Mendeley Integration

Mendeley Integration

Import references from your Mendeley library into WordPress. While not as full-featured as Zotero sync, Mendeley integration provides a convenient way to bring your existing references into Academic References.

What is Mendeley?

Mendeley is a reference manager owned by Elsevier. It offers:

  • PDF management and annotation
  • Reference organization
  • Social networking for researchers
  • Free and premium tiers

Mendeley vs. Zotero Integration

FeatureMendeleyZotero
Sync directionImport onlyTwo-way
Real-time syncNoYes
Collection mappingPartialFull
API availabilityLimitedFull

Note: Due to API limitations, Mendeley integration is import-focused rather than true synchronization.

Setting Up Mendeley Import

Step 1: Create Mendeley API Application

  1. Log in to Mendeley
  2. Go to dev.mendeley.com
  3. Click My Applications
  4. Click Register a new application
  5. Fill in details:
  6. Note your Client ID and Client Secret

Step 2: Connect in WordPress

  1. Go to References > Settings > Integrations
  2. Find the Mendeley section
  1. Enter your Client ID
  2. Enter your Client Secret
  3. Click Authorize with Mendeley
  4. Log in to Mendeley when prompted
  5. Authorize the application

Step 3: Import References

After authorization:

  1. Select folders to import (or all)
  2. Configure import options
  3. Click Import

Import Options

Folder Selection

Choose which Mendeley folders to import:

  • All folders
  • Selected folders only
  • Unfiled documents

Duplicate Handling

  • Skip existing – Don’t import if DOI/title matches
  • Import all – Create new even if duplicates exist
  • Update existing – Overwrite with Mendeley data

Status

Imported references can be:

  • Published – Immediately available
  • Draft – Review before publishing

Category Mapping

Map Mendeley folders to WordPress categories:

  • Auto-create categories from folder names
  • Map to existing categories
  • Import without categories

What Gets Imported

Included

  • Reference metadata (title, authors, year, etc.)
  • Abstracts
  • DOIs and URLs
  • Tags
  • Folder organization (as categories)
  • Publication notes

Not Included

  • PDF files (due to API limitations)
  • Annotations and highlights
  • Mendeley-specific metadata
  • Group library content (limited)

Refreshing Imports

To update with new Mendeley references:

  1. Go to References > Settings > Integrations
  2. Click Import from Mendeley
  3. Enable Only new references
  4. Import

This adds references added since your last import.

Handling Groups

Mendeley Group libraries have limited API access:

  • Private groups: May not be accessible
  • Public groups: Usually importable
  • Institutional groups: Depends on permissions

If you need group content, export from Mendeley and import via file.

Manual Export/Import Alternative

If API import doesn’t work well:

  1. In Mendeley Desktop, select references
  2. File > Export > BibTeX (.bib) or RIS (.ris)
  3. In WordPress, go to References > Import/Export
  4. Import the exported file

This gives you more control and includes all data.

Troubleshooting

“Authorization failed”

  • Check Client ID and Secret
  • Verify redirect URL matches exactly
  • Try removing and re-adding credentials
  • Check Mendeley account is active

“No references found”

  • Verify library isn’t empty
  • Check folder selection
  • Try selecting “All folders”
  • Wait for Mendeley sync to complete

Missing abstracts

  • Mendeley may not have abstracts for all references
  • Check original reference in Mendeley
  • Add manually if needed

Duplicate references

  • Enable duplicate detection before import
  • Import in smaller batches to review
  • Use the Find Duplicates tool after import

Slow import

  • Large libraries take time
  • API rate limits slow processing
  • Import in batches if needed

Cannot access groups

  • Group API access is limited
  • Try manual export/import
  • Contact group owner for permissions

Limitations

  • One-way only: Changes in WordPress don’t sync back
  • No PDFs: Attachments don’t transfer
  • Rate limits: Large imports may need batching
  • API restrictions: Some Mendeley features not exposed
  • No real-time: Manual reimport needed for updates

Best Practices

  1. Export as backup – Before importing, export from Mendeley
  2. Start with test – Import a small folder first
  3. Check duplicates – Review for existing references
  4. Verify data – Spot-check imported references
  5. Consider Zotero – For better sync, migrate to Zotero first

Migrating from Mendeley to Zotero

For better WordPress integration, consider:

  1. Export Mendeley library as BibTeX
  2. Import into Zotero
  3. Set up Zotero sync with WordPress
  4. Enjoy two-way synchronization

Zotero has better open API access and full sync support.

Next Steps

Last updated: January 31, 2026