Skip to Main Content

EndNote 21: Adding Items

A basic guide to installing and using EndNote 21.

Adding Items in EndNote 21

This section of the guide will show you how to add items to EndNote 21. The process is different for Windows and Mac users, so there will be distinctions made throughout the guide when required.

Creating a library and adding references

Step 1: 
Firstly, before opening EndNote, you should download EndNote Click - this is a free browser extension that will allow you to search for full-text results for your citations and reference works. You only need to do this once.


Step 2:
Secondly, we want to open a new library in EndNote. 

Mac users will need to go to the menu at the top of the screen to create a new library.


Step 3:

After a new library has been created, you should save it in a local drive that is not synced; i.e. not on OneDrive or iCloud. After you have named the library, EndNote will display a new blank library on the screen.


Step 4:

Search for articles, books, web pages or other resources for your paper or project. If you don't know where to start, try the Michener Learning Resource Centre website.


Step 5:

Once you have found the materials that you need, save them to your EndNote library folder. You can export directly to EndNote through some databases, or you can save the resources as an .ris file. The downloaded file will automatically be added to your EndNote library.


Step 6:

Further steps on how to download articles from PubMed and EBSCO can be found below.

Downloading Articles from PubMed

This quick video from Paul Bain at Countway Library at Harvard University will show you how to download items from PubMed and add them to your EndNote Library.

Downloading Articles from EBSCOhost

You can export results from EBSCOhost directly into your EndNote library. 

Step 1:
Firstly, perform your search.


Step 2:

Secondly, select your records to export by clicking the 'add to folder to button' on the right-hand side of the screen. You can do this for as many items as you need to.


Step 3:

Next, select 'folder' at the top of the search results page.


Step 4:

After this, select the articles you want to export by clicking the box beside them to mark them.


Step 5:

Click export on the right-hand side of the page.


Step 6:

Select the default option on the next screen - 'direct export in RIS Format'.

You will then be able to download the items directly to EndNote. If this does not work, you can import the downloaded RIS file, and it will open from there.


Step 7:

To import items directly into your library, go to the top menu, click file, and then click import, as indicated in the below image.


Step 8:
After this, you will see your downloaded RIS files, as seen below. Click on the file that you need to import, and it will be placed in your EndNote library.

 

Adding manual references

As well as adding materials from databases, you can manually add references to EndNote. 

Step 1:

From the library homepage, select the new reference icon, indicate by the purple circle in the image below.


Step 2:

Fill the information in as needed and save. This can be useful if you need to cite something that does not have embedded data, such as a piece of artwork, a professional association publication, or a textbook.

Introduction to EndNote

Introduction to EndNote - macOS