Category: Uncategorized

Advisor of the Month: Bertha Santos

Susan Jenkins

We’re pleased to introduce April’s Mendeley Advisor of the Month, Bertha Santos!

Bertha is an Assistant Professor of Transport Infrastructure Engineering in the Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture at the University of Beira Interior in Covilhã, Portugal.

How did you get into your field? 

I have always been fascinated by civil construction. When the opportunity arose to study civil engineering, I discovered my interest in the field of transportation engineering, in which I have been researching and teaching since 1998. Maintenance of transport infrastructures, road user costs, road safety and sustainable mobility are topics of my interest. 

Where do you prefer to work? 

I especially enjoy working at my university, surrounded by and interacting with colleagues and students. 

How long have you been using Mendeley?  

About 4-5 years. 

What were you using prior to Mendeley? 

I was using EndNote. 

Why did you decide to become an Advisor? 

As a higher education teacher, adequate referencing of scientific and technical documents is essential for me. To make students aware of this important aspect, and to support them in the use of referencing tools as a way to fight plagiarism, I became a Mendeley Advisor. 

What researcher would you like to work with or meet, dead or alive, and why? 

I would like to meet and work with transportation researchers from around the world to exchange knowledge, experiences and understand their perspectives. Among the leading researchers in the field of transportation, I would like to work with Prof. Gerardo W. Flintsch of Virginia Tech and Prof. Fred Mannering of University of South Florida-Tampa, and continue to work with Prof. Luís Picado-Santos of Instituto Superior Técnico in Lisbon. 

What’s the most interesting book or article you’ve read recently? 

I have recently read several interesting documents on European strategies and policies to promote sustainable mobility in urban areas, especially those related to cycling and pedestrian transport modes. For those interested in this topic, I recommend reading: 

What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned this week? 

Once again, I realized that perseverance and hard work are essential for our personal and professional evolution. 

What is the best part about working in research? 

Discovering new things and solving problems that help ensure people better living conditions. 

And the most challenging part about working in research? 

To convey research findings in a clear and supported way and inspire young researchers. Mendeley can help address these challenges. 

What is the one thing you want people to know about Mendeley? 

I would like people to know that Mendeley is a precious tool that can be used in the process of researching, organizing, analyzing and referencing the information consulted in a given research area.

Do you have any advice for young researchers?  

My advice is don’t give up and enjoy the investigation process as much as possible. These are the two fundamental pillars of success in research. 

You can follow Bertha by viewing her profile on LinkedIn. Curious about becoming a Mendeley Advisor? Visit https://www.mendeley.com/advisor-community to learn more.

Your Mendeley Web Library is changing to the new Mendeley Reference Manager

sallyransom

Get ready for a new and improved reference management experience.

As part of our plans to help researchers manage their references more efficiently, all Mendeley Web Libraries have migrated to the new Mendeley Reference Manager.

Your Web Library has automatically migrated, and you can now access all the features of the new system.

The new Mendeley Reference Manager offers you:

  • A cloud-based library that automatically syncs so your changes are instantly accessible across locations, devices and Mendeley tools such as the desktop app and Mendeley Cite
  • Identical functionality and appearance across Mendeley Reference Manager online and desktop that will allow you to seamlessly switch between the two versionsMRM library 2
  • Offline mode that ensures you can continue working wherever you are, and be confident that changes to your library will auto-sync when you’re back online
  • New features and functionality to help make managing your references even simpler, such as the new Mendeley Notebook which helps you collate all your highlights and notes from multiple PDFs
  • A highly stable platform that will be regularly updated with new and improved features in response to your needs and changes in technology

The desktop version of the new Mendeley Reference Manager is also available to download. Find out more and download it here! Please note, however, that Mendeley Desktop is still available for use should you wish to keep using that version.

We’re thrilled to bring you this new and improved reference management solution. Remember to sign in and check out your library’s new home.

For any questions about this migration and the new Mendeley Reference Manager, visit the Mendeley Support Center.

The June 2020 Advisor Briefing: New reference manager updates, more teaching materials and how we support the SDGs

Rachel Brennesholtz

While the physical Mendeley office has been quiet, our teams haven’t been! We’ve spent the last few months working hard on continuing to develop the new Mendeley Reference Manager and looking at ways to help you better promote Mendeley.

