EndNote: A Basic Introduction

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• Intro to EndNote
• Intro to Procite
• EndNote vs. Procite
• Downloading
• Connection files
• EndNote and BMS Help Home

• Keep all of your references in a permanent database
• Import references directly into EndNote from library catalogs and other online databases while you work
• Sort your citations to create reference lists and subject bibliographies
• Use EndNote with your word processor to add parenthetical citations/footnotes to your text and auto-format a bibliography as you write
• Auto-format your papers in the approved style of a particular journal

This guide covers:

• How to keep track of the references in your EndNote databases
• Formatting References
• How to import references into EndNote from online database
• Inserting a Reference From Your EndNote Library Into a Manuscript
• Using EndNote with Microsoft Word
• How to get references into the appropriate format

How to keep track of the references in your EndNote databases

2. Opening an existing library
From the File menu, select Open… then Open library…Note that recently used libraries are listed beneath Open library for easy access. All EndNote library files will end with the .enl extension.

3. Working in the library window
Note that in the Library window, each reference is displayed on a line using three pieces of information: author, yea r, and title. See the EndNote manual to learn more about customizing your display. You can customize features using the Preferences feature under the Edit menu. You can also click and drag to change the width of columns. A paperclip icon beside a reference indicates that there is an attached file, like a graphic. Highlighting a reference displays the Preview version of the reference at the bottom of the screen (see below).

4. Sorting
To sort your references according to a particular field, click on the field label near the top of the window (e.g. Author, Year, Title). Click once for an ascending sort; click a second time for descending sort. By default, references are sorted ascending by author (i.e. alphabetical order by author's last name).

5. Preview
At the bottom of the Library window, there is an option for "Show Preview", which displays a single citation in the current output style.

You can't edit a reference in the Preview window. Click "Hide Preview" if you do not want to display the preview form of the reference.

Formatting References

1. The References menu contains the options for manipulating references, such as creating a new reference, editing or deleting an existing reference, or showing and hiding selected records.

2. Working in the reference window
When you click "New Reference " to create a new reference, you will be asked to choose from a list of "reference types" (such as journal article, book, dissertation, etc.)

EndNote 7 includes 25 pre-defined reference types. When a reference type is selected, the field labels in the reference window will change to something more appropriate for that material type.. For example, the book reference type will have a field for a publisher, whereas the journal article reference type would not have a publisher field. The information below are the fields which include the relevant information for a book. You can customize these forms if they contain information you do not need. Clicking on Reference Type will also enable you to set the default reference type if you are entering a number of items which have the same form

The reference types listed in the dropdown menu can also be removed if you do not want them to appear in your default list.
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A Note About Entering References Manually

From the References menu at the top of the screen, select New reference …This calls up a window in which citation data can be entered by hand. Select the appropriate reference type from the drop-down menu, and enter data into fields as described below. Not all fields have to be used. Use the Enter key to begin a new line in the same field; use the Tab key to jump to the next field.

1. Entering Names

a. Author and editor names must be listed one name per line.

b. Using the format lastname, firstname is recommended. Use periods after initials, such as Smith, A.A., or a space between initials: Smith, A A

c. By default, the author field is set to work with the author term list (meaning that as you enter authors' names, they are automatically compiled into a listing that you can search later). Subsequent occurrences of a name will be auto-filled in for you as you type.. To accept a suggested name, press the Enter or Tab key. To disable this feature, go to the Preferences option in the Edit menu.

d. For anonymous works, leave the author field blank.

e. For works with many authors, include as many authors as known. If all authors are not known, enter et al. or and others as the last name, followed by a comma.

f. For corporate authors (such as the U.S. Center for Disease Control), enter the name followed by a comma. This prevents EndNote from inverting the name.
U.S. Center for Disease Control,

g. For complex author names, enter names in this format: deGaulle, Charles and Smith, Alfred, Jr.


2 . Year
Enter the four-digit year (such as 1987). Include information such as "in press " or "in preparation" as needed.

