Research Guides: THL Citation Management: EndNote FAQs

For students or for personal devices: Check with your department to see if there is a departmental license. If not, students & faculty may buy EndNote from the On the Hub web store https://umich.onthehub.com.

You have to register for an OnTheHub account.
Students receive a significant discount ($155 in 2021).
In the web store, choose student or faculty options.

What is the newest version of EndNote?

Version 21 (2023).

How can I learn to use EndNote?

The library provides a range of options to learn EndNote. On our EndNote tutorials page you can find all the elements of an in-person class right at your fingertips, 24/7. You’ll find videos and paper versions of tutorials to help you learn the basics of EndNote (Adding References Manually, Direct Export, Import Filters, Online Search, Inserting Citations, and Formatting and Reformatting, and Unformatting Your Paper).

You can also check the general workshop schedule for basic EndNote classes and the THL schedule for specialized classes. If you can't find an answer to your question, then contact your subject informationist.

How do I make a folder? Do I have to have a different library for each project?

In EndNote, folders are called "groups". You can have up to 500 groups per library, and because it's now easy to share groups, you don't have to create individual libraries for each project. Create a group by 1) using the Groups drop down menu or by 2) right-clicking in the left pane under My Groups, which will bring up the Groups menu.

What is the difference between a Group & a Group Set?

A Group contains references that are related to each other in some way, for example, by author, by subject, or by project. Group Sets organize groups that are related to each other. For example, a Group Set titled "Chronic Diseases" would have groups within that set such as "Diabetes, “High blood pressure,” “COPD,” etc.

Can I turn on/off "auto prompt to save"?

Yes, you can. Check the "Do not display this message again" in the “save” prompt box. It's right above the Yes and No buttons.

I know 2 files are created for each EndNote library, .ENL & .DATA. If I don't save PDFs in my library, can I just ignore the .DATA file?

No, that could lead to serious problems, as the .DATA file contains important information about your library, as well as file attachments. If your library is damaged, you won’t be able to recover it unless you have both the .ENL AND the .DATA files available.

Remember to use EndNote’s “Save a copy” command to backup your library on a regular basis; it will copy both files for you automatically. If you want to save your library in more than one location, it’s safest to use “Save a copy” to save the library to each location separately.

Collaboration

Are EndNote libraries created on PCs compatible with Macs?

Yes, they are. EndNote libraries are cross-platform compatible.

Are previous versions of EndNote compatible?

EndNote is back compatible, but not forward compatible (so a paper created version X7 library can be read by a person with version X9, but not vice versa). Because there can still be problems (i.e., the last person to handle a document must have the latest version of EndNote), it's best for everyone who is working on a paper together to use the same version of EndNote.

How can I share my EndNote library with a colleague? Is there a way to only share a portion of it?

You can export your library or a group (with version X4 on) from your library to a colleague. From the File menu, select Compressed File. If you have an EndNote Web account, you can share Groups there as well.

Output Styles

I need a different bibliographic style for my references. How do I find more styles?

EndNote has thousands of different styles to choose from, but, beginning with version X3, not all of them are shipped with the program. First check the Output Style Manager (Edit → Output Styles → Open Style Manager) to see if the style you want is listed there. You can search the Style list by name or category.

If you don’t find the style you need, click the Get More on the Web button, which will take you to EndNote’s Output Style page. You can download all available output styles at one time or search for individual styles (instructions for downloading can be found at the top of the Styles page). If you do not have administrative access to your computer, you’ll have to ask your IT department for help with downloading the files.

Can I edit a style? The style EndNote has for the journal I'm submitting my article to doesn't match the examples the journal sent me.

If EndNote doesn’t have the style you need or if the journal has changed their style but EndNote hasn’t changed its style yet, you can edit an existing style. See our handout, “Editing an Output Style in EndNote,” or contact us for help.

My paper is formatted in APA Style, but I need to change it to Vancouver. Can I do this?

It’s very easy to change the style of a paper. Simply find the new style in the Output Style Manager in EndNote (Edit → Output Styles → Open Style Manager) or use the EndNote tab in your Word document (from the Style → Select Another Style) to open the Output Style Manager.

I'm working on a Word document and need to add a page number or remove the year from a parenthetical citation (Anderson, 2001).

Select the citation you need to edit, then click the Edit & Manage Citations button. Make sure that the citation you want to change is highlighted, then in the lower pane, on the Edit tab check the “Exclude Author” box to remove an author. You can also remove the year by clicking the “Exclude Year” box.

To add page numbers, enter the page number in the “Pages” box. You can also add a prefix or suffix (such as “c.f.”) on the appropriate box. Remember that EndNote will not let you make any changes that are not supported by the output style you’ve chosen. For example, if your output style uses numbers only, you can add a page number in the Edit box, but it will not appear in the citation.

Will EndNote re-number references for me if I move them around?

Yes, EndNote will automatically re-number your references, according to the Output Style that you've chosen.

Is there an unique identifier I can use to keep track of things from my EndNote library?

Yes, EndNote automatically adds a unique number to each citation as it is added to your library.

If you’d like to make this number visible in the Library pane, go to the Edit menu, select Preferences, then in the EndNote Preferences window, choose Display Fields. Select a field that’s currently visible that you’d like to use, and use the dropdown menu to choose “Record Number”. Click OK to save the change.

Searching

I can't find a filter that matches the database I am using.

