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EndNote

How to get references and PDFs into your Library

The main ways to get references into your EndNote library are:

  1. RIS export
    • Exporting the bibliographic (and other) details from databases (e.g. Discovery, Scopus, Web of Science, or publisher databases).  Look for the 'export' or 'cite' option.  Then export as EndNote desktop or RIS.
  2. PDF import/export
    • Importing a PDF file/folders of PDFs already saved on your computer
      • can also set up automatic importing of any PDFs you subsequently add to your computer
    • Using the 'export PDF' option in EndNote Click
  3. Creating the reference manually
    • Typing or copy/pasting the bibliographic details in when the above two methods are not  applicable e.g. a website
    • There is also a bookmarklet you can use for websites, but it often has missing details

Important: Whichever way you get the details in, always check your EndNote Library for any missing or incorrect details.  Missing or incorrect details in your EndNote Library will mean missing/incorrect details in your Word document.

Adding PDF to existing records

If you have used the RIS export or have typed the details in and want to attach the PDF to the reference, you can:

Should I use the online search within EndNote 2025?

This option allows you to search some of the Library's databases and freely available catalogues from within EndNote. Although it may seem convenient, the search features in this type of search are limited compared to those available when searching the databases directly.  It also does not search all of our databases.  For these reasons, we do not recommend using this feature. Instead it is better to export from the library databases. See your Subject guide for suggested databases:

Getting PDFs into your ENL

To get PDFs into your Library, you can:

  • PDF Auto Import
    • Import a PDF file/folders of PDFs already saved on your computer (use for one or many PDFs at a time)
    • Set up automatic importing of any PDFs you subsequently add to that folder
  • EndNote Click
    • Using EndNote Click, select 'export to EndNote Desktop' (use for one PDF at a time)

To add PDFs to existing records in your EndNote Library that have no PDF attached (e.g. that have been imported using a .RIS file) you can:

Which is the best option?

They all have their pros and cons.  To get the most complete records in your EndNote Library it is probably best to export from an abstracting and indexing database and then use the check for full text feature (or add PDF option). However, importing PDFs using the PDF import or EndNote Click option may be your preference if you are primarily using EndNote for citing and referencing, rather than reference management.

Instructions: Setting up the 'Find Full Text' / Link Resolver

This will automatically check your references for available PDFs and attach it to the appropriate reference in your ENL.  Note: it does not always work, but it is worth setting up as it often does.

  • Click Edit / Preferences...
  • Click 'Find Full Text' from the left hand options.
  • Make sure you tick all the boxes (as in the screen shot below)
  • In the 'Open URL Path' box type: https://hw.alma.exlibrisgroup.com/view/uresolver/44HWA_V1/openurl?
  • In the 'Authenticate with' box type: https://hwu-ezproxy.idm.oclc.org/login?url= 

Note: when you first use the find full text option, you will see this screen:

Click 'Continue' to authenticate to our resources.

 

This option will automatically add PDFs you save into a specified folder on your PC/laptop, into your ENL:

  • Click Edit / Preferences...
  • Click 'PDF Handling' from the left hand options.
  • Tick the box that says 'Enable automatic importing' (as in the screen shot below)
  • Click 'select folder...' and then find the folder you wish to auto import from
  • Make sure you save your PDFs into this folder

Instructions: Setting up PDF Auto Import

This option will automatically add PDFs you save into a specified folder on your PC/laptop, into your ENL:

  • Click Edit / Preferences...
  • Click 'PDF Handling' from the left hand options.
  • Tick the box that says 'Enable automatic importing' (as in the screen shot below)
  • Click 'select folder...' and then find the folder you wish to auto import from
  • Make sure you save your PDFs into this folder

Instructions: EndNote Click

Getting and setting up EndNote Click:

Using EndNote Click:

Instructions: How to enter/edit details into EndNote fields

The following instruction are for those using the Harvard HWU Cite Them Right style:

Authors/Editors

For an individual author <surname><comma><first name>, e.g.:

Kelly, Sarah

For a corporate author <corporate author><comma> e.g.:

Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers,

If there is more than one author, list them all, and separate each with the enter key, e.g.:

Gaion, Lucrezia

Kelly, Sarah

Kennedy, Marion

Whittington, Rachel

 

For editors, do not add any extra details, e.g. ed 
Editions

Ordinal number, e.g.:

2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th

Do not add anything extra e.g. edn or edition 
Titles 

Book titles and journal article titles should be entered in sentence case, with Title Case for any proper names, e.g.:

Town and country planning in the UK

The neoliberal city: governance, ideology, and development in American urbanism 

Journal titles, should be entered as Title Case, e.g.:

Frontiers in Psychology

The Lancet
Dates

All dates should be entered consistently, e.g.:

08 February 2019

Do not mix up formatting e.g. 8th, 8 Feb etc. 

Page ranges or

Article numbers

A journal article or book chapter page range should be entered as numbers only, e.g.:

24-36

115-125

Note: more recent journal articles may have an article number instead of a page range.  Make sure that the article number, e.g.:

109031

e02653

Is in the 'article number' field and not the page range field

Transferring records from other reference management software