Mendeley: teaching scholarly communication and collaboration through social networking

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to highlight the productivity and collaborative features of Mendeley, a reference management tool, as well as recommendations on how Mendeley can be incorporated into an information literacy program.

Design/methodology/approach

Results from a literature review and feedback from students and faculty were used to provide background for this paper. Mendeley's features and potential benefits to librarians and researchers are discussed.

Findings

Feedback from students and faculty who use Mendeley are very positive owing to its productivity and social networking and collaboration features. The literature highlights Mendeley's usefulness in the context of citation management software.

Practical implications

The paper provides useful tips and best practices for integrating Mendeley into information literacy sessions and workshops for students and faculty. The paper also discusses how teaching Mendeley can facilitate scholarly communication between researchers and broaden the role of librarians on campus.

Originality/value

The paper shows that Mendeley enables higher level information literacy by helping users focus on locating and organizing information and spend less time on citation details. Mendeley's social networking features are compatible with emerging work practices, facilitating collaboration among researchers through group's functions and open sharing of information through groups and publication lists.

Citation

MacMillan, D. (2012), "Mendeley: teaching scholarly communication and collaboration through social networking", Library Management, Vol. 33 No. 8/9, pp. 561-569. https://doi.org/10.1108/01435121211279902