EndNote Essentials

There are two methods we recommend for getting items into EndNote

1. Importing article PDFs into EndNote
2. Exporting items from a database

The steps for each process are described below. Additional methods for adding items to EndNote include manually creating references and searching databases through the EndNote interface. Contact us for best practices if you are interested in either of those methods. 

If you have collected one or more article PDFs, you can upload a file or folder of items to EndNote. EndNote can often* read the PDF metadata, create a record in your library and attach the PDF to the item record.

*Note, this may not work on older PDFs and will not work on PDFs that have been scanned by your or someone else.

1.) In EndNote go to the File menu and then to Import

2.) Set your Import Options to PDF file or folder and decide if you want duplicates imported.

3.) If successful you will see the items in imported references with the reference information and PDF.

If unsuccessful you will see a file attachment with no reference information. However, you may manually add reference information or copy/paste from an article database.

Tip: If you have a folder you regularly add article PDFs to, you can have EndNote "watch" the folder. Every time you open EndNote it will look for new PDFs and automatically add them to EndNote. This feature is in the EndNote Preferences - PDF Handling (in the EndNote menu Mac, or in the File menu, PC).

Databases with Direct Export

These are databases that have an option to export a file that an be automatically opened and read by EndNote. Examples of direct export databases include Web of Science, ProQuest databases, Google Scholar, and EbscoHost databases. Instructions for popular databases are available in the Save Citations dropdown menu.

1. Go to the database and perform a search.
2. In some way, indicate which records are of interest to you. This usually entails clicking in check boxes, or hitting a "Save" button next to each record.
3. You may need to submit your marked records. This will usually take the form of an option to "Submit Marks" or "Save selected records".
4. View your saved records. There is usually a button that says "Saved Records", "Marked Records", or something like that. Sometimes this step will skip directly on to #5.
5. Export your selected records.
   Note about Direct Export: clicking "Export" or "Direct Export" may start the Direct Export process, in which the database will send your search results directly to your copy of EndNote. You will need to tell it which library to add the results to; you may need to tell it which Filter to use. Direct export does not work using some browsers or older versions of EndNote.
6. View your search results in your EndNote Library.

Databases without Direct Export

Some databases may not have an option to export to EndNote directly. Instructions for some popular databases without direct export like PubMed are available under the Save Citations menu. 

If direct export does not work, you will need to do the following:

1. Go to the database and perform a search.
2. In some way, indicate which records are of interest to you. This usually entails clicking in check boxes, or hitting a "Save" button next to each record.
3. You may need to submit your marked records. This will usually take the form of an option to "Submit Marks" or "Save selected records".
4. View your saved records. There is usually a button that says "Saved Records", "Marked Records", or something like that. Sometimes this step will skip directly on to #5.
5. Export, save, or download your selected records as a tagged document either for EndNote or as an RIS file. An RIS file can be read by EndNote and many other citation management programs. Clicking "Export," "Save," or "Download" may produce a text file (either popping up a "Save As" window immediately, or putting a text file into your browser window - you will need to choose File > Save As if you see the text in your browser. Once the text file has been saved as a tagged document, go to EndNote, go to File > Import, and choose the saved text file AND the appropriate Filter* (filters are selected in the "Import Option" box.)
6. View your search results in your EndNote Library.

Filters are files that translate the data that comes out of the database into something that EndNote can understand. In many cases, a database (for example, APA PsycInfo is available from several vendors, but the University of Nebraska generally only subscribes through one vendor (in our example, APA PsycInfo is available through the Ebsco interface at UNL). You must match both the database and the vendor in order for the data to import correctly (in our example, you would choose the APA PsycInfo (Ebsco) filter, and PsycInfo(OVID SP), PsycInfo(APA) and PsycInfo(DL), all of which do come with EndNote, wouldn't work).

If you need a database filter that isn't available in EndNote, you can find other downloadable filters and styles at EndNote.com's downloads webpage.