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EndNote 21 for Windows: Adding References

Banner of the adding references to EndNote library page on PC

Adding References to Your EndNote Library

Adding References via Manual Entry

  • Manual entry is a basic method to add references into your EndNote library.
  • See also the Tabs above for more common ways to add references.

Guidelines for Entering Records

  • Enter author names in the following format:

Family name, First name Second name

For maximum flexibility enter whole names whenever possible. Some reference style, such as Chicago, require the full author name. If a style requires abbreviated first and middle names, Endnote will adjust this automatically. 

For example, Henskens, Frans A.

  • Enter authors with titles in the following format:

Family name, First name Second name, Title.  For example, Smith, Alfred, Jnr

  • Records with more than one author - each author must be entered on a separate line.
  • Enter all known authors – DO NOT use ‘et al’.
  • If the author is an organisation (i.e. a corporate author) type a comma after the name: e.g. University of Newcastle,
  • If the corporate author has a comma in their name, enter two commas in the place of the comma,  e.g.

University of Newcastle,, School of Law

  • If there is no author, follow the conventions of your reference style.
  • Enter the year of publication as a four-digit numeral, e.g. 2024
  • EndNote will automatically add “a” or “b”, etc. to the year if multiple references by the same author in the same year are included in the bibliography
  • Follow the conventions of your referencing style for publications that do not have a year of publication (APA 7th recommends use of n.d.), or where an article has been accepted for publication but has not been assigned volume and issue numbering (APA 7th recommends In press).
  • Do not underline or italicise titles - the EndNote output style used will take care of formatting issues.
  • Do not enter a full stop at the end of the title.
  • It is best to enter the title capitalised as it will appear in the bibliography.
  • Use the Short Title field to enter abbreviated versions of the regular title for in-text or footnote entries (if an EndNote style is configured to use the Short Title field and that field is empty, the normal Title field will be used instead).
  • Enter the full journal title in the Journal field. If abbreviated journal titles are required in reference lists, a Journal Term List can be set up to store the abbreviations.
  • Enter ‘2nd’, ‘3rd’, etc., but do not enter ‘ed’, or ‘edn’.
  • Enter the number only; do not include any abbreviations such as 'vol' or 'no'.
  • Do not use commas within page numbers. For example, 1,098 should read 1098.
  • Page ranges may be entered as complete (1442-1449) or abbreviated (1442-9) ranges. The style used to create the bibliography will format in the correct way.

How to Enter Records: Examples

  1. Click the New Reference icon EndNote manual entry icon 

This will open a New Reference edit window. 

  1. By default, the New Reference window is set for the entry of journal articles. Select other reference types from the drop-down menu.
  2. Enter citation details into the fields provided, paying attention to the Guidelines for Entering References above.
  3. Click the Save button in the top right of the Window to save the record.
 A screenshot of manually entering a reference in EndNote

 

EndNote record for manual entry of books

 

EndNote record for manual entry of book chapters

 

EndNote record for manual entry of journal articles

 

A screenshot of manually entering an EndNote record of webpage on a PC

 

EndNote record for manual entry of government reports

 

 

Direct Export from Databases to EndNote


Most journal databases and library catalogues include a download option that allows the export of records from the database to an EndNote Library. This is called ‘direct export’.

Direct export generally involves the following 3 steps:

  1. Searching the database
  2. Identifying and marking records to save
  3. Selecting the database’s direct export option

If an EndNote Library is open, records will be imported there. Otherwise, navigate to and open the EndNote library.

Direct export differs slightly depending on the database and web browser used to search the database. Check the exact instructions on using direct export for specific databases below.

Some databases do not provide a direct export option - instead you may need to use Endnote's Import process.

This process uses import filters - most filters are supplied with EndNote, or can be downloaded from the EndNote Import Filters site. 

 

A Word of Caution about Direct Exporting and Importing

Although importing records can save you a lot of time, it is important to understand that it is not always 100% accurate. This means that it is essential to carefully check the records imported and correct any mistakes or inaccuracies.

