This section discusses how to do basic EndNote tasks. To get started with EndNote, we will open an EndNote library and look at its components. Then we will discuss how to modify the display of the library, find and view references, change EndNote preferences, and conclude your EndNote session.

Note: For information about installing Endnote, see your system administrator or the EndNote user manual.

Opening an EndNote Library

When you first start EndNote, a dialog box appears that allows you to open a reference library. Choose "open an existing library" and browse to the library you want to open.  You can also open a library from within EndNote by choosing Open from the File menu.

An EndNote library appears in a library window:

The top part  of the EndNote screen includes menu headings (File, Edit, Reference, Tools, Window, Help) a toolbar (icons displayed below the menu headings), a box showing the current output style, and a help icon ().

The library window displays a list of references in the library, with each reference displayed in one line. Across the top of the window are column headings (fields), which by default are Image (paper clip icon), Link to pdf (pdf icon) Author, Year, Title, Journal/Secondary Title, Reference Type, and URL.

At the bottom the library window, the status bar shows the number of references displayed (e.g., "Showing 200 out of 200 references"), and an area to click to show or hide a reference preview. You can resize the library window by clicking and dragging the corner of the window.

Selecting an Output Style

Output styles allow you to easily change the format of your references. This is very useful if, for example, you submit an article to several different publishers, each of which has different formatting requirements for references. Output styles define the formatting of in-text citations, footnotes, and bibliographies.

The easiest way to select an output style is to use the output styles dropdown menu on the right side of EndNote's main toolbar:

By default, the output styles menu displays the Annotated, Author-Date, Numbered, and Show All output styles. It also displays the names of any styles you have marked as "favorites" using the Style Manager.

The new output style is reflected in the reference preview in the Endnote library window.

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Using the Style Manager

Use the Style Manager to change the list of styles that appears in the output styles menu.

To change the output styles menu:

1. From the EndNote Edit menu, choose Output Styles. In the submenu, choose Open Style Manager.

The Style Manager window will appear:

2. To add a style to the output styles menu, add a checkmark to it by clicking on its box. To delete a style from the menu, remove the checkmark by clicking on the box.

Note: To find a name more quickly, click the Find button to search for styles or to browse styles by subject category ,

Note: You can also use the Style Manager to modify an output style. To do this, choose a style and click Edit. (For more information, see the Beyond the Basics section of this tutorial.)

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Sorting, Finding, and Viewing References

Sorting the References List

You change the order in which references are displayed by clicking on the column (field) headings. If you click on the same heading twice, the references will be sorted in reverse order.

Finding and Previewing References

To find a reference, you can:

• scroll through the list by using the arrow keys on your keyboard or by using the scroll bar, or
• type the first few letters of the field by which the library is sorted. For example, if you clicked the title heading to sort the library by title, type the first few letters of a title to find that reference.

To see a preview of a formatted reference, click "Show Preview."  To hide the preview, click "Hide Preview."

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Viewing a Reference

To view the complete reference, double-click on its line in the library, or click and press Enter. The Reference window appears. The Reference window allows you to view, enter, or edit information for a reference.

Use the scrollbar to scroll through the reference. The Reference Type is shown at the top of the window.

Icons ( ) allow you to flip sequentially from reference to reference.

Viewing a Reference's Attached File

A reference may have attached files (table or image), indicated by a paper clip in the library window. You can scroll to see a preview of the image or table in the reference window.

Double-click on the image or table to open it. (The image will open in whatever program your Windows computer currently uses to open images.)

Viewing a Reference's Web Site

If a Reference has an associated URL (Web address), you can open it in two ways. Either click the Open Link () button in the EndNote toolbar while viewing your library, or go to the reference's URL field and click on the URL. The Web site will open in your browser.

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Changing EndNote Preferences

EndNote allows you to view and set preferences for many of the program's features. There are numerous preferences and options. It is a good idea to look at the Preferences to get an idea of the kinds of options available to you.

To view and change preferences, choose Edit Menu > Preferences. The Preferences dialog box appears. Categories of preferences appear on the left side of the dialog box.

Setting Default Libraries

You can use the Preferences dialog box to set a default library (or libraries) that will open whenever you start EndNote. To do this, open the EndNote library (or libraries) you want to use. Then go to Edit > Preferences, click the Libraries category, and click "Add Open Libraries" to set your default library.

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Changing the Fields Displayed in the Reference List

You can use the Preferences dialog box to change the fields that appear in the reference list window. Go to Edit > Preferences, and click on the "Display Fields" category. Then choose the fields and headings you wish to display for each column. For example, if you chose "Keywords" for column 1, keywords for each reference would be displayed in the first column in the library window. You can use up to eight columns.

In some cases, you may need to change the widths of columns in order to see all columns in the reference list window. To do this, drag the dividers between column headings with the mouse.

Note: It is usually a good idea to keep the heading names the same as the corresponding field names.

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Finishing Your EndNote Session

Closing Your Library and Exiting EndNote

To close your EndNote library, click the close box or choose File>Close Library.

To exit Endnote, choose File>Exit

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Backing Up Your EndNote Files

As you work, EndNote automatically saves changes you make to your library file.  But it is important to periodically make backup copies of your EndNote library, in case your library file or the disk drive on which it is stored ever becomes corrupted. A good time to backup is at the end of your EndNote session.

To make a backup copy, you can choose File menu > Save a Copy and then save the file to a backup disk. However, this step does not save the files (including images and pdf files) in the library's DATA folder.

Saving a Compressed Copy of a Library

You can save your complete library (including its associated .DATA folder and all of its contents) to a single compressed file. To do this, go to the File menu and choose Send To > Compressed Library.

EndNote will save the file as a compressed library file (.enlx extension). Later, when you open this file with EndNote, it will extract both the EndNote file and the .DATA folder.

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