First make sure that you’ve checked the Import Filter list (Edit → Import Filters → Open Filter Manager), which you can search by both the database name and the Information Provider. It’s important to know the information provider, as many databases are sold by multiple vendors. If the import filter you need is not listed, click the Get More on the Web button to find and download more filters from EndNote’s Import Filters page. As always, if you don’t have administrative access to your computer, you’ll have to ask for help from your IT department.

I can search PubMed from within EndNote. But how do I keep it from dumping all the results into my library?

Beginning with version X2, there are 3 modes that you can work in. The default mode is Integrated Library & Online Search Mode. When you use Online Search in this mode, all results from searches will be imported into your library. The second mode is Local Library Mode. In this mode, you can work only in your library, but you can't search databases. The third mode is Online Search Mode (Temporary Library). This is the mode to use when you want to do an online search but make selections from your results.

Icons for these modes can be found in the upper left corner of the library window, immediately to the left of the “Bibliographic Output Style” box. Click on the Online Search Mode icon, and conduct your search as usual. Click OK to confirm your online search, then make selections from the resulting list by highlighting. When you’ve chosen the citations, right click on one citation to bring up a menu and select “Copy references to” and choose the library. Then select the Integrated Library & Online Search icon, click OK to discard the rest of the citations, and you’re set. You’ll see a new temporary group, Copied References, which lets you see what citations have been copied to your library (the citations are already in your library also).

Is there a way I can keep track of what database the record came from?

While there is a Name of Database field in EndNote records, it is often blank. To be sure of having a record of which database your citations came from, you should check each time you import records. Also, you may be able to tell the database by looking in the URL field, which often (though not always) will contain the phrase such as "Go to ISI"(for Web of Science) or "ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed" (for PubMed).

In Google Scholar Settings, select Search Results, then Bibliography Manager. From the "Show links to import citations into" dropdown menu, select EndNote, and click Save.

Can I search across full-text in my EndNote library?

Yes you can. Follow the directions at this website: http://gradschoolreadingroom.blogspot.com/2015/08/searching-fulltext-of-pdfs-in-endnote.html

Other

I have a paper I've been writing, but I don't have EndNote installed yet. Is there anything I can do now so that my paper will work with EndNote after I have it installed?

If you have begun to add references to your Word document, you can reformat them once EndNote is installed. On the EndNote tab in Word, select Convert Citations and Bibliography, then Convert Word Citations to EndNote.

Is there any way to access EndNote from home?

EndNote is a desktop-based program, so if you're away from your main computer, you have a few options. You can use EndNote Basic/Online to work remotely, saving references to groups and then transferring the EndNote Web group to your main EndNote program. Be sure to sign up for a free EndNote Web account and integrate it with your desktop program to make the transfer process easy.

Individual users of EndNote can install EndNote on up to three of their computers if they are the only person using the program on these computers. For example, if you have purchased and used EndNote on your work computer, you can also install it on the laptop you use for offsite work, and on your home computer.

I have lots of PDFs & I want them in EndNote. How can I do this?

You have a couple of options. If you already have the reference in your library and simply want to attach a PDF of the article to the reference, use the Reference drop-down menu to find the File Attachment option to attach the PDF to the appropriate record.

If your PDFs do not have records in your EndNote library, you can drag and drop them into the library. This feature is not yet very accurate in EndNote, as it depends on the article having a DOI, but when it works, EndNote creates a record for the article and attaches the PDF.

You could also use another citation management program, Mendeley, which does this very well. Then you can export the resulting library from Mendeley to EndNote. Mendeley is free.

I've formatted my Word document using EndNote and the proper output style, but the journal says that I need to submit a file without field codes. What does this mean?

On the EndNote tab of your Word document, click the Convert Citations and Bibliography option. From the dropdown menu, select Convert to Plain Text. A message appears (This command will create a new copy . . ). Click OK and a new, still formatted document appears that has no field codes (codes that format your citations), but your original document with codes remains.

I want to put my EndNote references into an Excel or Access database. How can I do this?

First, download the EndNote to Excel style file below and save it to your EndNote Styles folder.

Next, modify references in your library to remove carriage returns. These can usually be found in the Author and Keyword fields.

Before you proceed, save a copy of your EndNote library, if you have not already done so.
From the Edit menu, choose Select All references in your library (or click Ctrl+A on a PC or Cmd+A on a Mac).
Still n the Edit menu, select Find and Replace.
- At the In: dropdown menu, select Any Field.
- At Insert special, select Carriage return. You'll notice in the Find box, that the cursor shows that a carriage return has been entered.
- In the Replace with: box, type -//-
- Click Change. Depending on the size of your library, this process may take a few minutes.

Finally, copy your EndNote library records into Excel.

In your EndNote library, from the Bibliographic output style dropdown menu (above your library records), select the EndNote to Excel style.
Make a selection of references to export or, from the Edit menu, choose Select all references (Ctrl+A on a PC or Cmd+A on a Mac). From the Edit menu, choose Copy Formatted (CTRL+K).
Open a blank workbook in Excel and, in space A2, paste (Ctrl+V) your saved references.
Insert column headings if you wish.

EndNote to Excel provides the important, but not complete, information from your EndNote library in the Excel spreadsheet.

This method was originally developed by Torabi, N.; updated by Pinard, M.; Amar-Zifkin, A. & Nauche, B.; updated by Gore, G. from the McGill Library.

Another way to export reference to Excel can be found in this video from the MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Both of the files below can be edited if they don't work for your particular version of EndNote.

EndNote to Excel
EndNote to Excel 0621
A more recent file that works with EndNote X9.3.3.

THL Citation Management

Contact Information

Frequently (& some not so frequently) Asked Questions

Basics

How can I get EndNote?