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University Library Services

Reference Management Software

A beginners guide to using reference management software

About EndNote Online

EndNote Online is a free web-based tool that you can use to manage a personal collection of references.

References to all types of materials - books, journals, websites, reports and more - can be added into your library with a few clicks. You can then use EndNote Online to add references into your own writing in Microsoft Word and other applications, so that your citations, footnotes and reference list are created in your style of choice.

Note: These instructions are for the free, web-based "EndNote Online". There are also two other paid-for versions of EndNote which are different and not included here: "EndNote" (sometimes called EndNote Desktop or EndNote 21), and "EndNote Web", which can only be used by those who have paid for EndNote Desktop.

Important note about using EndNote Online:

Reference management software is a helpful tool for managing your references, but it's important you always review the references it creates. These tools are not a replacement for knowing how to reference. Use Cite Them Right (link below) to check the references are accurate.

If you have any questions about referencing or using Cite Them Right you can visit one of the Study Skills Drop-Ins or take a look at the Referencing Library Guide (link below).

How to access EndNote Online

Tip: As well as the instructions in this guide, more help is available on the EndNote Online Help Pages

Set up your EndNote Online account, or ‘Library’ 

  1. Go directly to http://www.myendnoteweb.com/
  2. On the EndNote home page, click Register on right-hand side.
  3. Enter an email address to start the registration process and choose a password for your account.
  4. You now have access to EndNote Online.

Enable extra features, this is called 'roaming access' 

As a member of the University of Sunderland, you have access to additional features, such as additional storage, citation types and import functions, but you'll need to check they are enabled.

  1. Check if you have 'roaming access' by going to EndNote Online, selecting Options from the top menu bar, and then Subscription.
  2. If it says you have under Account: Web of Science and Status: Roaming it's enabled already. If not complete the steps below.

Activate Roaming Access 

  1. Sign out of your EndNote Online account using the option at the top right of the screen.
  2. Go to the Web of Science database (the same company owns both Web of Science and EndNote).
  3. If prompted, log into Web Of Science with your University of Sunderland username and password.
  4. On the black toolbar at the very top of the screen, select 'Products' and then 'EndNote'.
  5. Log into your EndNote account. You should now have roaming access.

Tip: To keep this access do this once a year.

If you have any problems with these instructions contact the Library Helpdesk.

Adding references to EndNote Online

You can import references to EndNote Online from most databases, such as Library Search, CINAHL, EMBASE, PubMed or Google Scholar. There are two ways. A 'direct export', where the references are pushed into EndNote Online automatically, or by downloading them into file and then manually importing the file into EndNote Online. Below is an example of a direct export using Library Search, and an example of manually importing a downloaded file into EndNote Online.

Adding references from Library Search

  1. Run your search as usual in Library Search.

To export one reference

  1. Click the three dots on the reference you want to export into EndNote Online and click EndNote.
  2. Your references are automatically exported into EndNote Online.

To export several references at the same time

  1. Use the tick boxes to select all the references you want to export to EndNote Online. If you want to export them all choose the tick box at the top of the list.
  2. Click the three dots menu at the top of the results list and select EndNote.
  3. Your references are automatically exported into EndNote Online.
Endnote online from Library search by University Library Services & Study Skills

Import results from most other database platforms

Note: Export your list of references from the chosen database as a RefMan-RIS file and follow the steps below to import to EndNote Online. 

  1. Go to EndNote Online and hover over Collect then click Import References.
  2. Browse and find the downloaded file on your device.
  3. Import Option: From the drop-down menu select RefMan RIS.
  4. To create a New Group (you will get to name it after you've clicked on Import) or choose and existing group if you have one.
  5. Click Import.
  6. You will see a message telling you how many references have been added to your chosen folder.
Import Results from other databases by University Library Services & Study Skills

Creating a reference manually

Sometimes you will need to either create a reference manually, for example if you want to include a webpage, or you may also use these steps if you need to update or edit an imported reference.

  1. In EndNote Online, hover on the Collect tab and click New Reference.
  2. Choose the Reference type from the drop-down list. For example: book, journal article, web page.
  3. Enter the details of your reference into the relevant fields. EndNote Online saves each field automatically as you add information.
  4. Make sure you enter all the details you need for a complete reference (if they are available) including a URL or DOI where needed.
    • Tip: If your author is an organisation enter the details with a comma at the end like this: Department of Health and Social Care, (more details on this EndNote Online Help Page)
    • Tip: add Keywords or Notes to help you remember how you could use the reference in your assignment.

