How does Mendeley manage and track the citation count of articles?

Mendeley primarily utilizes citation data from Scopus, a major abstract and citation database, to track and display the citation count for articles within its Web Library. This functionality relies on the availability of bibliographic metadata and associated citation information within Scopus. For citation counts to appear in Mendeley, the specific article must be indexed within the Scopus database. Users require access to Scopus, typically through an institutional subscription or a personal Mendeley Premium account. Citation data updates are not instantaneous but occur periodically as Scopus ingests new publication and citation information. It is important to note that coverage can vary by discipline, as Scopus does not index all journals equally. Users can view the citation count prominently displayed alongside article entries within the Mendeley Web Library interface. This feature allows researchers to quickly gauge an article's impact relative to others in their library or search results. Researchers commonly use this data to identify seminal works, assess academic influence during literature reviews, and filter collections based on citation metrics, thereby streamlining the research evaluation process.