How to use Mendeley to search for and manage research literature?

Mendeley is a freely available reference management software enabling comprehensive search, organization, and citation of research literature. It integrates database searching with tools for collecting, annotating, and citing sources, facilitating efficient literature management. Effective use necessitates creating a free Mendeley account and installing the desktop application and browser importer. Key principles include leveraging its integrated search across numerous databases, utilizing the web importer to capture references and PDFs directly into your personal library, organizing references using customizable folders and tags, annotating PDFs within the application, and employing the MS Word/Google Docs plug-in for instant citation insertion and bibliography generation. Attention to metadata accuracy upon import is crucial. To implement, first install the Mendeley software suite. Search within Mendeley using its Scopus-powered engine or import references found via Google Scholar/PubMed using the web importer. Organize imported references systematically into folders or collections. Annotate and highlight within the PDF viewer. Finally, utilize the citation plug-in in your word processor to insert citations and automatically format bibliographies according to required styles. This workflow streamlines literature reviews, manuscript preparation, and collaborative research.