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EndNote: Information and User Guide

Importing references from a compressed EndNote library

From time to time you may need to import references from another EndNote library. This may happen when someone has shared an EndNote library with you e.g. a librarian has emailed a compressed library with your literature search results. To import the references into your existing EndNote library follow the steps below:

  1. Open the compressed library
  2. Select all references
  3. From the References tab, go to Copy References To, and Choose Library
  4. File explorer will open. 
  5. Select your existing EndNote library and save. 

If you do not have an existing Endnote Library, follow the steps here to create your library 

Importing references from Library databases

References can be exported from the Library catalogue and many online journals and databases.

General Steps

  1. Open the database you wish to use (PubMed, Ovid, etc.) via the library website http://selibrary.health.wa.gov.au and conduct a search
  2. Select the relevant articles
  3. Select the output option to Export to EndNote and then click Save or Export – always choose the complete reference/ full record option
  4. Your references should go straight into your currently open library without any further prompting. This can vary according to browser. You might need to click on Open file to continue. If you have an unsaved reference open in your library you will need to close it and try again.
  5. The newly imported references will appear in the Imported References group. Click All References to view all of your references
  6. If your references do not import directly into your library, save them as a RIS file and import them using the appropriate database filter

Below are specific instructions for some of the more popular databases.

  • When exporting references from any database, ensure your Endnote library is open and not minimised in your browser.
  • Most databases can export directly to EndNote, and this is the easiest and best option in terms of metadata quality. Look out for words like “Export”, “Cite”, “Save”, “RIS format” to identify this functionality.
  • ‘Imported References’ is only a temporary holding place and as soon as you either import more references or close the EndNote program, the references will disappear from there. Imported references will always be available in the ‘All References’ group. The number alongside the group represents the number of records in that group.
  • The best time to check your references for errors is as you import them. 
  • To check that all the data in each reference is correct:
    • Check that the URL field is correct and is an active link which goes to the right page
    • Check that the reference appears correctly when you preview it in your selected referencing style
  • To amend any data:
    • Click on the relevant reference, then in the top right corner click on Edit 
    • Manually enter the required changes
    • Click the Save button

  1. Open your EndNote library
  2. Open the Ovid Database and perform a search
  3. Select references for Export
  4. Click Export – located at the top of the results list next to the email and print icons
  5. Select ‘Format - EndNote from the drop-down menu
  6. Choose the fields to display – Citation + Abstract or Complete Reference is recommended
  7. Uncheck the Link to External Resolver box
  8. Tick the Include URL checkbox 
  9. Click on Export Citation(s)
  10. Depending on the browser another box may appear or a file might download to the bottom left corner of the screen - if this happens click on the downloaded file
  11. References will be directly exported into your EndNote Library
  12. Once all the files have been imported, manually check each reference
  1. Open your EndNote library
  2. Open CINAHL and perform a search
  3. Select the references by clicking on the Folder icon next to each reference
  4. Click on your Folder from the top menu bar
  5. Select all references
  6. Click Export
  7. Save citations as Direct Export in RIS Format
  8. Click on Save
  9. Open the saved file to import the references into your EndNote library
  10. Once all the references have been imported, manually check each reference
  1. Open your EndNote library
  2. Open PubMed and perform a search
  3. Select the references by clicking the checkbox next to each reference
  4. Click Send to – located towards the top of the results list
  5. Select Citation manager and then click Create File
  6. Depending on the browser another box may appear or a file might download to the bottom left corner of the screen - if this happens click on the downloaded file
  7. References should directly import into your EndNote library
  8. Once all the files have been imported, manually check each reference

Note: PubMed references do not import with a URL to return you to the citation.

You can create these URL links using the steps below:

  1. Create a PubMed group and add all of the PubMed references to the group
  2. Go to Library > Change/Move/Copy Fields, and click on the Move/Copy fields tab
  3. Check Copy Field, select from Accession Number to URL, and check Replace Entire Field
  4. Click OK
  5. Go to Library > Change/Move/Copy Fields, and click on the Change fields tab
  6. Click Insert before field's text:
  7. Insert the following string of text into the blank box

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?otool=iaufhhslib&term=

  1. Uncheck Include a space before the new text
  2. Click on OK

You will then end up with a hyperlink that looks like this in the URL field: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?otool=iaufhhslib&term=33927200.  The URL will link to the PubMed record and incorporate the library's linking tool so that the Get it at E/SMHS button appears and can be used to link to any available full text.

  1. Open your EndNote library
  2. Open Web of Science and perform a search
  3. Select the references by clicking the checkbox next to each reference
  4. Click on Export and select EndNote Desktop
  5. Select the appropriate record options
  6. Select the record content – Author, title, Source, Abstract or Full Record is recommended

Note: Web of Science references do not import with a URL to return you to the citation.

You can create these URL links using the steps below:

  1. Go to Library > Find and Replace
  2. Select URL in the field box
  3. Copy the following text into the Find box

<Go to ISI>://

  1. Copy the following text into the Replace box

https://login.smhslibresources.health.wa.gov.au/login?url=https://www.webofscience.com/wos/woscc/full-record/

  1. Uncheck Retain Capitalization
  2. Click on Change

You will then end up with a hyperlink that looks like this in the URL field: 

https://login.smhslibresources.health.wa.gov.au/login?url=https://www.webofscience.com/wos/woscc/full-record/WOS:000595614200001.  

The URL will link to the Web of Science record and incorporate the library's linking tool so that the Get it at E/SMHS button appears and can be used to link to any available full text.

  1. From the Library homepage perform a Discovery Search for a topic and click on Search 
  2. Select one or more references from the list of results by ticking the box next to each of the articles required
  3. Click on the Export button displayed beneath the search box
  4. In the Export window which opens, choose either Endnote Desktop or Reference Manager options (both include the abstract) and click Export
  5. To complete the import:
    • Open the downloaded ENW or RIS file from the Downloads window in your browser (or open it from within your Downloads folder)
    • This will automatically import the reference(s) into EndNote
    • The reference(s) will appear in the Imported References group and the All References group
  1. Click on Cite , under each article, 
  2. Choose Endnote at the bottom of popup window
  3. The file will download into the opened EndNote library

To perform a bulk export of records from Google Scholar:

  1. Sign in or register for a Google account
  2. For each article you wish to export, click on the Star icon to save the articles to ‘My Library’. 
  3. Create a Label for the references if you wish to group them within your Google Scholar ‘My Library’.
  4. When you have finished saving articles to your library in Google Scholar, click on ‘My Library’, select the group of references and click on Export all. Choose the Endnote option from the dropdown box. A downloaded RIS file will appear on your screen. Double click to open and download.