How to Add Mendeley Citations in Word: 9 Easy Steps

To add Mendeley citations in Word, select References > Mendeley Cite, sign in, and select Insert citation under any reference in your library. When you have finished writing, place the cursor where the reference list should go, select the three dots (…) at the top of the sidebar and choose Insert Bibliography.

In this guide, you’ll follow the nine steps from the video: load your library, add references at mendeley.com, set the citation style and language, insert single and multiple citations, add a page number, then insert and update a bibliography. The steps are for Mendeley Cite in Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows.

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Before You Start: Check Mendeley Cite Is Installed

Select References on the ribbon and look for Mendeley Cite at the far right. If it is not there, follow how to add Mendeley Cite in Word first, then come back to this guide.

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Step 1: Open Mendeley Cite and Sign In

1. Select References > Mendeley Cite.

2. In the sidebar that opens, select Get started.
3. Sign in with your Mendeley (Elsevier) account and select Sign in.

👉 The sign-in window closes and the references already in your library load in the sidebar.

If the sidebar is empty, your library has no references yet. Step 2 shows you how to add them.

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Step 2: Add References to Your Mendeley Library

References are added outside Word, in your Mendeley library.

1. Go to mendeley.com. Either select Download for Windows to use the desktop app, or select Get started on Mendeley Web. Both work the same way for this guide.

2. Sign in with the same account you used in Word.
3. Select Add references, then choose how to add them: Import file(s), Import folder(s), Import library (from another reference manager, as a BibTeX, EndNote XML or RIS file) or Add reference manually, where you type the details yourself.

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Step 3: Sync Your Library in Word

1. Go back to Word and open References > Mendeley Cite.
2. If your new references do not appear, select the sync button (the two circling arrows) at the top of the sidebar.

👉 The sidebar refreshes and shows every reference in your library.

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Step 4: Set the Citation Style and Language

Choose the style before you insert anything, so every citation matches.

1. Select the Citation Settings tab at the top of the sidebar.

2. Select Change citation style and choose your style from the list, for example APA Style 7th edition.

3. Select Change citation language, choose your language, such as English (UK), and select Update citation language.

4. Check that both settings are correct, then select the References tab to go back to your library.

👉 If the changes do not show straight away, select the sync button again to refresh the sidebar.

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Step 5: Insert a Citation

1. Click in your document where the citation should go.
2. In the sidebar, select Insert citation under the reference you want.

👉 Word adds the citation at the cursor in your chosen style, for example (Zhang et al., 2024).

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Step 6: Insert Several Citations at Once

Use this when one sentence draws on more than one source.

1. Tick the box next to each reference you want to cite.
2. Select Insert 3 citations at the bottom of the sidebar. The number matches how many references you ticked.

👉 The citations appear together in one set of brackets, in the order your style requires.

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Step 7: Edit a Citation and Add a Page Number

Use this to change how a citation is displayed or to cite a specific page.

1. Tick the reference, then select its name at the bottom of the sidebar, above Insert 1 citation.

2. The editing panel opens with a Preview of the citation. Open Display as to switch between styles such as (Author, Year) and Author (Year).

3. Under Source details, leave Page selected (or choose another locator, such as Chapter), then type the page number in the Value box.

4. Check the Preview, which now includes the page number.

5. Select Save changes, then Insert 1 citation.

👉 Always read the preview before saving. If the citation does not look right, try another Display as option before you insert it.

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Step 8: Insert a Bibliography

1. Click in your document where the bibliography should go, usually on a new page at the end.
2. Select the three dots (…) at the top of the sidebar, then Insert Bibliography.

3. Choose Switch to manual updates or Keep live updates. Live updates change the bibliography every time you add a citation; manual updates are faster in long documents.

4. Select Continue.

👉 Mendeley Cite inserts the bibliography at your cursor, with every reference you have cited.

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Step 9: Update the Bibliography

With manual updates, the bibliography does not change on its own when you add or remove a citation.

1. Delete the citation you no longer need from your document.
2. Select the three dots (…) at the top of the sidebar, then Update Bibliography.

👉 The reference you removed disappears from the bibliography.

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Live or Manual Updates?

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Quick Tips

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FAQs

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Conclusion

To add Mendeley citations in Word, sync your library, set the citation style, insert your citations from the Mendeley Cite sidebar, then insert a bibliography and update it as your work changes. Elsevier explains more in how to insert citations using Mendeley and how to insert a bibliography with Mendeley Cite.

Writing an APA paper? Start from the free APA format templates for Word.

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• How to Add Mendeley Cite in Word
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