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Reference Management Tool - EndNote 21: Add References

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Before inserting citations in MS Word, please make sure that you have imported all the references you intend to cite in your papers. You can add references to your EndNote library through the following four main channels :

  1. From PDFs
  2. From LibrarySearch
  3. From Library Databases
  4. Manually Input

A.   From PDFs

You can import reference information, including author names, publication dates and more from individual PDF files or a folder of PDFs into EndNote, given that these PDF files contain Digital Object identifiers (DOIs). Most of academic articles published in recent years include a DOI.

Import a PDF File to an EndNote Library

  1. Click File from the menu bar on top left
  2. Select Import
  3. Choose File, and you will see the 'Import File' box
  4. Set the following import options, then click Import:
    • Click Choose to browse and locate a PDF file from your local computer
    • Set 'Import Option' to PDF
  5. Once imported, both the bibliography details and the PDF will be available in your EndNote library

source : see the EndNote office video site here. The process for the mentioned feature in EndNote 21 is the same as the steps used in EndNote 20.

Import a folder of PDFs into an EndNote Library

  1. Click File from the menu bar and select Import
  2. Choose Folder, and you will see the 'Import Folder' box
  3. Set the following import options, then click Import :
    • Click Choose to browse and locate your folder

      Note

      For the folder with subfolder(s), please check :

      • 'Include files in subfolders'
      • 'Create a Group Set for this import'
    • Set 'Import Option' to PDF
  4. Once imported, both the bibliography details and the PDF will be available in your EndNote library

B.   From LibrarySearch

LibrarySearch supports exporting references in RIS format, which can be read and imported into EndNote. Here are the detailed steps:

Import a Reference From LibrarySearch

  1. On the individual record page, click EndNote / RIS under the 'Send to' section
  2. Click DOWNLOAD
  3. Double-click the downloaded RIS file to import it into your EndNote library
Export an item

Import Multiple References From LibrarySearch 

  1. From the search results, select items you want to add to your EndNote library
  2. Click the Pin button (icon-1) to add them to 'My Favorites'
  3. Press the 'Go to My Favorites' button (icon-2) at the top right corner
  4. Select the entries list
  5. Click "Push to" actions button (icon-3), then click EndNote / RIS
  6. Double-click the downloaded RIS file to import it into your EndNote library 

C.   From Library Databases

Most library databases support exporting references in RIS format, which can be read and imported into EndNote. Below are the detailed steps for exporting RIS files from some commonly used databases.

On the search results list:

  1. Select reference(s) you want to export
  2. Click Export on the top and select EndNote (RIS)
  3. Review and confirm the export settings, then click Export

On the search results list:

  1. Select reference(s) you want to export
  2. Click Export on the top and select EndNote Desktop
  3. Review and confirm the export settings, then click Export

On the search results list:

  1. Select reference(s) you want to export
  2. Click Send to and select Citation manager
  3. Click Create file to export selected reference(s)

On the search results list:

  1. Select reference(s) you want to export
  2. Click Export
  3. Select RIS format in the 'Citations' tag
  4. Review and confirm the export settings, then click Download

On the search results list:

  1. Select reference(s) you want to export
  2. Click Export
  3. Choose Export citation to RIS to download the selected references

On the search results list:

  1. Click Folder icon to save reference(s) to your EBSCOhost Folder
  2. Select Folder on the top menu bar to view saved reference(s)
  3. Check the box next to the reference(s)
  4. Click Export
  5. Choose Direct Export in RIS Format
  6. Click Save to export the selected reference(s)

D.  Manually Input

In cases where it is not possible to download a reference for unique sources such as websites or newspapers, you may need to manually create the reference. Follow the steps to enter reference by hand :

source : see the EndNote office video site here. The process for the mentioned feature in EndNote 21 is the same as the steps used in EndNote 20.

  1. In your EndNote library, select References from the top menu bar
  2. Click New Reference 
  3. Choose the Reference Type, and fill in the essential information/fields under the Edit tab
  4. Press Save on the top right

Tips for correctly entering Author Names in EndNote

  • edit_note For a Single Author
    • use the ‘First Name Surname’ or 'Surname, Initial of First Name’ formats, e.g. Jane Smith or Smith, Jane
  • edit_note For Multiple Authors
    • enter one author name on a separate line in the ‘Author’ field of your EndNote library, e.g.
      • Smith, Jane
      • Smith, Alfred, Jr
  • edit_note For Corporate/organization author
    • enter the organization name followed by a comma in the ‘Author’ field of your EndNote library, e.g.
      • The Chinese University of Hong Kong,

      Without a comma at the end, EndNote will not display the full organization name and instead show it in an abbreviated format, like: Kong, T. C. U. o. H.

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