EndNote key functions

EndNote is a program for storing and managing your own bibliographic citations. These notes summarize several useful functions in EndNote 6:

• searching, sorting and displaying citations
• importing citations from databases
• exporting citations to a Word file
• creating a bibliography in a paper

See also the Library's full tutorial, filters etc.

Searching, sorting and displaying citations in your EndNote Library

• Citations can be searched by keyword or other fields. Use Search References from the References menu. If you are likely to want a particular subset of citations (e.g. for a special project), give each citation a consistent label to make later searching for the subset easier.

• Citations can be sorted by different fields. Use Sort References from the References menu.

• You can define the way you display a list of citations on screen. Use Edit, Preferences and Display fields. This affects only the on-screen display. See Exporting below for creating a list of citations as a Word document.

Importing citations from databases

Citations saved during database searches can be imported directly into an Endnote library to save retyping or cutting and pasting.

First save citations during your database search:

• Choose the fields you want to save
• Choose formats with labelled field names so EndNote can determine where to put each part of the citation i.e.
  for Silverplatter databases (Georef, Geobase, AESIS, Biological Abstracts): save with Field labels short and Include record numbers
  for SciFinder Scholar - save as Tagged format
  for PubMed - Under Display, choose MEDLINE format.

Then import saved citations into EndNote

• Open a new temporary EndNote library to receive the citations
• From the Edit menu, choose Import Filters and Open Filter manager.
  Mark the relevant database filter. Close the window.
  If a filter is absent or doesn't work, download a new filter from the Library's filters page.
  
• Import the citations
  From the File menu, choose Import.
  Choose your file of saved citations and the relevant database filter as the Import option.

Check the imported citations

for missing or wrongly assigned fields and edit where necessary. Non-journal citations in particular may need editing if the filter doesn't cope with them well. (You can also learn how to edit filters, if necessary).

Copy and paste the citations

from the temporary EndNote library into your permanent EndNote library.

You can create Word document lists of citations in the output style of your choice through the Export command. Output styles required by major journals are provided automatically by EndNote. (If necessary, you can also learn how to edit existing styles to create your own.)

Create a file of the citations to be exported

• Open the EndNote library containing the citations to be exported and copy and paste the required citations to a new EndNote library. The whole of this new file will be exported.

Choose the required citation style

• From the Edit menu, choose Output styles, Open Style Manager and any journal styles of interest and close the window. This moves these styles to the Output syles list from which you select one.
• From the File menu, choose Output styles again and select the journal style you want for this exported file.

Export the file to a Word document

• From the File menu, choose Export and save the file as rtf, sRich Text format.
• Open your exported .rtf document in Word.

Creating a bibliography within a paper

As you write a paper, you can insert citations linked to your EndNote bibliography. After you've finished, these citations can be quickly formatted to produce in-text citations and a bibliography in an output style of your choice. You can easily change the output style if you later resubmit the paper to a different journal.

Linking from your paper to the EndNote database is easier to manage if you keep all your citations in only one EndNote Library.

Note: EndNote 6 has an instant formatting function which converts temporary EndNote placemarker citations into their final form as you write. Instant formatting can cause complications if misused. The following instructions assume that instant formatting has been disabled. To disable it, from the Word Tools menu, choose EndNote 6, then Cite while you write preferences and make sure Enable Instant Formatting is unmarked.

As you write, insert citations from your EndNote library into the paper at the required places.

• Open the Word paper.
• Insert a space where the citation needs to be added.
• Open your EndNote library.
• Select but don't open the required citation.
• From Word's Tools menu,
  choose EndNote 6 then Insert Selected Citation(s).

Generate the bibliography when you have finished writing the paper

With the Word paper and the EndNote library both open:

• set the output style of your choice in EndNote - see Choose the required citation style above.
• in Word: Under the Tools menu, choose EndNote 6 then Format Bibliography, the file name and output style.
  Temporary citation delimiters are the brackets that surround the temporary citations in your Word text. Set these to the form used in your text i.e. [] or {} etc. Use only one form of bracket in the text.
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