June’s Advisor Briefing topics include:

  • Mendeley Reference Manager updates
  • New Mendeley resources for librarians and other educators
  • Matching published research to Sustainable Development Goals

You can watch the recording here

Questions?  Reach out at community@mendeley.com

 

October 2019 Advisor Briefing Webinar

Rachel Brennesholtz

Showcasing, Mendeley Reference Manager and new teaching materials!

We had another successful Advisor Briefing, but just in case you missed it the recording is available.   Listen to learn what we have been building over the last 3 months.

Listen here

This quarter we covered:

  • Showcasing: We’ve been hard at work updating Mendeley profile features so that you can better demonstrate your research output to the world
  • Mendeley Reference Manager New Features:  Meet some more of the team behind Reference Manager and learn about the new features they are building
  • New Material Updates: Find out what new teaching materials are available

As always, you can register an event or access teaching materials here.

Love and References,

The Mendeley Community Team

 

Advisor of the Month: Payam Sepahvand

Rachel Brennesholtz

 

Intro:

I’m Payam Sepahvand, an undergraduate student at Lorestan University of Medical Sciences and a researcher at Razi Herbal Medicines Research Centre in Iran.

How did you get into your field?

I am at the beginning of my research journey. My story began when my mother became sick and was treated with herbal medicines. After that, I became very interested in research on herbal medicines and traditional medicine.

Where do you do work the best? 

I like an environment for conducting research, where people work and study with love, interest and help other humans and other creatures on the planet, away from material purposes.

How long have you been using Mendeley? 

I’m have been using Mendeley for almost two years.

What were you using prior to Mendeley 

Before Mendeley I used the EndNote application. Mendeley software has a much better and faster user interface, as well as being free and always available.

Why did you decide to become an Advisor ?

Always when I find something good and functional, I love to share it. That’s why I decided to introduce this useful and functional tool to others, as far as I can, and improve the work speed of others.

What researcher would you like to work with or meet, dead or alive?

I would like to work with Professor Thomas Efferth, the chair of the Department of Pharmaceutical Biology, Institute of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany. I’m trying to be like him in my job.

What book are you reading at the moment ?

I’ve read the book “One Minute for yourself” of Spencer Johnson, because by improving and upgrading my skills, I can be more useful to the world.

What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned this week?

The new matter that I learned was about implementing a new irrigation system for agriculture. Along with studying, I am engaged in agriculture to cover my expenses.

What is the best part about working in research?

The best part of being a research fellow is to step in and enter the world of unknown and new things.

And the worst/most challenging part about working in research?

For me at the moment, provision of the costs and expenses of conducting research projects has become the hardest part of the work, but in general, if there is love and interest in the work, certainly, any difficulty is tolerable.

What is the one thing you want people to know about Mendeley?

If I just want to talk about a feature, I’d like others to know more about the great user interface of this software.

 

Interested in becoming a Mendeley Advisor yourself? Find out more about the Advisor Community here

Do you have enough chairs?

Rachel Brennesholtz

  We noticed an interesting trend in the Mendeley workshops you are running.  Not only are you running more events, but they also seem to be getting bigger!  (We wanted to start sending out chairs as merchandise to help you accommodate all those extra attendees, but the mailroom guys said “Nooooo.” Apparently, the mailroom isn’t big enough!)

We think this growth is brilliant and we wanted to share the numbers with you:

As of September 10, 2019, you have run 275 events with more than 17,000 attendees this year.  Sessions have an average of 63 attendees.  In all of 2018, we had 125 events with close to 7000 attendees.  The average was number of attendees 55.

Breaking it down by month, we see that there is a steady growth in the number of attendees per event.  In January 2019, the average event had 50 attendees and by September 2019, events had an average of 78 attendees.

What’s driving the growth? Librarians!  (We always knew we loved them.)  We had virtual coffees with a few librarian Advisors to find out how you run events.  While some of you are getting 200 people in a room for a class, most of you are doing a lot of one-on-one support through the reference desk but we are counting all the drop-in sessions as one event.

Lessons we learned:  Not all events look the same! Some are a traditional class, but some are more individual coaching sessions spread out over the entire semester. We love them all, so keep at it and let us know if you need a merchandise to support your drop-in sessions.

Regardless of the form your event takes, we are happy to support it.  To get merchandise and other support, register your event on the Mendeley Advisor Community page.

So it looks like maybe we don’t need more chairs yet, just bigger boxes to mail off all the merchandise!

 

 

Advisors from Argentina to Zimbabwe

Rachel Brennesholtz

For many of us in the Advisor community, August is a slow month.  There are summer holidays, winter breaks and just the lull that naturally comes in August.