3. Titles
Enter titles without a period or any other punctuation at the end. For long titles, do not use the Enter key; just allow the title to wrap to the next line. It is best to enter the title capitalized as you want it appear in the bibliography, though various output styles can modify the capitalization for you.

4. Journal Title
Enter the full journal title. By default, the journal title field is set to work with the journal term list, as in the case of the author list. Subsequently occurring instances of a title will be auto-filled in for you as you type. To accept a suggested journal title, press the Tab key. If desired, enter the journal title abbreviation in the Alternate Journal field. See the EndNote site for information about the journals term list and importing necessary abbreviations.

5. Pages
Page ranges can be entered in full or condensed format. Do not use commas for page numbers in the thousands.

6. Edition
Enter 1st, 2nd, as appropriate; do not include edition or ed. When EndNote formats a bibliography, it does not reformat the information in this field.

7. Date
Enter dates as you want them to appear. When EndNote reformats a bibliography, it also does not reformat the Date field.

8. Keywords
Enter keywords associated with the reference, such as subject descriptors, class name, project title, etc. By default, the Keyword field is set to work with the Keyword term list. Subsequent occurrences of a keyword will be auto-filled in for you as you type. . To accept a suggested keyword, press the Enter or Tab key.

9. Notes
Enter personal notes about the work.

10. Abstract
Enter a brief description of the work.

11. URL
Enter the Web address. With a URL in this field, use the Open Link command from the References menu to launch the browser and open that site. For this to work properly, the URL, beginning with http://, must be the only information in this field. This can be used to link to files on a local computer, and is also convenient for linking to articles in online databases.

12. Image
To add a graphic to the reference (table, diagram, etc.), see the EndNote manual for more information.

How to import references into EndNote from online database

The Importing Function

This is a quicker and easier method of getting citations into EndNote than entering data by hand. The electronic resource being searched will determine the format for exporting citations from the resource and the options for importing data into EndNote.

Library databases have different interfaces and are purchased from different vendors. Databases also provide varying levels of support for exporting data to bibliographic management software like EndNote. Once you have selected the references you want during a particular search, you can export the records for those items into EndNote.

Generally, you can export data either as a plain text file or in what is called "bibliographic manager format." Because EndNote needs to parse the data in such a way that information is assigned to the appropriate fields, a plain text file will have to be modified into a comma- or tab-delimited format, as discussed later in this guide. The easiest option, however, is just to use one of the import filters that come with the EndNote software, which automatically "interpret" the data exported from a specific online database (such as JSTOR).

When you want to import data, go to File-Import.

At this point you can select a text file (which you have saved to disk after retrieving results from the database) by clicking on Choose File next to the Import Data File option. To use one of the standard EndNote import filters, go to Import Options.

Most likely there is already a filter available for the database you are working with. Many are already installed on your computer along with the EndNote software. The EndNote website (www.endnote.com) posts newly written or updated filters on a regular basis. To use one of the database-specific filters, choose Use Connection File under Import Option.

Connection files are available for online library databases as well as Z39.50-compatible library catalogs around the world.

Once you have selected the filter you want, you can export information directly from an online database into EndNote while both programs are running.

When you import references into EndNote, only the imported references are immediately visible. The rest of the references in your library will be hidden.

Adding Keywords/Codes to Imported References

Because it is recommended that you maintain a single library for all of your references, you need a way to note which references are for which projects/grants/classes, so you can search for them. The best way to do this is to add a unique code or keyword to all references for a given project. This can be done automatically.

a. In the References window, select Change and Move Fields…
b . On the Change Fields tab, select the field to which you want to add the code (such as the Keyword or Label field)
c. Choose the desired change and spacing option
d. Enter the code or text to add in the box to the right.
e. Click on OK, then read the alert box and see if the text appears as you want it.

This can be done for references already included in your EndNote library as well. Using commands in the Reference menu, hide the references that should not get this keyword/code. Then follow the steps listed above.