Organising your references

Once you have added some references into EndNote Online, you will likely want to start organising them. In EndNote you can use Groups to organise your references.

Create and share groups

  1. On the My References tab select the references you want to add to a group and click on Add to group.
  2. Select New group and you will be prompted to type in a group name.
  3. To rename or share your groups with others go to the Organise tab and select Manage My Groups.

Inserting citations into Word

Cite While You Write is the EndNote add-in for Microsoft Word, and allows you to insert a citation from your EndNote Online library into your Word document. EndNote Online will also automatically format a reference list at the end of your work, if required. EndNote Online referencing style menu allows you to choose between Harvard style, Vancouver, APA, OSCOLA and many others. 

Download and install the plug-in by going to EndNote Online and clicking the Cite While You Write link in the Downloads or Format tab. The plug-in is available for Word for both Windows & Mac computers.

Adding citations into Word documents

  1. In your Microsoft Word document click on the EndNote tab.
  2. Click on your document where you want the in-text citation added.
  3. Click the Insert Citations icon.
  4. Enter a word (author name, for example) in the search box to bring up the citation to add.
  5. Select the citation.
  6. Click Insert.
  7. EndNote Online includes many of the most common citation styles, such as Cite Them Right Harvard & Vancouver. Your module leader will tell you which referencing style to use, usually in the assignment brief.
  8. Cite While You Write will create the citations and reference list. Remember to double check the formatting of the citations and reference list.
Adding citations into Word documents by University Library Services & Study Skills

To check that your references are formatted correctly for your programme of study, check out Cite Them Right Online.  

Change the referencing style

  • Go to the EndNote tab in Microsoft Word.
  • In the dropdown box next to "Style" choose your desired style from the menu. You can change the style any time. 
  • If the referencing style you need isn't in the list click "Select Another Style" 
  • In the new dialogue box start typing the first three letters of the style (quickly)
  • Highlight the style you want and click OK, that style now appears in the dropdown for you to select.

 

Creating a reference list

If you would like a list of references on their own, without the in-text citations, you can create a reference list and export it.

How to create a stand-alone reference list

  1. Create a group for the citations you want to include in the reference list.
  2. On the Format tab, click Bibliography.
  3. For the References drop-down, select the group name.
  4. Bibliographic Style, select the style from the drop-down list.
  5. At File format, choose the file type, we suggest RTF.
  6. You can then SaveE-mail, or Print the file.
  7. Check the references are correct using Cite Them Right

 


De-duplicating references

It is possible to have duplicate records in your library with EndNote, use the Find Duplicates link under the Organise tab. EndNote compares the Author, Year, Title and Reference Type fields when identifying duplicates.

To identify and remove duplicates:

  1. Hover over the Organise tab click on Find Duplicates.
  2. EndNote compares the Author, Year, Title and Reference Type fields when identifying duplicates.
  3. It will display duplicates, automatically selecting the duplicates to remove.
  4. Use tick boxes to amend chosen duplicates to remove and then click Delete.

Transferring references from EndNote to EndNote Online

It is possible to transfer an existing EndNote library into EndNote Online library. There are two different methods for doing this, syncing to EndNote Online or exporting and then importing your references.

Transfer your references from EndNote by syncing

  1. Go to http://www.myendnoteweb.com/
  2. Log into your EndNote Online account (or create one if you don't already have one)
  3. Make sure 'roaming' is enabled in your EndNote Online account (instructions above)
  4. Open your EndNote library in the desktop app, select the Edit menu, and then choose Sync
  5. Enter or update your EndNote Online details as necessary, follow any instructions, and click OK. 
  6. Verify that your EndNote Library matches your EndNote Online library. A quick way to do this would be to make sure that the number of references is the same in both.

Full instructions for syncing your references from EndNote 21 are available from Clarivate.

Transfer your references from EndNote by exporting and importing

  1. Open EndNote desktop app, then use the File menu and select Export.
  2.  For the file type, select Text File .txt
  3. For the output style select RefMan (RIS) Export (you may need to select Another Style to see this option)
  4. Save the file to an easy-to-find place on your computer.
  5. Log in to EndNote Online
  6. Select the Collect menu and then Import References
  7. Select your exported .ris file you just saved
  8. Set the import style as RefMan (RIS)
  9. Choose a desired folder for these new references or create a new one
  10. Click Import.

Full instructions for Export from Clarivate

Full instructions for Import from Clarivate