But not for all of you!  In August, you hosted 23 events around the world and introduced over 1200 people to the power of Mendeley.  (Last year we had 3 events with less than 120 attendees in August.)

Some of the highlights of the month:

  • We had events in 11 countries from Argentina to Zimbabwe! (This is up from 3 countries in August 2018)
  • The University of Mauritius hosted its first Advisor event as part of their Schrodinger Day
  • Our largest event this month was hosted by Oscar Javier Zambrano Valdivieso at Colombia’s Corporación Universitaria Minuto de Dios (UNIMINUTO) with 200 attendees
  • The Brazilian Advisors hosted 6 events, making them the most prolific country

Do you have any upcoming Mendeley events?  Make sure to register them with us so we can send you stickers, pens and other giveaways!

Advisor of the month: Serge Kameni Leugoue

Rachel Brennesholtz

Editor’s note:  Serge helped welcome our 10,000th Advisor-generated user of 2019 in early June.

How did you get into your field and what is your research story?

I am involved in animal sciences, particularly animal reproduction research. I came across this research field because of my will to improve livestock practice in sub-Saharan Africa and especially in Cameroon. As a matter of fact, livestock remains labour intensive, leading to poor yield and subsequent insufficiency in protein availability on market regardless of the hard work of farmers. Furthermore, they solely rely on natural mating which limits their profits. Despite being on increasing pressure to farm as cost effective as possible, and taking into account the rapid increasing of population, producers are facing a critical challenge which on my view can be tackled using assisted reproductive techniques. My background is biology, indeed I obtained my bachelor with a major in animal physiology at the University of Dschang, Cameroon. I started a master’s in plant pharmacology, but I rapidly switched to animal sciences and I moved to South Africa, to the University of Stellenbosch where I have refined my knowledge and lab practice in animal sciences close to Dr. Helet Lambretchs who gave me, in collaboration with Dr. Gilbert Ateufack from the University of Dschang, the opportunity to be part of the amazing voyage to the unknown reality that science allows to illuminate. I am a PhD student in animal sciences at the University of Dschang, Cameroon and my research project focuses on small ruminant’s assisted reproduction. Currently, I am on a research stay at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy, where we are working on the development of biodegradable food packaging.

Where do you do your research?

The research I am involved in requires me to be outside for sample collection and to be in the lab for analysis. I am at my ease in both sites, but I generally prefer to be outside because I can browse and appreciate the beautiful landscapes of Africa in miniature – Cameroon and breathe some fresh air.

How long have you been using Mendeley? 

I have been on Mendeley since 2015. Indeed, I was introduced to the software at the beginning of my master studies in South Africa by the librarian in charge of the Department of Animal Sciences at the University of Stellenbosch and have used it ever since. I want to say thanks again to Yusuf, the librarian, it has been of great help and it’s still the case.

What were you using prior to Mendeley and how does Mendeley influence your research?

Before Mendeley, I was using the MS Word reference. Of course, it wasn’t that efficient. I remembered one day that my system crashed, I lost all my resources and I had to rebuild it from the beginning.

Mendeley has drastically changed my research, now I am safe from losing my resources, I can access them anytime and anywhere, and I receive consistent suggestions of research papers – no need to browse the whole internet to stay updated. In addition, I can connect with others, find careers and funding opportunities.

Why did you decide to become an Advisor?

I am part of those who believe that right tools should be shared with others. For me, Mendeley is one of these excellent tools, that is the reason why I decided to become an Advisor and assist others to be more efficient by optimizing their research work with Mendeley.

What researcher would you like to work with or meet, dead or alive?

Tu Youyou. She is the first Chinese woman to win a Nobel Prize in 2015 for her work in creating an anti-malaria drug that saved millions of lives in Asia and Africa. She relied on traditional Chinese medicine in her discovery of artemisinin and dihydroartemisinin, which have helped significantly improve the health of people living in tropical climates. She made me think of the year I worked in plant pharmacology.

What book are you reading at the moment and why?

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. Recently, I attended a training course in France where we discussed cell culture and of course Hela cells. I then dug a bit about the origin of those cells and I found that they were derived from the cancer cells of Henrietta Lacks. The title of this book is just fascinating “immortal life” it effectively highlights how we have been moved forward with research – opening novel perspectives.

What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned this week?

Life is really an adventure and should not be taken as a long and calm stream. Whatever the challenge you meet, keep going, you won’t win anytime but do your best.

What is the best part about working in research?

