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EndNote

A comprehensive guide to the reference management software EndNote.

Delete duplicates

When new references are added to your library, EndNote does not automatically check for duplication. Duplicate references within your EndNote library are a potential source of confusion and errors. It is recommended that you delete any duplicates regularly.

  • EndNote X9: References > Find Duplicates
  • EndNote 20: Library > Find Duplicates
  • EndNote finds duplicates and compares two records side-by-side. Any fields within the records that differ from each other are highlighted in blue. 
  • Check any highlighted fields and decide which one to keep using Keep This Record. You can also edit the record you want to keep with information from the record you will delete

       

  • If you have more than two records for the same item in your library, it will compare the record multiple times
  • Repeat the above steps to go through all duplicate records.

Note: Occasionally EndNote Find Duplicates does not identify all duplicates. It is recommended that you should regularly sort your references by Title to spot any additional duplicates that missed by the Find Duplicates function. 

Watch this short video: EndNote 20 Find duplicates.

Groups and group sets

The Groups feature enables you to organise references by research topic, chapter or assignment etc.

  • A single reference can belong to more than one group
  • Groups can be organised using Group Set

Create a group

  • On the EndNote toolbar click Groups > Create Group
  • Type in a name, such as your course code or a research topic
  • Press Enter
  • The new group appears on the left under My Groups

       

Add references to a group

  • Drag-and-drop selected references from All References to the group in the Groups panel
  • Alternatively, select the reference/s you want to add, right-click and choose Add References To or click Groups > Add References ToSelect the group name or Create a Custom Group

Watch this video: EndNote 20 (Windows) Custom groups

Remove references from a group

  • Select the Group on the left column
  • From the group display highlight the reference/s to be deleted
  • Select Groups > Remove References From Groupor use: Windows/PC:<Ctrl+D>,  Mac: <Cmd+D >

         

Note: The selected references will be removed from the Group, they will not be deleted from the library. However, deleting a reference from All References will delete it permanently from All references and from any group it has been added to, but will be in the Trash folder until permanently delete from there.

Delete a group

  • In the Groups panel right-click the group name and choose Delete Group, or highlight the group name and click Groups > Delete Group

          

Note: Deleting a group does not delete references from your All References folder.

Create a group set

If you have many groups in your Library, you can organise groups by themes or topics using the Group Set function.

  • Click Groups > Create Group Set
  • Enter a name and press Enter
  • Select existing groups and drop to the new Group Set or create new groups starting from the new Group Set

Search your Library

EndNote provides two search options: Quick Search and Advanced Search

  • EndNote X9 (PC):Search optionsclick Show Search Panel to find the Advanced Search panel
  • EndNote X9 (Mac): select the Layout icon and Show search
  • EndNote 20: 

 

Using Quick Search

This is the default search option for a quick simple search. Search terms entered here will search all the fields in the records. Any references with words that match the search terms will be retrieved.  

 

Using the Advanced Search Panel

This search option enables searching on particular fields or terms, or combinations of both.

  • The default displays preset fields for Author, Year and Title
  • Use the drop-down arrow to specify a particular field, e.g., Any Field, Title, AuthorKeywords or Research Notes
  • Enter your search terms, click Search
  • For complex searches use multiple search boxes and terms, and consider combining with And, Or or Not

  • Search results can be used to create a new Smart Group or added to an existing group
  • To restore the All References view, click All References

Note: You can use Search to find references you have tagged in the Notes or Keywords fields, to retrieve references that relate to a particular project or topic.

Create a Smart Group

A Smart Group is a saved EndNote search that automatically adds records (new or currently in your library) that match the parameters of the search, to a smart group.