Mistakes in the records in your library will translate into mistakes in your in-text citations and reference list entries. Preview how new records will display in your favourite reference style by using the Summary tab.

See the Quality Control tab above for more details.

The process of directly exporting records from a database into EndNote varies slightly depending on the database and web browser you are using. Please follow the specific instructions provided for each database.

AMED

CINAHL

Cochrane Library

EBSCO Databases

Ei Compendex

EMBASE

Emerald

ERIC

GeoBASE

Google Scholar

HeinOnline

IEEE Xplore

Informit Databases

JSTOR

Maternity & Infant Care

Medline

OVID Databases

Project MUSE

PsycINFO

Proquest Databases

PubMed

SAGE Journal Online

ScienceDirect Journals

SciFinder-N

Scopus

Social Work Abstracts

SportDiscus

Web of Science

Wiley Online Library
  1. Conduct your search and click the citation icon (the quotation mark) in the top right hand corner of the item.
  2. Click "ENDNOTE". Leave the drop down on "Encoding" and select "Download".

Adding references from Library Search

  1. Open the downloaded record file:
  • If using Firefox, select the default Open option and click OK.
  • If using Chrome, click the downloaded file from the left of the browser task bar.
  • If using Edge, click the Save/Open option from the pop-up menu bar at the bottom.
  • If using Safari, go to the Downloads folder, and then drag the file to the EndNote icon in the Dock at the bottom.

EndNote will open and prompt you to select the EndNote library to import your results.

Watch the following video on direct export from Library Search into EndNote.

Online Search within EndNote

 

The Online Search Mode allows you to connect to library catalogues (including the University of Newcastle catalogue), PubMed, and Web of Science to search and download records, all from within your EndNote library.  

Note: Whilst the Online Search Mode includes links for many journal databases, PubMed and Web of Science are the only databases searchable from within EndNote. Use the Direct Export option for the other University subscribed databases. 

 

To use the Online Search Mode:  

1. Open the Online Search dropdown menu from the left of the EndNote Library Window  

2. Select the connection to search, or click the + sign to view the complete list of catalogues and databases.  

3. Enter your search terms, then click Search. The results will display in the Retrieve results box below.  

4. Select the records and click the plus sign (Add to Library) to add the selected references to your library

5. When you have finished searching, click All References to return to your EndNote library.  

online search on PC

 

 

A Word of Caution about Online Search

Although importing records can save you a lot of time, it is important to understand that it is not always 100% accurate. This means that it is essential to carefully check the records imported and correct any mistakes or inaccuracies.

Mistakes in the records in your library will translate into mistakes in your in-text citations and reference list entries. Preview how new records will display in your favourite reference style by using the Summary tab.

See the Quality Control tab above for more details.

Watch the following video on Searching PubMed in EndNote

 

Creating Records from PDF Files

 

  • EndNote can create new records from PDF files with DOIs. EndNote sends the DOI to two online databases (PubMed and CrossRef) capable of looking up reference data by DOI. If located, the bibliographic data is then sent back to EndNote, where a record is created and the PDF attached.  
  • You can import a single file, or a folder (and sub-folders) of PDF files. 

If the PDF does not include a DOI, EndNote will still create a record, attach the PDF and include just the file name in the Title field.

To import a single PDF file:

  • Click File > Import|File and choose your PDF file
  • Select PDF as the Import Option
  • Select Discard Duplicates or Import All from
    the Duplicates drop down list as you wish
  • Click Import
 Import file window
 

To import a folder of PDF files:

  • Click File > Import Folder and navigate to the folder to import.
  • If sub-folders are included and you wish to import from
    these, tick this checkbox
     
  • If you want EndNote to create a separate group set for the imported PDFs, tick the checkbox
    Create a Group Set for this import. 
     
  • Click Import
A screenshot of PDF folder import window in EndNote on PC

 

After the import process has finished, you will see the references imported in your EndNote library.

  • When a PDF folder imported as a group set, a group set and individual groups are created, group names correspond to those used in the original folders where the PDFs were imported from.
  • If the PDF does not include a DOI, or the bibliographic details are not retrieved, EndNote will create a record, attach the file and include just the PDF file name in the Title field.

