EndNote 20 & 21: Citation Management: Frequently Asked Questions and Issues

There are several ways to move, back up, or transfer an EndNote library from one computer to another. The simplest is probably going to through the EndNote sync feature.

• More about transferring EndNote Libraries

References & associated PDFs can be transferred from one program to EndNote and we can also convert Zotero/Mendeley citations to EndNote citations.

• Transferring references from Zotero to EndNote
• Transferring references from Mendeley Desktop to EndNote

EndNote now has a native integration with Google Docs, which requires EndNote 21 and access to the newer version of EndNote Online. Otherwise, using EndNote with Google Docs is not recommended.

• Adding and using the CWYW add-on for Google Docs.
  At this time, the add-on is blocked on UC San Diego-managed Google accounts. You will to send a help ticket to IT support and ask them to allow you to install the Cite While You Write EndNote app.

If the Find Full Text feature is not working:

• Make sure that you have EndNote configured to retrieve full text articles through UC Library Search, that the Web of Science, DOI, and Pubmed Link Out boxes are checked as well, and that the box to automatically invoke Find Full Text on newly imported references is also checked.
• If you are on campus, make sure that you're using the UCSD-Protected network if on a laptop, or VPN (set to 2-step secured althruucsd) if off campus.
• Some vendors and publishers are may be incompatible with Find Full Text, including JSTOR, EBSCO, Wiley, and ScienceDirect. However, you can still download the PDFs and manually them attach to your library.

You can download and install more output styles from the EndNote website.

From Tools in EndNote, go to Output Styles, then Open Style Manager. Select the one you want to modify and begin editing.

• If you make any changes, a new copy of the output style will be created.
• Many of the changes you probably want to make can be done by selecting or de-selecting options. This includes changing references between numbering and author-date, title capitalization, creating composite citations, the number of authors to list before using et al, author first names or abbreviations, abbreviating journals or using full titles, indenting and spacing between references, and more. You can also modify formatting for different types of references, and even create styles for new ones.
  • Editing Reference Types and Styles (Windows)
  • Editing Reference Types and Styles (macOS)

"Field codes" are the hidden formatting in your Word document that enables Word and Endnote to "talk" to each other. This is what allows you to insert references, format and reformat your references and bibliography, and edit or remove references from your document. It also allows you to share and collaborate on a document with someone else without having to send them your EndNote library. This is also why you should follow the EndNote instructions for editing, moving, and deleting the references in your paper, rather than just editing like you would the text of your article or paper.

The "Convert to Plain Text" option in EndNote will create a new copy of your document, with the field codes removed. This new copy will no longer be connected to EndNote, so any changes that you want to make to the references (formatting, adding/deleting, changing the order) must be done manually. If you need to make those changes, you can go back to your original document that still has the field codes.

You need to turn off the field codes.

Check your Instant Formatting setting in the Word ribbon for EndNote. If it's turned off, you'll see references like {Bean, 1985 #785} and you won't see a bibliography. If the instant formatting is turned on, you'll automatically see formatted references in author-name or a numbered style, and the bibliography will populate as you add references.

• Generating Full or Abbreviated Journal Titles in EndNote 20/21
  Instructions on importing the list journals titles with corresponding abbreviations and to edit your output style to correctly display full or abbreviated titles.

If a particular journal title is still not abbreviated correctly. check the Term List (Library >> Open Term Lists >> Journal Terms List) to see if the journal is listed.

• If not, use "New Term" to add the title and abbreviation.
• If the title is listed, it may be that the it doesn't exactly match the title in the in the actual journal article reference, including spacing and punctuation. This can happen if the title has a lot of variations, like Angewandte Chemie International Edition. 
  • Edit the reference and correct the journal title so it matches exactly with the title in the Terms List, or
  • Add the journal title from the reference as a new term, so it'll be there in your terms list if this title variation comes up again. If your citation uses Environmental Science & Technology, that will not abbreviate correctly unless you add it as a journal term alongside Environmental Science and Technology.