About EndNote
Endnote is a reference management program that keeps all your references and reference-related materials in a searchable personal library. EndNote connects with word processor documents and allows you to create formatted citations, bibliographies and lists of references from your EndNote library. An EndNote library can also be synced between personal computers and/or EndNote Web or shared with other researchers during collaboration.
Installing EndNote
Where to get EndNote
EndNote is supplied by the University for all staff and students. The software can be downloaded from ServiceNow.
Saving EndNote on your computer
It is recommended that EndNote be saved to the C-Drive of your device.
- DO NOT save your EndNote library to a cloud-based system (e.g. Dropbox, OneDrive, Apple Storage drive). Running EndNote from a Cloud based storage system will eventually corrupt your libraries.
- Currently, you can use EndNote with Windows 11 if you save it to your C-Drive.
- Make sure that your computer software is updated to the latest iteration to avoid any issues.
How to use EndNote
Adding references
From Library catalogue
- Select the item record/s that you wish to add to EndNote.
- Click the three dots on the top right of the record.
- Select the option “EndNote/RIS” and click “Download”.
- The file should export direct to EndNote, but may appear in the downloads section of your browser instead. If this happens, opening the .ris file in downloads should trigger the process to complete.
- Your selected references will appear in EndNote.
From Google Scholar
Clarivate’s knowledge hub includes information on adding references from Google Scholar.
Manually add references
To add other references to EndNote:
Operating EndNote
The Clarivate Knowledge Hub provides up-to-date help and guidance for EndNote Users.
Transfer your EndNote library to a new computer
- If you've set up Sync, create a new library on your new device, and then sign in and run a Sync. This will download your EndNote library from the cloud onto the new device.
- If you haven't set up Sync, you can get more information on copying libraries between computers with this helpful guide from Clarivate.
Organise references into groups
Share groups of references online
Find full text articles
Add citations to a Word document
Download additional EndNote reference styles
Backing up your EndNote library
To manage your data safely, it is important to back up your EndNote library regularly. The simplest way to do this is to:
- Open your EndNote library.
- Go to File > Save a copy.
- Make sure to give the copy a relevant name, including the date the copy was created.
- Save the copy in a separate location (not on your regular computer).
EndNote also allows you to sync your library across multiple devices and EndNote Web. See here for instructions on Syncing your Endnote library.
See the Clarivate knowledge hub for more information on backups and transfers.
Updating EndNote
From time to time, you’ll be prompted to update your EndNote software. However, you may not want to update if:
- You are nearing the end of your degree or about to submit a major piece of work.
- You have not recently backed up your Endnote library.
If you wish to update EndNote and have not received a prompt, see the Clarivate knowledge hub for instructions.
Learn more about EndNote
Training
- We hold regular EndNote workshops online. Click on this link to sign up for our “Introduction to EndNote”.
- You can also watch EndNote’s training videos via this link.
Troubleshooting
Please note that EndNote support is available from Clarivate:
- Via their live chat service on weekdays (from 11am Monday to 11pm Friday).
- Via email over the weekend.
My EndNote library is corrupted and won’t open
This can happen if the library is stored in a cloud service like Dropbox or Google Drive. Make sure your EndNote library is stored on your local hard drive. You can set up an Online Sync solution by syncing your EndNote library.
To repair your library, follow these steps:
- Open the EndNote application and select Tools > Recover Library.
- In the dialogue that pops up, navigate to your broken EndNote library and select it.
- Make sure you save the recovered library on your local drive.
If that process doesn't work, check out this helpful guide to recovering your library files from Clarivate.
My citations aren’t formatting correctly
There are a number of common causes for this issue. Often it is cause by incorrect data in the fields of one or more reference in the EndNote library.
- Corporate authors: If you are citing a company or government agency, you will need to put a comma at the end of the full organisation name in the EndNote library reference. eg. “University of Sydney,”. Without the comma the author will be listed as “U. O. Sydney”.
- Initials appearing in-text: This indicates that there is more than one author with the same surname in your library and/or document. If you are citing only one person with the name, the author’s name is listed differently in your EndNote references. Resolve this by searching your library by surname and make sure the author field is the same for all publications: eg. Stephen Ball and Stephen J. Ball are the same person - use one or the other in all references.
- Changes to references aren't showing in the document: Go to the EndNote menu in Word and select “update citations and bibliography”.
- References look strange and appear in curly brackets: This means your document is in unformatted citations mode. Go to the EndNote menu in Word and select “update citations and bibliography”.
Issues with the Cite While You Write tool in Word
- No EndNote tool bar visible in Word: See these links from Clarivate for Mac and Windows systems.
- EndNote keeps asking me to “log in” when I use Cite while you write: This is happening because Word is trying to connect to EndNote online.
- Go to the EndNote menu in Word and select “Preferences”.
- In the box that pops up, select the “Application” tab.
- Change the selection from “EndNote Online” to “EndNote” and hit OK.