Add references via importing pdf folders on PC

 

You can set PDF Handling options to automatically rename your PDF files imported or attached.

  1. From the top menu click Edit | Preferences| PDF Handling, then 
  2. Select one of the PDF Auto Renaming Options as you wish, e.g. Author + Year + Title.

You can also set up a PDF Auto Import Folder to automatically import PDF files saved in that folder if you wish. 

  1. Tick the Enable Automatic Importing option.
  2. Click Select Folder and browse to choose a folder that will hold your downloaded PDF files.
  3. Click OK.

 

Screenshot of EndNote Preferences for PDF handling on PC

Watch the following video on adding references from PDF Files

Quality Control

 

While importing records can be a significant time-saver, it’s crucial to recognize that this process is not always perfectly accurate. Therefore, it is essential to meticulously review the imported records and correct any errors or inaccuracies.

Errors in your library records will result in mistakes in your in-text citations and reference list entries. To ensure accuracy and consistency, see the information below.

 

 

 

To review a record, double-click it to open the Tabs panel, if it isn't already open.

  1. Select the Summary tab in the right-hand-side Tabs panel of your EndNote library.
    Choose your referencing style, e.g. APA 7th style.
    Check the output preview against the relevant referencing guide.

     

    A screenshot of editing records in EndNote

     

    We can see three errors in the output.

    1. The author NSW Health is displaying incorrectly.
    2. The title of the article is displaying in all capitals.
    3. The title of the journal is displaying in all lower case.

     

    Image of the output errors in EndNote.

  2. To fix these three errors, select the Edit tab.

    A screenshot of edit tab in EndNote on PC

    Make the required changes and select Save.

    Note that in order for a corporate author to display correctly in EndNote we must add a comma after the name.

    Instruction to add a comma after a corporate author name.
  3. Check that the output is now correct in the Summary tab.

     

    Image of the corrected citation in EndNote.

 

EndNote identifies a record as a duplicate if two or more records are assigned the same reference type (such as Journal Article), and include the same information in the Author, Year and Title fields. 

To identify and delete duplicate records:

  • Select Library | Find Duplicates. 
    EndNote will display a Find Duplicates window, differences between records will be highlighted.
  • For each set of duplicates the original (first entered) record will always appear in the left column.
  • Click the Keep this Record button for the version required.
  • Select Skip to keep both and go to the next set of duplicates.

A screenshot of finding duplicates in EndNote on PC

Note: If you have cited records from this Library in a Word document, check to ensure you are not deleting the version of the record you have cited.

  • It is important to follow up this automatic checking process with a manual check for duplicates. 
  • The easiest way to do this is to re-sort your Library Window alphabetically by title (click the Title column heading), then visually scan, identify and delete duplicate records.

EndNote provides term lists for you to manage and standardize the names of journals, authors, and keywords in your references. These lists help ensure consistency and accuracy in your bibliographies.

EndNote maintains three Term Lists - one for Authors, one for Journals, and one for Keywords.

There are two situations when you might need to interact with the Journals Term List.

  1. If you edit the journal name in your reference, but the output still looks incorrect. That is because EndNote has saved the incorrect version of the journal name to the List.
    To fix it, go to Library > Open Term Lists > Journals Term List
    Find the incorrect journal title and select Edit Term to make changes, then click OK on the Edit Journal window to save it, before click Close on the Term Lists window.

     

    A screenshot of editing journal term list in EndNote on PC

  2. If your referencing style requires abbreviations instead of full journal names, e.g. Vancouver or JAMA styles.
    From Library > Open Term Lists > Journals Term List
    Highlight all the terms in the Journals List and select Delete Term.
    Select Lists and then Import List.

     

    A screenshot of importing journal term list in EndNote on PC

     

    Browse to the Terms folder and select the correct list of journals. For Vancouver or JAMA style, you will usually need the Medical list.

    A screenshot of journal term list folder in EndNote on PC

Watch the following video on how to remove duplicate records from EndNote.

Library help