Biology: Subject Guide: EndNote

Download EndNote

Downloading & Installing

Georgia State University has a license for EndNote which allows students, faculty and staff to download a copy for free.

If you've downloaded EndNote for Windows you will be prompted for a product key during the installation process. The product key is listed on the EndNote download link. You should see it after confirming your order in the software download site.  

If you didn't get it during the download, you can retrieve it by logging back into the download site and clicking on your account name (email address) and selecting "your account/orders" from the ensuing menu.

What is EndNote?

EndNote is a program that can help you manage citations for your research projects.  It can automate much of the work of organizing and formatting citations and bibliographies in your writing. EndNote can connect to online sources such as GIL and article databases, output results in over 1,000 different bibliographic styles.

Desktop vs. Online

There are two versions of EndNote, a standalone desktop version and a web based-version called EndNote Online. Once you have created your EndNote Online account, you can sync your libraries so a change in one will automatically be reflected in the other. See the "EndNote Online" tab for additional information on how to set up that account. 

When I try to install EndNote I am being prompted for a product key. What is the product key?

The product key is listed on the EndNote download page. If you didn't get it during the download, you can retrieve it by logging back into the download site and clicking on your account name (email address) and selecting "your account/orders" from the ensuing menu.

Should I use one library file for all my references, or separate libraries for different projects?

It may be easiest to use one library for everything and set up a separate group of references for each project, but it's entirely up to you.  EndNote works fine with multiple library files.

I already have a long bibliography that I typed in Word. Can I convert it to an EndNote library?

Unfortunately there's no way to do this automatically. The best way is to search for your references online (if possible) and download them into EndNote.

How do I download search results from my favorite database into EndNote?

Every database works a little differently. In general, the procedure is:

1. Search the database as usual.
2. Choose the references you want to save.
3. Use the database's Save or Export function.  There's often a choice to export to EndNote, or save references in a text file that EndNote can read via Import on the File menu.

I tried using EndNote's Online Search feature to search a database, but it asks for a password.

EndNote's Online Search is incompatible with GSU's proxy server. Therefore, you will be better off going directly to the database you wish to search and then use the direct export method to send reference to EndNote.

How do I add page numbers to an in-text citation?

Right-click the formatted citation and choose "Edit Citation" from the menu. Fill in the page numbers (including spaces and punctuation) in the "Pages" field, click OK, then reformat your bibliography.

I installed EndNote, but it says it's a demo version that will expire soon. How do I install the full version?

This usually happens when the files from EndNote's installation package were not extracted properly. You will need to uninstall the demo version, then reinstall the program. Make sure the files are properly extracted from the installation package when you reinstall. To do that, right click on the package and select the "extract all" option. This will create a new folder called endnoteX9win. Inside the folder will be an installation file (ENX9Inst.msi) and a license file. Run the installation file from the new (unzipped) folder.

Select a database for export instructions:

​SciFinder-n | Web of Science | Reaxys | PubMed

SciFinder-n

Video tutorial - Exporting Citations: SciFinder-n

• To save or export citations from SciFinder, you must be in a "References" or "All" search. 
  • If you searched for a substance or reaction, select "References".
• Check the boxes next to the citations you want to export.

• Click the "Download Results" button (the symbol is a box with a down arrow) in the upper right corner of the search results. 
• From the "File Type" dropdown menu, select "Citation (.ris)".
  • Under "File Name", you can also change the default file name for the download.
• Click "Download".

Web of Science 

Video tutorial - Exporting Citations: Web of Science

• Perform your search of interest to generate a results page.
• Check the boxes next to the citations you want to export.
• Click the "Export" button at the top of the results page, and select either "EndNote Desktop" or "EndNote Online", depending on which one you use (they can be synced up later).

• Select "Export" on the next pop-up menu.

Reaxys

Video tutorial - Exporting Citations: Reaxys

• Perform your search of interest to generate a results page.
• Check the boxes next to the citations you want to export.
• Select "Export" in the upper left of the results page.
• For "Choose a format", select "Literature Management Systems".
• Click "Export".

PubMed (2020 "new" interface)

• Perform your search of interest to generate a results page.
• Check the boxes next to the citations you want to export.
• Click the "Send to" button at the top of the results page and select "Citation Manager".

• Click "Create File". This should send a .nbib file to your downloads.

Why aren't the journal names abbreviated in Word?

You have to manually add journal abbreviation lists to EndNote; the lists are included with the program, but they won't work without adding them with the Term Lists option. Instructions for adding abbreviations are given below.

I imported the abbreviations, but one journal name isn't abbreviating properly. How do I fix it?

1. Check the Journals Term List to see if the journal has any entries. If it has an an entry with a full name but no abbreviation, delete it. This may happen if you didn't delete existing terms before importing the abbreviations list.
2. If the journal has no entry, select Add Term. Include the full journal title in Full Journal field and the abbreviation in the Abbreviation 1 field. If you don't know the proper abbreviation, look up the journal in CASSI.

Importing Journal Abbreviations

• From the EndNote’s Tools menu, select Open Term Lists and then Journals Term List. If there is no Journals Term List, select Define Term Lists instead.
  • Delete all existing terms from the list (you can click and drag to highlight all terms, and then click Delete Term). 
  • Click on the Lists tab and highlight the Journals list. 
• Click Import List. 
• In the dialog box, navigate to the Term Lists folder (My Computer/C:/Program Files/EndNote X9/Terms Lists). 
• Select the Chemical files and click Open.

Tip: If you can't find your abbreviation in EndNote, use the CASSI database to look it up.