A Smart Group starts with an EndNote search and is identified with a cog symbol:   or EN20 

Convert an existing search to a Smart Group

  • Conduct a search using the search panel: select the fields, such as Keywords or Author or Year and enter your search term
  • On the search panel, click Options > Convert to Smart Group

         

  • This will create a new group called Converted Search under My Groups
  • Rename it by double-clicking Converted Search, typing in a name and pressing <Enter>
  • The group will be renamed and automatically populated with references that match the search requirements

Create a smart group from the Groups options

  • Click Groups > Create Smart Group
  • Enter the group name and search parameters, e.g., a smart group on entrepreneurship, as shown below
  • The group will appear in the group panel, populated with the references that match the search parameters

Merge libraries

We strongly recommend maintaining a single EndNote library that stores all your references. However, if you are doing some research that requires documenting the research process (eg. a systematic review), then having a second library to keep the research separate is needed.

There is an easy process to merge different EndNote libraries.

  • Open the library that will become your main library (the library that will incorporate the others) and then open the secondary library
  • Return to your main library
  • Click the EndNote version below to find instructions:
  • From your main library's EndNote toolbar select File > Import > File to open the Import dialog pop-up
  • Click Choose ... and navigate to and select the secondary library
  • Set Import Option to EndNote Library
  • Choose an option for Duplicates
    • Import All  
    • Discard Duplicates      (Recommended)
    • Import into Duplicates Library – creates a temporary library of duplicates. Individual records can be added to the main library if required
  • Click Import

Merge library options

The references in the secondary library will now appear in your main EndNote library.

  • From your main library's EndNote toolbar select File > Import to open the Import dialog pop-up
  • Navigate to and select the secondary library
  • Set Import Options to EndNote Library
    • if Import Options are not showing click the Options button in the bottom left of the pop up
  • Choose an option for Duplicates
    • Import All
    • Discard Duplicates    (Recommended)
    • Import into Duplicates Library – creates a temporary library of duplicates. Individual records can be added to the main library if required
  • Click Import

The references in the secondary library will now appear in your main EndNote library.

Share your Library or groups

You can share your library content with other people.

Note: Please be aware of that sharing the full text of articles, book chapters and other materials from the AUT Library's subscription databases may breach copyright and license agreements.

These are the main ways of sharing:

1.  Create a compressed library copy and share it

You can create a compressed copy of either your complete library, or of individual Groups, and send the compressed library file to another person. They can then uncompress the library which will create a new secondary library containing the content you wish them to have.

  • This gives them a Copy of the content, exactly as at the instant you compressed it. It will not update or reflect any changes in content you make in the future
  • They can either use the new secondary library by itself or Merge it with their main library

2. Sharing a group of references from EndNote Online

  • Go to Organize > Manage My Groups
  • Click the Manage Sharing button next to the group you want to share.
  • Enter the email addresses of the people you want to share with (they must have an EndNote account)
  • Choose whether to give them Read-only or Read & Write access, click Apply
    • Read-only access allows viewing, adding to Word documents and copying to an individual library; Read & Write access allows these functions and in addition the ability to add, change or remove references in the group
  • Show Me

3. Share your entire desktop Library

You must create an EndNote Online account first before sharing your Library or groups. 

  • Sync your Library to EndNote online
  • Go to your desktop library and click File>Share or use "Share Library" shortcut on the EndNote library toolbar
  • Enter the email of users you wish to invite to share your library
  • Select the level of permission: Read Only or Read & Write, you can also change access permission in the Sharing window later
  • Add a message in the box provided if you wish, and click Invite

4. Share a specific group from Desktop EndNote

  • In your desktop library, select the group you want to share on the Groups panel
  • Right click on the name of the group to open an options menu, and click on Share Group
  • An authorizing window will pop up followed by the Sharing Group window
  • Enter email addresses of users you wish to share your group
  • Select the permission level to allow either Read Only or Read & Write access to the group of references you are sharing
  • Add an optional message in the box provided if you wish,and click Invite.

Accept an invitation

  • Open the email invitation, and click Accept
  • Open your EndNote online library or create an EndNote account online (if you don't have one yet), and connect/sync it to your EndNote desktop library
  • Once connected, open the File menu and select Open shared library
  • Select the email address of the person who shared library, and click Open