IMPORT GUIDE
Export Mendeley to BibTeX and Verify References
These steps are for Mendeley Reference Manager, the app that replaced Mendeley Desktop. Export the references to a file, then import it into a CiteWise Reference Audit.
Export your references
- 1
Select references or export everything
Select the references to check; an action panel appears at the bottom of the window. To export the whole library, use the File menu instead.
File → Export All
- 2
Choose BibTeX or RIS
Click Export in the action panel, or pick a format after Export All. Choose BibTeX (.bib) or RIS. Do not choose EndNote XML; CiteWise does not read it.
- 3
Save the file
Save it with the .bib or .ris extension Mendeley suggests. PDFs, notes and annotations are not exported, which is fine for verification.
Still on the older Mendeley Desktop? Select the references and use File → Export…, then save as BibTeX (*.bib) or RIS (*.ris).
Import the file into CiteWise
- 4
Open Reference Audit
Sign in, choose Audit in the workspace menu, then switch to the Import file tab.
Workspace → Audit → Import file
- 5
Drop the file and review the preview
CiteWise lists every record with its title, authors, year, DOI and any warnings. Previewing does not use checks.
- 6
Select records and start the audit
Keep at least two valid records selected and click Confirm and start audit. Each selected record uses one check.
Why check references after exporting from Mendeley
Mendeley stores whatever was imported or typed in. Metadata scraped from PDFs or web pages, or copied from an AI chat, often carries a wrong DOI, a preprint year or a misspelled author, and Mendeley keeps it as is. CiteWise checks each exported record against Crossref, OpenAlex, PubMed, Semantic Scholar, arXiv and DataCite and shows the source evidence for every field.
What CiteWise flags
- A DOI that is missing, or points to a different work
- Year, volume, issue or pages that disagree with the published record
- References that could not be matched in the checked sources
- Retractions, corrections and expressions of concern recorded by Crossref
A reference that cannot be matched is flagged for review. On its own it does not prove the reference is fabricated.
Common questions
Mendeley offers EndNote XML. Can I use it?
No. CiteWise reads BibTeX, RIS, EndNote Tagged Text (.enw) and CSL-JSON. Export from Mendeley as BibTeX or RIS instead.
Do I need to export my PDFs?
No. CiteWise checks the bibliographic metadata against scholarly sources. Attachments are never needed and are not part of Mendeley's export.
How do I find wrong DOIs in my Mendeley library?
Export the library or collection as described above and run a Reference Audit. Records whose DOI is missing or points to a different work are marked HIGH risk with the conflicting values side by side. Export the audit as CSV with field evidence to fix them in Mendeley.
Does CiteWise change my Mendeley library?
No. CiteWise only reads the exported file. Suggested corrections appear in the audit report, and you decide what to change in Mendeley.
Can I check AI-generated references this way?
Yes. Add the references to Mendeley or paste them into the audit. CiteWise reports which ones match a published work and which could not be found in the checked sources. A missing match needs a manual check; it does not prove fabrication by itself.
Why did my file fail to import?
CiteWise accepts .bib, .ris, .enw and CSL-JSON .json files up to 10 MB and 1,000 records. "Could not parse" usually means the extension does not match the content: a RIS file starts with TY -, a BibTeX file with @article{ or similar. In BibTeX, one unbalanced brace can stop the whole file, so export again from your reference manager instead of editing it by hand.
Why are author names missing or wrong?
CiteWise reads the author fields exactly as your reference manager exported them. A "author is missing" warning means the record had no author field. In BibTeX, authors must be separated by "and" and organisation names wrapped in extra braces, for example {World Health Organization}; otherwise they are split into first and last names. Fix the entry in your reference manager and export again.
Accented characters look garbled. What should I do?
CiteWise reads import files as UTF-8. Export again and choose UTF-8 or Unicode as the character encoding if your reference manager offers the option.
Does importing use checks, and is my file stored?
Previewing is free. Checks are used only for the records you select when you start the audit. The uploaded file is processed for that request and not kept; the selected records and their audit results are saved in your workspace history so you can review and export them.
How many references can I import at once?
Up to 1,000 records per file. An audit needs at least two valid records. Free workspaces without credit packs can audit up to 10 records per task; paid plans and credit packs raise the limit to your available balance.