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EndNote Online

Use EndNote Online to add, manage, share and sync your references, and insert and manage citations in Word.

Mac users: use Mozilla Firefox browser

Mozilla Firefox is the recommended browser for Mac users. There can be issues with exporting references to your EndNote Online library on a Mac via the Safari or Chrome browsers.

Exporting references to your EndNote Online library

About importing references

You can import references into your EndNote Online library from various search tools such as LibrarySearch, library databases (e.g.Scopus, Proquest Central and many more), Google Scholar and via the Capture Reference bookmarklet / plugin using EndNote Online. Click on the other tabs in this box for specific instructions.


When importing references:

  • Always check each exported reference to ensure that no information is incorrect or missing.
     
  • You can make quick corrections/changes to fields by clicking on the title of the reference (which will take you to edit mode), making the corrections/changes, and pressing the Save button.
     
  • You can add your own notes within the Research Notes field of any reference (click on the title of the reference first to go to edit mode) to identify important references you came across.
     

Note: When you import references from any search tool, they will appear in All My References AND in [Unfiled] (or whatever group you select). Each time you export reference, the new references will be added to All My References AND in [Unfiled] (or whatever group you select).

Importing references from LibrarySearch

  1. Ensure your EndNote Online library is open.
     
  2. Go to the RMIT University Library homepage. Using the LibrarySearch search box on the homepage, do a search on your own topic.
     
  3. Mark the references you want to export from LibrarySearch by pressing the pin icon pin icon used to mark references to import from library search into endnote desktop on the right of each reference.
  4. Go to My Favourites by pressing the pin icon pin icon that takes you to my favourites in library search on the top right corner of the screen.
  5. Tick the references you want to export (send) to your EndNote Desktop library.
     
  6. Click the ellipses icon (three dots) to the right of My Favourites just below the search box.

    library search screen
    Image: Copyright © Ex Libris. Used under licence.
     
  7. Click EndNote (RIS) Export.
     
  8. Click the Encoding drop-down list. Select the UTF-8 option. Press the Download button.
     
  9. The Primo_RIS_Export.ris file will download to your computer.
     
  10. Go to your EndNote Online library. In the top toolbar, click on Collect > Import References. Then:

a) In the File field, choose (upload) the Primo_RIS_Export.ris file you just downloaded.

b) Select Refman RIS for the Import Option drop-down list.

Tip: If this option is not present, click Select Favorites, select Refman RIS, press Copy to Favorites button and click Hide. Then click Import Option drop-down list again to select Refman RIS.

c)  Select a group OR [Unfiled] for the To drop-down list.

d) Press the Import button. This will export (send) your individual reference into your EndNote Online library. Note: Only the information of the reference will be exported (e.g. title, author, etc.), not the actual full-text PDF.

import references from library search into endnote online
Copyright © Clarivate. Used under licence.

Major library databases such as ScienceDirect, PubMed, ERIC, ProQuest, EBSCOhost, Scopus, JSTOR, IEEE, Web of Science and Emerald allow direct export of references to your EndNote library. In other words, you can import references from many library databases into your EndNote Online library. Some examples of the words used by popular databases include: Send to; Export citation(s); Export; Export/Save; Save; Save to; EndNote.


Importing references from library databases

  1. Ensure your EndNote Online library is open.
     
  2. Go to the RMIT University Library homepage and click on the Databases tab. From the list of popular databases, click on any database. Alternatively, you can select a key or recommended library database from the list of library subject guides.
     
  3. Do a search on your own topic.
     
  4. Select the reference(s) you would like to export.
     
  5. Look for a Save or Export or EndNote option (or similar wording as above) in the database -- click on that option to download the export file. Ensure you choose the EndNote format (e.g. .ris for many databases, nbib for PubMed database).
     
  6. The file usually saves into the Downloads folder on your computer, but you can also save it to a location you can easily find such as your desktop.
     