Searching EndNote Libraries

To search an EndNote library for a specific reference or group of references, open the desired library and from the References menu, select Search references… The following options are available from the search window

For more complex searches, enter more than one search item and use Boolean operators between them. The EndNote manual and online help contain detailed information about searching EndNote libraries.

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Using EndNote with Microsoft Word

Inserting a Reference From Your EndNote Library Into a Manuscript

You must have the EndNote library you are working with open at the same time as Word.

Within Word, select Tools -Go to EndNote. Once EndNote is the active window, open the database of interest (if it is not already open).

Within the database, select the reference(s) to be cited and return to Word. (You can also use the Find Citation(s) option in the EN submenu). In the Word document, place the cursor where the reference(s) should be inserted, then select Insert Citation(s) from the Tools menu.

A temporary, unformatted citation will be inserted into the manuscript.

"Cite While You Write" Features

If Cite While You Write is turned on, you may not see the temporary citation. Cite While You Write (CWYW) automatically scans the manuscript for temporary citations and formats the in-text citations and reference lists according to the active output style while you are working on the manuscript. With older computers, instant formatting can be a slow process. You can turn off this option by selecting Cite While You Write from the EndNote submenu.

1. The Format Bibliography command formats or reformats the references according to the selected output style. The formatting process replaces the temporary citations with formatted citations and builds a formatted reference list at the end of the manuscript.

2. Edit Citations allows you to edit references, e.g. removing author's name or publication date, or adding page number.

3. Insert Note allows you to add a note to the document.

4. Edit Library Reference(s) allows editing of EndNote references from within Microsoft Word.

5. Unformat Citation(s) unformats a citation before editing it, or unformats the entire manuscript.

6. Remove Field Codes allows you to remove fields from a manuscript before sharing it.

7. Export Traveling Library creates an EndNote library from the references in your paper.

8. Find Figure(s) allows insertion of a figure (chart, table, graph, etc.) included in an EndNote library.

9 . Generate Figure List updates in-text figure citations and generates a list of figures.

10. Cite While You Write Preferences allows you to set preferences for the Cite While You Write feature, including turning off instant formatting.

The EndNote manual and the EndNote website explain many of these features in greater detail.

Getting Citations out of EndNote and Into an Independent Bibliography: Using Output Styles

1. Selecting output style
First, select the appearance of the independent bibliography by selecting the Output styles… option on the Edit menu. If the desired style is not available in the list, select Open Style Manage r.. and select the output styles to be included in the Output styles submenu by clicking on the box to the left of the style name.

2. Use the Style Info feature to find new information about the style and to see samples of citations formatted in the highlighted style. For information on creating new styles and editing existing ones, see online help or the EndNote manual). Close the Style Manager window, then return to the Output styles option on the Edit menu and select the desired style. (It can also be selected from drop-down menus in the main toolbar).

3. Include notes or abstracts
Most styles do not include notes and abstracts. To include these, see online help, or the EndNote manual for information on creating new styles or editing existing ones.

4. Copy formatted references
Select the desired reference(s) from the EndNote library. (Hold down the control key to select multiple references). From the Edit menu, select Copy formatted. Open the desired Word document and paste the formatted references using Ctrl-V or by selecting Paste from the Edit menu.

5. Export references
Note: Only the references that are selected or showing in the active window (within EndNote) will be exported. (In the References menu, there are options to select which items to show in the current window. These options include Search , Show all, Show selected, and Hide selected). From the File menu, select Export… Give the file a name and select the desired file type (see below) and click on Save.

6. File types
a. Text - This format will only result in text and punctuation. Formatting such as underlining and italics will be lost. This format can be opened by any text editor.
b. RTF - This format (Rich Text Format) will retain font and formatting options. This format can be opened by all word processors.
c. HTML - This format (HyperText Markup Language) is useful for posting reference lists on a Web page.
d. XML - This format exports in a proprietary EndNote XML format.

7. Printing references
The Print option from the File menu is the quickest way to get the references on paper. As with exporting references, only the references that are showing in the active window will be exported. From the File menu, select the desired output style (as described above), then print.

