EndNote Guide - Getting Started

EndNote Guide Index

What is EndNote? | Your Personal Library | Limitations | How to Begin | Setting Preferences

Printable version

What is Endnote?

EndNote has many of the same features as Word Processing and office software. If you are able to do basic tasks with Microsoft Word and Excel you should be able to use EndNote.

While you can use an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of your citations, Endnote is a more powerful tool with many features that enable you to develop your own type of content management. For example, you can use Endnote to keep track of any full articles you save on your computer, by linking references in your endnote library to the name of the file.

As with any software there is a learning curve, and some features are not compatible with Nova Southeastern University's online systems and library databases.

Your Personal Library

An important feature of the software is its ability to help you develop a searchable personal "library" or organized collection of references. This library is an ongoing representation of what you have found as you have conducted research and done searches in databases, in catalogs, on the web, and through print sources.

Basically the EndNote library is a collection of files or references to files or publications/sources you are creating and organizing. Think of the library like any physical or electronic items you organize for ease of use and findability. Examples: your music collection (CD collection, iPod files) or your books at home/work. The difference might be that through EndNote your research becomes even more organized than your other groups of belongings.

You can make your own categories for how to organize or sort your "library", but the basics are always available -- author, publisher, title, type, year, etc. Although each library is composed of multiple references, it is considered a single file which makes it portable and gives you the ability to transfer it to other computers and share it with other people. Using the Internet Explorer browser or your computer's My Computer folder, you may move, copy, rename, or delete any library. Additionally, due to the fact that EndNote is designed for use on both Windows-based and MacIntosh computers you can use libraries that you've created on either platform.

You can create as many libraries as you need (as long as you have room and memory on your computer), but it is suggested that you have at least one main personal library where you organize all of the references. There are no limits on how many items can be inputted and organized in a library. Remember that you will always have the ability to sort the references into groups within an individual library. It can be very confusing to have a library for every paper or project that you have done, and it lessons your ability to exclude duplicates and track your research for future projects (such as a literature review for a thesis or dissertation).

Limitations

EndNote was created to do much more than what you actually can do in regards to searching databases and importing citations and information.

In most cases you CANNOT use EndNote's Connect and Search options for accessing databases. The software's Internet site and help pages refer to something called a "Z39.50" protocol through which you are supposed to connect to and search databases. Nova Southeastern University does not support this feature. The Z39.50 protocol necessitates the user to access the database directly by using connection files, but you will not get direct access because Nova's databases are password protected.

Do not contact us and request Z39.50 compatibility for databases that do not allow this type of access -- we cannot change our database settings. Instead, take the time to learn how to import references.

How to Begin

It is assumed that you have downloaded the Endnote software -- if you have not done this, go to the following site and download the Endnote software: http://www.nova.edu/common-lib/ISI/ , and then install it on your computer.

(If you are not using your own computer you may be able to save the files you work with and use them later. Note that some computers have security settings and restrictions on downloading/installing software, so you are not always able to do this.)

This guide was created to instruct you on the use of Thomson ResearchSoft EndNote Version 9 for Windows.

If you are using another version, the basic information will be helpful, but the images may not make sense and you may not be able to follow along with the more specific instructions.

This guide starts out with no libraries having been created -- this way you can see how to start using the software on your own. If you already have a library available in your EndNote on your computer, the guide will still be helpful as we will be covering all the major features of the software and your ability to customize your files.

Go ahead and select Create a new EndNote library, then click on the OK button. The software will continue opening and show you a New Reference Library window, where you'll choose where you want the new library saved and give it a name.
 

In this case, the C Drive was selected. If you are following along with this guide step-by-step change the file name from untitled, to nova, and then click the Save button.

Setting Preferences

This part of the guide does not specify any changes made to the preferences, but they are good to look through at this point.

For more information, click on the "?" button at the top of the EndNote software window and read through the Help Contents for "Preferences, Toolbars, & Shortcuts".

IMPORTANT: If you move your EndNote library to a different computer that already has EndNote set up, your library will be re-formatted to those preferences. You need to transfer your preferences file in order to retain your library's current formatting. Be careful when you share libraries because your settings may also override another user's EndNote preferences. For more information refer to EndNote's Help section on "Reference Types and Fields". EndNote indicates that the file needed to be transferred is RefTypeTable.xml which is usually located in the folder, Documents and Settings\[Your Name]\Application Data\EndNote

EndNote has many preferences that you can customize and change. You should set these up each time you create a new library or need to modify a current library. Out of the 14 preferences available, 7 common preferences are listed below and you need to familiarize yourself with what they do before you continue.

Libraries: Set the default for which (if any) libraries open automatically when EndNote is started.

Reference Types: Choose a default reference type (typically defaults to Journal Article), AND add, delete, or rename field names, or modify reference types as you develop your library.

Sorting: Input words, such as "a", "an", "the" that will be ignored when items are sorted by author and by title.

Formatting: Allows you to select or deselect three important formatting options. This is where you check to see if EndNote is set up to merge duplicates in your reference list.

Display Fields: Fields are parts of citations and references broken up and put into columns, so the software can more easily organize and sort. Defaults are (in order by column #) -- Image, Author, Year, Title, URL. You can change the order of the fields and which fields are displayed.

Duplicates: Select which fields you want EndNote to compare to determine if any references are duplications within your library. Often the defaults are set on author, year, and title; while spacing and punctuation are ignored.

Spell Check - Spelling Options: Select what should be ignored (capitalized words, numbers, etc.), select if you want case sensitivity and auto-correct on, select the speed and accuracy of the tool, and select which language you want the dictionary to use (English, Spanish, French, etc.)