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EndNote

Manage references in the EndNote library

You can use the Simple search box at the top of your EndNote library to locate references. For complex searches, click on Advanced search to display multiple search boxes.

To change the display order of the records, simply click on the heading of each column, such as Author, Title, Year, Journal, etc.

 

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. 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.

To remove duplicate records in your EndNote library, click on Library > 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. Before sending the duplicate to Trash, check the record number to be sure that you are not deleting a reference already cited in a paper.

Organise your library using Groups and Tags

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.

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.

Create a search strategy

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

2. Give the Smart Group a name.

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

4. Click on Create.

 

Note: Smart Groups, From Groups and Group sets will not be visible in the EndNote Web / EndNote Online Classic.

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.

Note: Smart Groups, From Groups and Group sets will not be visible in the EndNote Web / EndNote Online Classic.

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, From Groups and Group sets will not be visible in the EndNote Web / EndNote Online Classic.

EndNote allows you to share specific (custom) groups from EndNote desktop. Please note that smart groups, combination groups and group sets cannot be shared.

Note: You can also use share groups feature in EndNote Online Classic.

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.

 

It is recommended to keep all your references in a single library. To organize your library, use Groups and Tags.

By using Tags, you can effectively organize your library. Customize the color and name of each tag, and assign multiple tags to a reference. Additionally, when sharing your library with others, they will be able to view the assigned tags.

 

Sync and back up the EndNote library

Synchronize your EndNote Desktop and EndNote online libraries to ensure that both have identical groups and references. This feature also helps to recover a lost or damaged library.

Before syncing, you need to set up an EndNote online account and it is recommended to backup your EndNote Desktop library before the initial sync.

To enable Sync, follow these steps:

  1. Open EndNote Desktop and go to Preferences.
  2. Select Sync and click Enable Sync.
  3. Enter the e-mail address and password associated with your EndNote online account.
  4. Click OK.

Note: If you want EndNote to automatically sync every 15 minutes in the background, check the Sync Automatically box.

 

To sync the EndNote Desktop and online libraries, follow these steps:

  1. Open EndNote Desktop and go to Library.
  2. Select Sync.

 

Please note:

  1. The sync process can only be initiated from the EndNote Desktop library.
  2. You can only sync one library to an EndNote Online account.
  3. Group sets, smart groups, and combination groups will not be available in your online library after syncing.
  4. To ensure successful syncing of all reference information between your EndNote desktop library and online library, click Sync Status.

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 Compress Library option also available under the File menu.

 

To create a Compress Library (.enlx)

  1. Click on File > Compress 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 compress Library, locate the .enlx file    and double click on it.

 

Share an EndNote library

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

Steps:

  1. Go to File and select Share.  
  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
If you have PDFs in your EndNote library that were downloaded from the CityU Library, it is important not to share them with individuals who are not affiliated with CityU as staff members or students due to copyright restrictions.

 

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