ISGuides: EndNote: Accessing and Installing EndNote

EndNote 21 (full version)

EndNote 21 on University managed PCs
EndNote is a desktop reference management tool. It is should be available on all university-owned PCs.

If not available:

Staff: install from the Software Center
Students: contact IShelp@hw.ac.uk with details of the PC you are using
EndNote 21 on your own device
You can now install, for free, one copy of EndNote 21 on your own computer for personal use.

Please note: the installation does not include the installation of the 'Harvard HWU Cite Them Right' style. See Styles for help with downloading additional styles.

If you want to install EndNote for personal use, please see:

Licence details and Installation instructions for EndNote 21

For help setting up your EndNote Library, see:

EndNote Guide: Training Materials

EndNote 21 Web and EndNote Basic (free version)

EndNote 21 is provided free to all Heriot-Watt staff and students either via a Heriot-Watt managed PC/Laptop or installed on your own personal PC/Laptop. EndNote also provide two other versions:

EndNote Web
If you have an EndNote 21 library, you can sync it with EndNote Web. This can be useful as a back up library or if you need to access your library on more than one device.
EndNote Basic (Free Version)
This the the basic version that is available to all members of the public. It has limited functionality compared to EndNote 21.

EndNote 21 is a better reference management tool than EndNote Web or EndNote Basic (free version), with many additional features not available in the web/basic versions. See:

EndNote 21 v EndNote Web v EndNote Basic
Outline of the main differences between EndNote 21 and the web and free versions.

For this reason, we recommend you use EndNote Desktop 21 as your 'main' EndNote Library and then 'sync' this with EndNote Web. You should first sync your EndNote 21 library with Endnote Web within EndNote 21, see:

Why and How to Activate your EndNote 21 Account

Accessing EndNote Web and Endnote Basic (free version):

EndNote Web
EndNote Web has been redesigned with a new, modern interface that’s more like desktop. This new version is available exclusively to EndNote 21 users. To get access, first sync your desktop with your online account.
EndNote Basic (free version)
You can install, for free, EndNote 21 on your own computer for personal use. This version has more features and options than the free basic version. We therefore recommend you use EndNote 21 and the newly redesigned EndNote Web, available exclusively to EndNote 21 users.

If you choose to use EndNote Basic, you can do so using this link.

Other Reference Management Software

There are many other tools available, however, EndNote is the software we can provide help and guidance with. For other tools see:

Comparison of reference management software
Wikipedia entry comparing the features of different RMS including EndNote, Citavi, Mendeley RefME and Zotero. Note, the table says EndNote has a cost, but as part of the University license, it is freely available on all University owned PCs and available for download onto one personal device.

Where can I get help using EndNote 21?

For installation help, contact the IT HelpDesk:

Contact ITHelpDesk

For help setting up and using EndNote, see our Training Materials section, or you may prefer to sign up to one of our EndNote classes, which we deliver regularly throughout the year as part of the Skills Hub programme:

If you have a specific question, or if wish to arrange a class for a group of staff/students, please contact your Academic Librarian:

Contact your Academic Librarian