Library Services
Introduction to EndNote
Part 2: Creating an EndNote Library
September 2016
2. CREATING AN ENDNOTE LIBRARY
2.1. Creating a new library
Activity 1: Creating a library and entering a reference
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Open EndNote
Go to File, New and enter your name as the filename for the new database, and click
Save
The new library appears as an empty Endnote Library.
2.2. Entering new references manually into a library
It is possible to import records automatically into EndNote from other databases, but there will
be times when you may need to enter records manually.

From the toolbar, choose References, New Reference and enter the following reference to
a journal article. Remember to check that the reference type is Journal Article:
Authors:
Rayfield, Edward James
Norman, D.B.
Horner, Christopher C.

Year:
2015
Title:
The evolution of avian intelligence
Journal :
Journal of Comparative Cognition
Volume:
28
Issue:
4
Pages :
33-37
Keywords:
Avian intelligence; Birds; Cognition; Evolution; Physiology
To save your new reference, choose File, Save using the main toolbar or simply close the
new reference window and the reference will be saved into your new library.
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
To look at your saved reference, double click on the reference. The reference will be
displayed in a new window. Initially, Endnote displays all fields in a reference. Click Hide
Empty Fields, to view only those fields that contain data.
TIPS ON HOW TO ENTER AUTHORS:
1. Enter one author per line. When entering author/editor names always enter one name per
line, as shown above. Enter surname first and follow with initials or forenames e.g. Smith, A.E.
If the reference has no author, leave the author field blank, do not enter anonymous. The style
that you use to format the bibliography determines how anonymous works are treated.
2. Corporate authors e.g. Department of Health. When entering a corporate author put a
comma after the name e.g. Department of Health, - this ensures that the entire name is treated
at a first name.
3. Multiple-word last names e.g. Charles de Gaulle. Enter as de Gaulle, Charles - this will
make sure that both words de and Gaulle will format as the last name.
4. Entering authors with titles e.g. Jr. Enter as Smith, John, Jr. The text after the second
comma will print exactly as entered.
2.3. Modifying reference types
EndNote allows you to input details of a range of different reference types (journal articles,
books, chapters within books, maps, interviews, web pages, etc.). When you go to input a new
reference, it will give you the input form for a journal article as a default, but you can set it up to
default to another reference type (e.g. Book) if you wish.
Activity 2: Changing reference types
To change the default reference type:
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Select Edit, then Preferences
Select Reference Types
Default Reference Type will say Journal Article, to change this click on the drop down
menu and select Book from the list and click OK
The default reference type will now be Book
The input forms for each of the reference types can also be modified.
To modify a reference type:
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Select Edit > Preferences > Reference Types
Select Modify Reference Types
From the drop-down menu, select the reference type you wish to modify
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Make the changes you want in the field headings, including any new headings you
might want in the Custom fields
If you want these changes to apply to all reference types, click on Apply to All Ref
Types
When finished, click on OK
2.4. Using Term Lists in an EndNote library
There is no activity for this section. The information provided is for future reference, but
if you have the time, or you want to explore term lists further, then follow the instructions
below.
There are some fields within EndNote which have Term Lists attached to them. The default
term lists are Authors, Journals, Keywords. Term lists help you to be consistent and maintain
the integrity of your EndNote library. You can assign terms from your term list(s) to new
references in order to make searching more accurate (and often spelling easier!). The Term
Lists feature can be disabled if you do not wish to activate them. To disable select Edit >
Preferences and click on Term Lists to see the options for controlling the way all lists work.
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To view your term lists in an existing library select Tools > Open Term Lists.
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Select the Term List needed e.g. Keywords Term List
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To add a keyword from your keyword term list into an EndNote reference:
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Open a reference and place your cursor in the Keyword field.
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Click on Tools > Open Term Lists and select the Term List needed, i.e. Keyword.
Double click on an appropriate term. This will copy the term into the Keyword field.
You can also edit and add additional terms into this listing. This can be useful if several
of you are adding references as it creates a consistent list of terms to be used.
2.5. Importing references directly from bibliographic databases
Most of the major online bibliographic databases such as Web of Science, Science Direct,
EBSCO, Medline or ProQuest now have some way of exporting references directly to EndNote.
The activity below shows how to import from Web of Science, but the basic procedures will be
very similar in other databases.
Records imported in any of the ways described below should always be checked to
ensure that they have been carried over accurately.
Activity 3: Directly importing from a database
To search Web of Science (Web of Knowledge) and import some references:

Log in to FindIt@Bham. (findit.bham.ac.uk). Type Web of Science into the
search box and select Online Items from the drop-down menu and click on
Search. Select the link to Web of Science (ISI).
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
Carry out a search on Web of Science
From the search results, select a few references by clicking the tick boxes beside
them.
Click on Add to Marked List to add them to the list for exporting
Click on the Marked List link in the top right-hand corner
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Select the fields to include in the output e.g. abstract, keywords. Author(s), title,
source are automatically saved.
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Click on Save to EndNote Desktop from the dropdown menu shown in Step 3
EndNote will load up. If it doesn’t, click the Send button
Select your library and import your results into it
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The references you have just imported will be displayed on the screen, giving you a chance to
edit them if you wish. When you close this screen, the references will be incorporated into your
main library.
Activity 4: Searching a Database of Your Choice
 Choose a bibliographic database that you are likely to use regularly for literature searching
in your subject
 Check on the i-Cite page given above to see how references should be exported from it to
EndNote desktop
 Do a search on your database and export some references into your EndNote library
2.6. Importing references using EndNote filters
There is no exercise for using a filter, but if you want help with this let the tutor know and
ask for help.
The majority of databases have a direct export function as explained above, but there are still a
few which require the use of an import filter. In these cases, you can do a search of the
database, but instead of exporting your references, you need to save them on your PC in a text
(.txt) file. This will usually show your references in tagged fields like this:
AU Rayfield EJ
TI The evolution of avian intelligence
SO Journal of Comparative Cognition
You then need to go into your EndNote library and bring this file in using the appropriate filter:
File > Import > File.
2.7. Using Connection Files to search remote databases
Some databases, such as the British Library Table of Contents service (Zetoc) and COPAC can
be searched directly from EndNote. EndNote comes with a number of connection files which
enable you to search external databases, mainly library catalogues.
The search interface in EndNote is not as sophisticated and flexible as many offered by
the databases themselves so it is usually better to do your searches in the database and
then import them into EndNote either using direct export or filters (see above).
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Activity 5: Using Connection Files
To connect to Zetoc and download some records:
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First of all, make sure the Integrated Library & Online Search Mode in EndNote is
selected (the third of the three icons in the top-left of the screen):
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Select Tools and then click Online Search
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From the alphabetical list of connections, select Zetoc (MIMAS), then click on Choose. If
asked for a password, ignore this and click on OK.
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Use the Search box to carry out a search.
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The number of results retrieved will be displayed in a new window. In EndNoteX7, retrieved
references are automatically saved in All References, as well as in the Online Search group.
You can delete any references from the displayed list and this will also delete the reference
from the main collection.
This is a list of references retrieved from Zetoc and brought in to a special file:
To find out how to import references from specific databases, or whether they need a filter or a
connection file, check the i-Cite guide at:
https://intranet.birmingham.ac.uk/as/libraryservices/icite/software/endnote/importingand-exporting.aspx.
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Activity 6: Downloading a Connection File
A particularly useful connection file which does not come with the basic EndNote set of
connection files is the one for COPAC. This enables you to connect from EndNote to the
COPAC union catalogue of the major academic libraries in the UK to look for references to
books.
Go to the EndNote website http://endnote.com/downloads and obtain the connection file for
COPAC by scrolling down the page to Connection Files and click on link to ‘add connection
files’, search for COPAC and download.
You need to download the COPAC connection file into the correct folder on your computer
following the pathway: Programme Files > Endnote X7 > Connections
If you have done this successfully, the COPAC connection should appear in the list of
connections when you go to do an online search as in Section 2.7 of these workbooks.
2.8. Dealing with duplicate references in a library
There is no activity for this section: the information is provided for future reference
If you import references from more than one database, you may end up with some duplicate
references in your library. EndNote can help to identify duplicates and you can then remove
them. To identify duplicate records:
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With the Library window open, click on the All References group to show all
references.
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From the References menu, choose Find Duplicates.
EndNote will display a Find Duplicates dialogue, where you can compare duplicates
and decide which version to keep and which to delete.
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For each set of duplicates, you have the option to:
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Click Keep This Record to save that particular reference and throw the other
one in the Trash.
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Click Skip to leave both references in the library intact. They will appear in a
temporary Duplicate References group, so you can review them later.
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Click Cancel to stop the Duplicate References operation. All duplicates will
appear in a temporary Duplicate References group if you wish to review them.
The older (first entered) reference will always appear in the left column.
Warning: Before selecting Keep This Record, which will delete the duplicate, check the record
numbers to be sure that you are not deleting a reference already cited in a paper
By default, references are considered duplicates if they have the same reference type (such as
Journal Article or Book), and the Author, Year, and Title fields are identical. The criteria for
detecting duplicates can be changed using the Duplicates settings in EndNote’s Preferences
Edit > Preferences > Duplicates.
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