8. Formatting Citations in a Manuscript
When Cite While You Write instant formatting is disabled, the references will need to be formatted in the following way:

a. Selecting output style
Select the desired output style as described above.

b. Formatting references
Return to Word and select Format Bibliography from the EndNote submenu of Word’s Tools menu. In the pop-up window, select the document to format (by default, it is the current document) and the style. After selecting the desired format, click on the Format button. Note that EndNote reformats the references in the paper as well as adding the reference list at the end of the paper. Warning: Carefully review the formatted bibliography for errors. If there are any errors, the best way to correct them is to make the changes in EndNote. In a pinch, however, corrections can also be made in the reference list itself.

c. Reformatting references
To reformat the current reference list, go back to Format Bibliography and select another style.

d. Unformatting references
To reformat the reference list, select Unformat Citation(s) from the EndNote submenu.

8. Sharing a copy of the final formatted paper
When submitting a copy of a manuscript to a publisher, it is recommended that you unlink the EndNote fields in the manuscript. This will prevent any potential problems with the formatted references when the recipient of the manuscript opens the file.

First, make a copy of the manuscript using the Save as.. option. This is very, very important. NEVER unlink the fields in the master copy of the manuscript, as they cannot be relinked automatically.

In Word, unlinking EndNote fields will also unlink all fields in the manuscript, including Word fields like date, time, index, table of contents, etc. Usually this will not be a problem.

In the manuscript copy, select Remove Field Codes from the EndNote submenu.

If you did accidentally unlink the master copy of the manuscript and you need to reformat the references, the only way to do this is to re-cite all the references with EndNote again. If you have not yet closed the document, it may be possible to use Word’s Undo feature to undo removing the field codes.

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VI. SEARCHING ONLINE DATABASES FROM WITHIN THE ENDNOTE PROGRAM

From within the EndNote interface, you can connect to various library catalogs and databases, and search those sources. This is advantageous for two reasons: (a) it can save time, and (b) it saves you the trouble of saving and exporting files from the online databases, along with the complications that can ensue (creating properly tab-delimited files, working with import filters, etc.).

To connect to other sources, go to Tools-Connect. You will then see a list of Connection Files, which have been pre-configured for you and included with the EndNote software. These include Z39.50-compatible library catalogs and online databases. If the source you wish to search is included in this list, select it; if not, see the EndNote manual for instructions on configuring your own Z39.50-compatible host.

On the Connection Files page, we provide instructions for setting up connections to USM's library databases.

Configuring EndNote to search ANNA (USM's library catalog)

1. Go to Edit - Connection Files - New Connection.

2. A window labeled Untitled Connection will open. Set each of these fields to the following values:

(a) Server to University of Southern Mississippi - Unicorn server (This is just a label; it doesn't really matter what you call it. Unicorn refers to the vendor of the company which provides our library catalog).
(b) Search Attributes - leave as is
(c) Templates - Choose "Book"
(d) Author Parsing - Make sure "Last Always Precedes First" is selected.
(e) Continuation Lines - leave as is
(f) Default Reference Type - You can choose to have EndNote interpret all of your downloaded files as a certain item type; for searching in ANNA, you might select "Book," for convenience. If you want to have different options, you can create a separate, identical configuration file with a different item type (such as "Journal" selected).
(g) Editor Parsing - Make sure "Last Always Precedes First" is selected.
(h) Field Editing - Select whatever field you would like to appear prominently when you download the record; " Title" may be a good choice.
(i) MARC Records - Make sure "Process Data File as MARC Record" is selected (it should be).
(j) Record Layout - Select " Smart Record Identification"
(h) Source Parsing - You can leave this alone for the time being.

Save the connection file. If you will be searching ANNA frequently within EndNote, you can select this connection file (along with others you use most) by going to Edit - Connections - Connection Manager. This displays a list of available connection files. You can mark the records you will be using most frequently, in order to save scrolling through a long list.