How to Insert Citations in Word Using Mendeley Cite

To insert a Mendeley citation in Word, open your document, launch the Mendeley Cite add-in from the References tab, search for a source in your library, and select Insert citation. You can then choose a citation style and insert a bibliography. Before starting, make sure your references are in Mendeley Reference Manager and that you can sign in to the same Mendeley account from Word.

What You’ll Need

Microsoft Word: Use Word for Microsoft 365 or a supported desktop or web version with Office add-ins enabled. Ribbon labels can vary slightly by version and organization settings.
Mendeley Reference Manager: Add the articles, books, or other sources you plan to cite to your Mendeley library. Check author names, titles, years, and other details for accuracy.
Mendeley Cite: This is Mendeley’s Word add-in. You can install it from Word’s add-ins store. It is different from the older Mendeley Desktop Word plug-in.
An internet connection and Mendeley sign-in: The add-in needs to connect to your Mendeley account to find your library and apply citation styles.

Step-by-Step

Check that the reference is in your Mendeley library. Open Mendeley Reference Manager and search for the source you want to cite. If it is not there, add it before opening the citation panel. Review its details, especially the author or editor, publication year, title, and journal or publisher. A citation manager formats the data it has; it cannot reliably correct incomplete or inaccurate source records for you. If you have just added a reference, allow it to sync before continuing.
Open the document and position the cursor. In Word, click where the citation should appear in the text, usually after the relevant sentence and before its punctuation, depending on the style guide you are following. For example, an author-date citation may appear before the full stop. Follow your instructor’s or publisher’s rules if they specify a different placement. Save the document before adding a large set of citations.
Open Mendeley Cite. In Word for Windows, select References > Mendeley Cite if the add-in is already installed. If you do not see it, use References > Get Add-ins or Insert > Get Add-ins, search for Mendeley Cite, and choose Add. In Word for Mac, look under Insert > Get Add-ins or the Insert tab’s Add-ins controls; the exact location depends on the Word build. In Word for the web, open the add-ins store from the ribbon. If your organization manages Office add-ins, an administrator may need to allow the installation.
Sign in to Mendeley Cite. When the side panel opens, follow its sign-in prompt and use the account that contains your references. If the panel shows an empty library, first check that you did not sign in with a different email or account. Also confirm that your reference manager has finished syncing. You can usually close and reopen the panel after synchronization to reload the list.
Choose the citation style before inserting many citations. In the Mendeley Cite panel, open the citation-style control and search for the required style, such as APA, MLA, Chicago, or a journal-specific style. Select the exact version requested; styles with similar names may have different editions or rules. If the style is not listed, check the spelling and search again. Do not assume that a style with a familiar name automatically matches a department’s customized requirements.
Search for the source. Use the search field in the Mendeley Cite panel to find a reference by author, title, or another searchable detail. Select the correct result and verify the displayed source information before inserting it. If several records have similar titles, compare publication year and author names rather than choosing the first match. When a result does not appear, search using a shorter title fragment or the first author’s surname.
Insert the citation. With the intended reference selected, choose Insert citation in the panel. Mendeley Cite places a formatted citation at the cursor location in Word. Check that it appears in the right place and that its text looks appropriate for the selected style. Keep the citation as an add-in-generated citation rather than retyping it as ordinary text; manual changes can prevent it from updating correctly later.
Add more than one source to a single citation when needed. If the claim is supported by multiple works, use the panel’s search and selection controls to add the other references to the same citation before inserting it. The panel’s controls can change between releases, so check whether the selected sources are grouped together in the citation editor before choosing Insert citation. This is different from inserting each source separately at the cursor, which can create separate citations instead of one grouped citation.
Insert citations elsewhere in the document. Click at each new citation location in the Word text, search for the source in the panel, and insert it. You can cite the same reference more than once; choose it again rather than copying and pasting an earlier citation. Reusing the add-in keeps the citations connected to Mendeley’s formatting and makes later style changes more reliable.
Create the reference list or bibliography. Click where the bibliography should begin, commonly on a new page near the end of the document. In Mendeley Cite, choose Insert Bibliography. The add-in generates a list from the works cited in the document, formatted according to the selected style. Check the heading and page placement against your assignment or journal instructions; Word may not add a heading such as References automatically. If you add more citations later, use the panel’s refresh or bibliography update control if one is shown, then confirm the list includes the new source.
Review the finished document. Read through the text and compare a sample of in-text citations with the bibliography. Check spelling, capitalization, author order, dates, page numbers where required, and the order of bibliography entries. Verify that every source cited in the text appears in the list and that there are no uncited items included by mistake. Save the document, and keep a separate copy before making extensive final edits.

