Several things to consider before organizing your references into a citation manger:

Create Collections of Initial Readings for Group Members

Because of the ease of collecting documents inside citation managers, it is a great place to put together a reading list for newbies. This could be a list of lab procedures, an introduction to hardware or software, or recommended readings on a scholarly topic.

Tagging

Citation managers allow custom tagging by users. Tags can be keywords that help students identify articles later by search. Consider tags like class number, corporate sponsor, project name, or program name.

Below is an example of what tagging looks like in Mendeley's web version.

mendeley tags on an article

Create Folders and Subfolders

Consider creating a folder hierarchy before a project begins, to aid in file organization as you collect documents. Great ways to organize folders include years, projects, classes, labs, or faculty advisors, depending on your needs.

file hierarchy in mendeley