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EndNote

Use Groups to stay organized

 

EndNote works more reliably if you create one 'master' library of references and use the Groups feature to keep your references organized.

 

 

Custom groups

The simplest group to create is a custom group. You can drag and drop references into the custom group.

1. In EndNote, select Groups > Create Group.

2. Give your new group a name.

3. Select references from your Library and drag and drop them into the new folder you have created.

 

Note: References that do not belong to a group will remain in the Unfiled group.

The last citations to be added to EndNote will go into the Recently Added group. When you log out of EndNote this folder will be emptied automatically.

Smart groups

With a custom group, you have to add the references manually but with a smart group EndNote adds the references automatically to a group. You can set up a search strategy and when a citation appears in your library that matches your search, it will be transferred to the smart group.

1. In EndNote, select Groups > Create Smart Group.

Create a search strategy

1. In the Smart Group search box, add the search strategy to locate relevant citations for the smart group.

2. Give the Smart Group a name.

3. Click on Create.

 

Note: Smart groups, combination groups and group sets cannot be synced to EndNote Online.

Create From Groups

You can create further groups by combining or excluding references from the groups you have created already to form a new group. You need to specify in a search box which groups you want to work with.

Creating a new group from your current list of groups

  1. Select Groups > Create From Groups.

  2. Select from your list of custom or smart groups.
  3. Use And, Or, Not to include or exclude custom and/or smart groups in the combined group set.
  4. Give the new group a name. Select Create. The new group will appear on the left side of the EndNote screen.

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Note: Smart groups, combination groups and group sets cannot be successfully synced into EndNote Online.

In addition to creating groups, you can keep your references organized by using Group Sets. These act like headings under which you can place relevant groups.

1. To create a group set, select Groups > Create Group Set.

2. The new group set will appear on left side of screen. You can give it a name, e.g. Conference paper.

 

3. You can drag and drop the custom and smart groups under the new Group Set you have created.

 

 

Caution: If you delete a group set the groups under the set will also be deleted. The references from the group however will NOT be deleted from your EndNote library.

Note: Smart groups, combination groups and group sets cannot be successfully synced into EndNote Online.

Search your library of references

You can use the Quick Search box at the top of your EndNote library to locate references. Or, for complex searches, click on Show Search Panel to display multiple search boxes.

Click on the heading of each column, e.g. author, title, year, journal to change the order of the display of the records.

 

Update references in your library

The Find Reference Updates feature lets you add additional information, missing fields, and more to a reference. It is especially useful for an e-publication which may not have all the information that is available in the printed version, or for a PDF document that has not imported correctly.

  1. Click on a relevant reference(s) in your library.
  2. Select References > Find Reference Updates.
  3. The updated reference is available on the left with the updated information highlighted in blue. You can choose to Update Empty Fields or Update All Fields of My Reference.

 

Note: If you select Update All Fields any information you have added into your reference e.g. Notes will be overwritten.

Remove duplicates

To find duplicate records in your EndNote Library, click on References --> Find Duplicates.

EndNote will display all duplicate records. For each duplicate record you have the option to review the records and decide which one to keep and which one to send to Trash.

Keep the EndNote libraries up-to-date

Sync between the EndNote Desktop and EndNote Online to ensure that the references you have just added are available on both versions.

Sync your EndNote Desktop and Online libraries

After you create an EndNote Online account you can easily sync it to your Desktop library so that you have the convenience of accessing EndNote from anywhere and of having the same library of references. The sync process can only be initiated from the EndNote Desktop. References from both libraries will be copied to the other library.

  1. Select the sync button on the tool bar in EndNote Desktop.

     
  2. Enter your EndNote Online email address and password to log into your EndNote Online account.
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  3. If necessary, go to Edit > Preferences (For Mac, Select EndNote X9 > Preferences) and select Sync to correct the EndNote Online email address and password.
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  4. The first time you sync you will be asked to create a compressed back-up copy of your Library in case problems occur during the sync process. Select Yes and save the Library in your documents folder.

After the initial sync, any changes you make to either library will be synchronized in both libraries. For example, if you delete references from your Desktop library they will also be deleted from your online library.

Note: Customized groups and file attachments can sync to EndNote Online but smart groups, combination groups and group sets cannot. 

Make back-ups

Back up your EndNote library regularly. If you have a small library of records (one hundred or less) you can use the Save as option under the File menu. If you have a large library with PDF attachments it is better to use the Compressed Library option also available under the File menu.

 

To create a Compressed Library

  1. Click on File > Compressed Library (.enlx).
  2. Select options. For example: Create, With File Attachments and All References in Library.
  3. Click on Next to save it.

 

Note: To restore the compressed Library, locate the .enlx file    and double click on it.

 

Share groups and library

Share groups

Unlike its earlier versions, EndNote X9 allows you to share specific custom groups from EndNote desktop. Please note that smart groups , combination groups and group sets cannot be shared.

For sharing features of EndNote Online, please see this page.

Steps:

  1. Right-click the custom group you wish to share and select Share Group... from the menu.
  2. Enter the email addresses of those with whom you wish to share your group into the Invite More People box. If more than one email address, separate them by commas.
  3. Choose the option of permission for sharing the group - Read & Write or Read Only.
  4. Click Invite.

 

Note: Attachments are not shared when sharing a group.

 

Share library

With EndNote X9, you can share your entire library with Read & Write or Read Only permission.

Steps:

  1. Click the Share Library icon on the tool bar.  
  2. Enter the email addresses of those with whom you wish to share your library into the Invite More People box. If more than one email address, separate them by commas.
  3. Choose the option of permission for sharing the group - Read & Write or Read Only.
  4. Click Invite.

 

Tip: Keep track of changes made to the shared library by viewing the Activity Feed.

 

Important
You should not share an EndNote Library that has PDF copies of articles with someone who is not a CityU staff member or student due to copyright reasons.

 

 

Open Shared Library

Select Open Shared Library from the File menu to open the library that has been shared with you.

 

 

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