB (users can pay for extra storage beyond 300 MB)
Software support	ACU Library supports EndNote (guide, webinars and consultations) EndNote website provides online training materials	ACU Library guide Mendeley website provides online training materials	ACU Library guide Zotero website provides online training materials
Word processor compatibility	Microsoft Word LibreOffice Google Docs Apache OpenOffice	Microsoft Word LibreOffice	Microsoft Word LibreOffice Google Docs
Number of reference styles	Over 6,000 styles	Over 6,000 styles via the Citation Style Language (CSL) repository	Over 10,000 styles via the Style Repository
Operating system compatibility	Windows, Mac	Windows, Mac, Linux	Windows, Mac, Linux
Syncing	Cloud storage and syncing via EndNote Web Register for an account	Cloud storage and syncing available Register for an account	Cloud storage and syncing available Register for an account
Advantages	Premium product Advanced features Easily customised Easy to edit reference styles Supported by ACU	Easy to use Collaborative, social networking functionality	Easy to use Great for importing records from non-traditional sources such as websites
Best suited to	Users comfortable with reference management systems	Undergraduates who have never used a reference management system Researchers sharing papers and networking	Undergraduates who have never used a reference management system

Table last updated December 2025.

Reference Manager Comparison Table (DOC, 172 KB)

Install Mendeley Reference Manager

Mendeley Reference Manager consists of three integrated applications:

Mendeley Reference Manager — install on your desktop or use as a web application.
Mendeley Cite — add-in for Microsoft Word.
Mendeley Web Importer — adding this extension to your browser enables you to easily build your library of references as you search online.

Mendeley Reference Manager, Mendeley Cite, and Mendeley Web Importer can all be downloaded from the Mendeley website.

How to use Mendeley Reference Manager

For guidance on using Mendeley, see:

Mendeley Help Guides
Mendeley Support Centre – for FAQs and news
Mendeley Reference Manager LibGuide
Mendeley Cite guide – for information on referencing in Microsoft Word.

Information for Mendeley Desktop users

Mendeley Reference Manager has replaced Mendeley Desktop. However, existing users of Mendeley Desktop can continue to sign in and utilise the software. More information about the status of Mendeley Desktop is available on the Mendeley Blog.

Help

Visit the Mendeley Support Center.

The library provides limited Mendeley support. Contact us to see if we can help.

Guide last reviewed: 2 December 2025

Mendeley