Without hesitation, being at the forefront of pushing the world forward by trying to improve living conditions, bringing your own stone to the big building.

And the most challenging part about working in research?

Patience, nowadays being patient is not that a shared value, especially when working in a team, yet research that produce actionable results requires time, thus patience.

What is one Mendeley “ProTip” you have? 

Being able to import the resources straight to the appropriate folder of the library using the web plugin. It’s really time saving as you can import and tidy up everything at once. I think also being able to share your unpublished data is an important point as generally most of the research is not published, but at least you can share it with others.

Serge’s Biography :

I obtained my High School certificate with a major in mathematics and physics and I then jumped in to university where I received my Bachelor Degree in Animal Physiology from the University of Dschang, Cameroon in 2011. I received my Postgraduate Diploma in 2012 and I moved to the University of Stellenbosch in the Republic of South Africa for a one-year research stay. Back in Cameroon, I completed my MSc in 2015 in the same field as my bachelor. While being a full-time PhD student at the University Dschang in Cameroon, I am currently on a 6-month research stay at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia in Italy.

I am a member of the Cameroon Forum for Biological Sciences (CAFOBIOS).

I am a Mendeley Advisor!!!

I share a special interest for environment protection, so I am involved in several NGOs as United voices to Serve Forests and Environment (USFE) International, which is an organization that design and implement actions towards environment preservation.

I am an amateur chess player.

 

Interested in becoming a Mendeley Advisor yourself? Find out more about the Advisor Community here

Mendeley Advisors Recruit 10,000 New Users in 2019 (Wow!)

Rachel Brennesholtz

(Right photo: Yahaya Gavamukulya, Left photo: Serge Kameni Leugoue)

As of early June, Mendeley Advisors introduced a whopping 10,000 people to the power of good reference management and research workflow this year! The ever-growing Advisor Community runs around 40 events per month, averaging a combined 2,500 attendees. We’d like to give a special thanks to super star Advisors Serge Kameni Leugoue (University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy and University of Dschang – Cameroon.) and Yahaya Gavamukulya (Busitema University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Kenya) for welcoming user 10,000 during one of their events!

Congratulations and a big thanks to all of our Advisors for your help and hard work on this journey.  Mendeley is so much more than a reference manager – it is a strong community of academics from all disciplines and career stages, committed to improving the way we do research, from end-to-end.

Why and How to be a Mendeley Advisor   

Mendeley Advisors are network of over 5,000 passionate Mendeley experts across the world. They are our hands on the ground, helping potential users connect with the platform. We also consult with Advisors to understand the needs of users and to beta test new features.  You’re the first group we consult when we are considering adding a new functionality to the product. But the Mendeley Advisor program isn’t just about making Mendeley famous—there are also some nice perks for you:

  • Be the Mendeley representative on your campus (a nice thing to add to your CV)
  • Get a special Mendeley Advisor account with more groups and increased storage
  • Connect with the team behind Mendeley
  • Be the first to know what we are working on and get early access to new features
  • Get access to the exclusive Mendeley Advisor forum
  • Receive free Mendeley giveaways for events
  • And most importantly: get a flashy Advisor badge for your Mendeley profile so the whole world can see you’re a Mendeley guru!

Want to learn more about Advisors?  Read our Advisor of the Month column or apply on our Mendeley Advisor webpage. Have questions?  Reach out to the Community Team at community@mendeley.com. 

We’re continuing to offer Mendeley Institutional Edition benefits

sallyransom

You may have seen some recent posts about Mendeley Institutional Edition (MIE) benefits no longer being offered. We’d like to reassure all our users that this is not the case.

MIE customers will continue to receive their existing benefits, which will be integrated into our core Elsevier institutional offering. Our communication around this has not been as clear as we would have liked, for which we apologize. We are getting in touch with all our MIE customers with more detailed information.

To be clear: nothing is changing for our MIE customers, and we’re committed to continuing to support them.

Mendeley is a key part of Elsevier’s range of services for researchers, and we continue to invest heavily in its on-going development. All of our 10 million registered users are important to us, and we always develop with you in mind. We continue to bring researchers new and improved solutions and tools. This month, for example, we have added new data metrics and made it possible to preview 3D files in datasets in Mendeley Data Repository. We have lots of other exciting updates happening across Mendeley over the coming weeks and months, including new reference management tools (be sure to keep an eye on this blog to learn more).

Mendeley remains committed to supporting the academic community and we look forward to continuing to work together with all our users.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Mendeley Support.