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Reference Management: EndNote

How to manage your references using software

Important information about EndNote

Please note: EndNote is not compatible with OneDrive, the cloud storage provider used by the University. For this reason, we do not recommend EndNote for undergraduates and taught postgraduates. We would recommend instead that you use either RefWorks or Mendeley. See the other tabs on this guide for information on using either of these tools.

Postgraduate researchers and staff who primarily use the same fixed computer to access their EndNote library, or are confident in managing their own file storage, are welcome to continue using EndNote. However you may find an alternative service such as Mendeley suits your needs better. If you would like any advice on switching from EndNote to another reference management tool, please contact the library on library@hud.ac.uk.

Where to get help?

How can I get help with EndNote?

Support from the Library

The University of Huddersfield librarians are always happy to help!

Support from Clarivate

Clarivate, the company that owns EndNote, have produced a range of useful training content:

What is EndNote?

EndNote is desktop software that allows you to build library of references. You can store and manage all of your references, and attach PDF files to annotate.

EndNote integrates with Word via a plugin called Cite While You Write, that allows you to insert citations and references automatically as you write. This plugin is already available on all University computers, and can be installed on your own device when installing EndNote.

The video below was made by Clarivate, the owners of EndNote, to demonstrate the key features.

How do I access EndNote?

Accessing EndNote on a University PC

All networked PCs in the Library should have EndNote 21 installed. If the computer you are using in your department doesn’t or has an older version of EndNote, please contact your local IT support (school or Library as appropriate).

You will find EndNote by clicking on the Windows button or using the search function, both in the bottom left of the screen.

Accessing EndNote on your own device

You can get a free download of EndNote 21 on your home device or personal University laptop. 

Go to the software download page and select EndNote 21 (Mac or Windows as preferred). You will be prompted for a login and password. The username is in the format u1234567 for students or cmsxabc for staff. Open the zip folder and follow the instructions for installation. Please check system compatability of your own device before installing.

Please note that this EndNote license agreement is for academic use only, and you must uninstall the application when you graduate/leave employment of the University.

Using EndNote Online

All users must create an EndNote Online account to back up your library, and enable you to use it on multiple devices. See section below for more details.

EndNote Online also provides basic functionality, such as saving and sharing references, to use in your web browser if you are not able to download or install software on your own device.

Setting up your EndNote library

Creating your EndNote Desktop library

  • Open EndNote on your device. Select Create a new library (Windows) or go to File > New (Mac). 
  • Choose where to save your library. Important: EndNote is not compatable with cloud storage, so do not save your library to cloud folders such as OneDrive, iCloud, or DropBox.

Screenshot of EndNote setup dialogue box on Windows. There are two buttons: "Open an existing library", or "Create a new library".Screenshot of EndNote toolbar on Mac. The file menu is expanded, top option is "New".

  • On your own device, we recommend saving your EndNote library to the local hard drive.
  • On university computers, you can save your EndNote library to your local OneDrive folder, however this has been set to not sync the files to avoid potentially corrupting your library. Therefore if you move to a different device and access your University OneDrive folder, your EndNote library will not be visible. You can download a new copy from your EndNote Online account and save on the new computer. See instructions below for setting up EndNote Online and syncing using their backup service.

Syncing your desktop library with EndNote Online

All users must create an EndNote Online account to back up your account and allow you to access your library on multiple devices. The backup will be hosted by Clarivate, the owners of EndNote, in their own cloud storage. 

To create a backup with EndNote Online:

  • Go to the EndNote Online registration page. 
  • Follow the instructions to register an account.
  • Confirm the email notification to complete registration.
  • Return to EndNote desktop version.

To sync your online account with your desktop library:

  • Click on Edit (Windows) or EndNote (Mac) from the top left-hand menu, then select Preferences.
  • This pop-up box will appear (Windows, left, or Mac, right):

EndNote preferences pop up box with Sync, email password, sync automatically and apply highlighted.Screenshot of EndNote preferences menu in Mac.

  • Click on Sync from the left-hand menu.
  • Type in the email and password you used for your EndNote Online account.
  • Click Apply (Windows) or Save (Mac) to finish the set up.
     

Saving items into EndNote

Adding references from Summon

Screenshot of the opened three-dot menu next to each item in Summon. Drop down menu says "Export to" and has a list of reference managers. RefWorks is at the top of the list.You can save items from Summon either individually, or in a group.

Individually

  • Next to the result, click on the three small dots, which is labelled ‘More Actions’
  • Select EndNote from the dropdown.
  • A file download box will appear (this may appear in different places, e.g. at the top or bottom of the screen or as a pop-up, depending on which browser you are using). Double click to open the file in EndNote.
  • EndNote will automatically re-open and you will see the imported references in your Library.

Group save

  • Click the bookmark ribbon icon next to the result(s). It is labelled ‘Save this item’. This will save it into a Select the bookmark icon next to each resource to save them, then see all saved items by clicking the bookmark button at the top right of the screen.temporary folder, visible at the top of Summon. 
  • Click as many items as you wish to save at the same time.
  • Once you have selected all the items you wish to export, click the bookmark folder at the top right of the page.
  • Click on ‘Export to…’ and select EndNote, then go through the process as before.

Adding references from other sources

You can export to EndNote from Google Scholar, and other academic databases. Most scholarly databases will have an option to "export", "download", "cite", "reference", or similar language. If they do not mention EndNote specifically, look for an option to download/export a RIS file - this is the file format used by EndNote.

Creating citations and reference list

Inserting citations and references into Word

EndNote allows you to automatically insert in-text citations and create a bibliography in Word. When EndNote is installed, a toolbar is added to Word which allows ‘Cite While You Write’ to be used to cite references from EndNote in Word documents.

Screenshot of the EndNote 21 toolbar in Word.

To add citations into your Word document:

  • Click the EndNote 21 tab in the Word toolbar.
  • Choose a point in your text where you wish to add a reference.
  • Click on Insert Citation from the EndNote toolbar. 
  • In the box that appears, either search for an author name, a keyword from the title or article, or just the letter 'a' to see a list of all references.
  • Click on the reference you wish to add to your Word document, then click Insert.

EndNote insert references box in Word with 'find' and 'insert' options highlighted

  • The citation will appear at the point in the text you have selected, and the full reference will be at the end of the document (starting your reference list). 

Tips:

  • Select the referencing style you wish to use (e.g. APA 7th) from the drop-down list "Style" in the EndNote toolbar in Word. You can also switch between styles using this list.
  • To insert multiple citations at once, you can return to your EndNote library, highlight the references you wish to add, then return to Word and select Insert Selected Citation(s) from the Insert menu in the EndNote toolbar.
  • After adding citations, you can edit how they appear (for example, changing (Smith, 2023) to Smith (2023), or adding a page number) by selecting Edit & Manage citations from the EndNote toolbar.

EndNote toolbar in Word with edit and manage citation highlighted

 

Other EndNote tasks

For other common tasks within EndNote, please see the links below.