Common Mistakes

Using the wrong Mendeley tool: Mendeley Cite is the current Word add-in for many users. Older instructions may refer to Mendeley Desktop and its Word plug-in, which uses a different interface. Avoid following steps for one tool while using the other.
Typing over a generated citation: A citation may look like ordinary text, but editing or deleting pieces of it manually can interfere with updates. If it needs changing, use Mendeley Cite to correct the source, style, or citation selection, then refresh the document where available.
Choosing a similar but incorrect style: APA, Chicago, and journal styles can have multiple editions or variants. Check the required name and edition, including whether the requested style uses author-date or numbered citations.
Trusting incorrect library metadata: A citation may be formatted neatly but still contain a misspelled author, incorrect year, or incomplete title. Review the record in Mendeley before relying on the generated citation.
Adding references to the list by hand: Manually typing a bibliography entry can leave it out of sync with the in-text citations. Use Insert Bibliography for cited items, then make any required corrections to the underlying reference data and update the list.

Tips

Choose a style early. Starting with the requested style makes it easier to spot issues and keeps a long document consistent. You can change styles later, but inspect the complete document afterward.
Keep your library tidy. Merge duplicate records where appropriate and fill in missing publication details before writing. If two records describe the same source, selecting different duplicates can produce inconsistent citations.
Use clear source searches. An author surname or a distinctive phrase from the title is often more effective than searching a long title copied with punctuation or formatting.
Save a working copy. For a major style change or a large batch of citations, save a new version first. This gives you a safe point to return to if Word or the add-in behaves unexpectedly.
Follow local requirements. A journal or course guide may ask for details not handled exactly as expected by a standard style. Check those rules and inspect the final output rather than assuming the default is sufficient.

Troubleshooting

Mendeley Cite is missing from the ribbon: Open the add-ins store from Word’s References or Insert tab and search for Mendeley Cite. If it is installed but not visible, close and reopen Word, then check the add-ins controls again. On a managed work or school device, ask the administrator whether Office add-ins are restricted. The older Mendeley Desktop plug-in will not necessarily appear as Mendeley Cite.

The panel will not sign in or shows no references: Confirm that Word has an internet connection and that you are using the Mendeley account containing the library. In Mendeley Reference Manager, check that the references have synced. Sign out and back in to the add-in if available, then close and reopen its panel. If you use more than one account, compare the signed-in email addresses carefully.

A reference does not appear in search: Check that it exists in Reference Manager and has synced. Try searching by a shorter title phrase or author surname. If it still does not show, review the record for missing or unusual metadata and restart the add-in. A source imported into a different Mendeley account will not appear in the current account’s results.

The citation has the wrong format or the bibliography is incomplete: Verify the selected style and check that the source record contains correct data. Then use the add-in’s refresh or update control if available. If you changed the style, inspect both in-text citations and the bibliography. Do not repair a broken citation by changing only its visible text; correct the Mendeley record or reinsert the citation instead.

Word freezes or the add-in stops responding: Save the document if possible, close the panel, and reopen it. If that does not help, close Word and reopen the document. Check for Office updates and ask your organization’s support team if the add-in is blocked or repeatedly fails. Avoid deleting citations or the bibliography during troubleshooting until you have saved a backup copy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use Mendeley Cite in Word for Mac?
Yes, if your Word for Mac version supports Office add-ins. Open the Insert tab and look for Get Add-ins or the Add-ins controls, install Mendeley Cite, and sign in. Ribbon labels may differ between Word builds.

Can I insert citations in Word Online?
Mendeley Cite is available as an Office add-in in supported Word versions, including Word for the web. Open the add-ins store from the ribbon, install or launch the add-in, and sign in. Your organization’s settings may limit which add-ins are available.

Can I change the citation style after inserting citations?
Yes. Select another available style in Mendeley Cite and refresh or update the document if prompted. Review the resulting citations and bibliography afterward, especially if the new style uses a different citation system.

Why is my bibliography empty or missing a source?
Make sure the source was inserted into the document through Mendeley Cite and that you inserted or updated the bibliography after adding it. Confirm that you are using the right document and Mendeley account, then refresh the add-in’s output if the control is available.

Can I insert a citation without a bibliography?
Yes. You can insert an in-text citation without adding a bibliography immediately. Many academic assignments and publications require a reference list, however, so check the relevant instructions and add one before submitting if required.

Should I use Mendeley Desktop or Mendeley Reference Manager?
For the Mendeley Cite add-in, use the current Mendeley Reference Manager library and sign in to that account. Mendeley Desktop is the older application and may use a different Word plug-in and workflow, so do not mix its instructions with those for Mendeley Cite.

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