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Citation Management Software

What is EndNote?

EndNote is a citation management software package owned by Clarivate, and it enables you to:

  • Create a personal database of references relevant to you, along with associated files.
  • Insert references into a Word document and format them automatically in a citation style of your choice.
  • De-duplicate references retrieved from multiple sources.
  • Share references with others.

Source: University College London Library Guide.

Installing EndNote

In order to get EndNote on your St. Michael's Hospital PC, you must submit a request to IT. St. Michael's Hospital is the only site at Unity Health Toronto to have a site license for all staff members, and you can have EndNote installed onto your device for free. If you are located at St. Joseph's Health Centre or Providence Healthcare, please call IT and ask how to obtain EndNote on your PC!

Note that: St. Michael's Hospital used to have an older licence of EndNote X9, but has recently upgraded to the newest version EndNote 21!

Endnote x9 vs Endnote 21

St. Michael's Hospital has recently upgraded their EndNote license from EndNote x9 to EndNote 21! Here is some important information to know to help you transition from the older to the newer version:

  • Why should you switch? EndNote x9 no longer supports synching between desktop & online versions of the application. It also no longer supports sharing group citations and PDFs. If you are finding yourself working with the desktop & online versions of the application, and like to share citations/PDFs with individuals - it's best to switch to EndNote 21!
  • How can I move my old EndNote x9 libraries to EndNote 21? Any EndNote library created with X9 (or earlier) cannot be opened in EndNote 21, without conversion of the library to a new format. See more information on EndNote backwards compatibility below!
  • How can I learn more about how to use EndNote 21? Feel free to reach out to the library for individual or group training sessions! We recognize that EndNote can be complicated to use, and we are here to help!

EndNote Backwards Compatibility

EndNote libraries created in version 21 are not backwardly compatible with older versions of EndNote because Clarivate introduced a new database engine from X9 onwards. When you use EndNote X9 or 21 to open a library that was created in an earlier version, you will be prompted to create a new converted library.

Information on library conversion and backward compatibility from Clarivate.

Sharing EndNote 21 Library with Older Versions of EndNote

As you begin to use the new version of EndNote - you may come across the following issue: how can you share EndNote 21 libraries with individuals who still have EndNote X9.2 and older? 

It is free to update from X9.2 to X9.3.3, however, if the individual has other libraries that they previously created using X9.2, and then tried opening it after updating to X9.3.3, then they would be prompted to convert the library, and then open it. Suppose they would want to keep their current version. In that case, you can provide the XML file using the steps below. EndNote X9.3 and later libraries are not backward compatible with previous versions. To use EndNote X9.3 and later libraries with an older version of EndNote without using Sync:

  1. Export the EndNote X9.3 or later library to a XML file (.xml) by changing the File Type during export:
  2. Open the library in EndNote X9.3 or later and make sure all references are showing.
  3. Click on the file menu and select "Export".
  4. Pick a name and location for the XML file, set the File Type to (.xml) click "Save".
  5. In the older version of EndNote Click on File > Import > File (on Windows) or File > Import (On macOS).
  6. In the Import dialog, click “Choose” or “Browse”  and select the export file.
  7. Select "EndNote Generated XML" as the “Import Option”.
  8. Change the “Duplicates:” option to your requirement.
  9.  Set the “Text Translation” to "No Translation" and then click on “Import”.

An Overview of EndNote 21

There are many wonderful videos out there on EndNote 21 - here are a few of our favourites:

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