  7. Go to your EndNote Online library. In the top toolbar, click on Collect > Import References. Then:

a) In the File field, choose (upload) the export file you just downloaded.

b) Select the appropriate filter for the Import Option drop-down list.

Tip: If a suitable filter is not present, click Select Favorites, select the appropriate filter, press Copy to Favorites button and click Hide. Then click Import Option drop-down list again to select the filter you have just copied to Favorites.

c) Select a group OR [Unfiled] for the To drop-down list.

d) Press the Import button. This will export (send) your selected references into your EndNote Online library. Note: Only the information of the references will be exported (e.g. title, author, etc.), not the actual full-text PDFs.

import references from a library database into endnote online
Image: Copyright © Clarivate. Used under licence.

Importing references from Google Scholar

Ensure your EndNote Online library is open.

​Go to the RMIT University Library homepage and click on the Google Scholar tab. Press the Search Google Scholar button.


To import an individual reference into your EndNote Online library without logging into Google Scholar:

  1. Using the Google Scholar search box, do a search on your own topic.
     
  2. Click on Cite within the reference you want to export (send) to your EndNote Online library, then click on EndNote.

    Alternatively: click on the three horizontal lines at the top left corner > click on Settings > select EndNote for the Show links to import citations into option (beneath the Bibliography manager heading) > press the Save button. Then click on Import into EndNote within the reference you want to export.
     
  3. The scholar.enw file will download to your computer.
     
  4. Go to your EndNote Online library. In the top toolbar, click on Collect > Import References. Then:

a) In the File field, choose (upload) the scholar.enw file you just downloaded.

b) Select EndNote Import for the Import Option drop-down list.

Tip: If this option is not present, click Select Favorites, select EndNote Import, press Copy to Favorites button and click Hide. Then click Import Option drop-down list again to select EndNote Import.

c)  Select a group OR [Unfiled] for the To drop-down list.

d) Press the Import button. This will export (send) your individual reference into your EndNote Online library. Note: Only the information of the reference will be exported (e.g. title, author, etc.), not the actual full-text PDF.

import an individual reference from google scholar into endnote online
Image: Copyright © Clarivate. Used under licence.


To import multiple references simultaneously into your EndNote Online library by logging into Google Scholar:

  1. At the top right corner, click on Sign in and log in with your RMIT student / staff credentials. You are now signed in to your Google Scholar account -- you can Sign Out when finished. Being signed in will enable you to export multiple references simultaneously into your EndNote Online library. It also authenticates you as an RMIT student / staff member, so you can have full access to the Library's online resources via Google Scholar.
     
  2. When you log into Google Scholar for the first time, you need to enable your Google Scholar library. Click on My library at the top right corner. Then, from the Getting Started page, press the ENABLE button to enable your Google Scholar library.

    Tip: Step 2 (enabling your Google Scholar library) only needs to be completed once, i.e. the first time you sign in to Google Scholar using your personal account or RMIT University credentials. 
     
  3. Using the Google Scholar search box, do a search on your own topic.
     
  4. Click on Save (white star icon) within the reference you want to export (send) to your EndNote Online library. Then press the Done button. This will change the white star into a blue star and saves its corresponding reference to My Library. Repeat for each reference you want to export.

    Tip: Clicking on Save (blue star icon) again, then pressing the Remove article button, changes the blue star to a white star and removes its corresponding reference from My Library.

     
  5. Click on My Library at the top right corner.
     
  6. You will see a list of all the references you have saved (starred) in Step 4d. Tick the references you want to export (send) to your EndNote Online library.
     
  7. Press the Export icon (upside-down arrow on a line) and select EndNote.
     
  8. The citations.enw file will download to your computer.
     
  9. Go to your EndNote Online library. In the top toolbar, click on Collect > Import References. Then:

a) In the File field, choose (upload) the citations.enw file you just downloaded.

b) Select EndNote Import for the Import Option drop-down list.

Tip: If this option is not present, click Select Favorites, select EndNote Import, press Copy to Favorites button and click Hide. Then click Import Option drop-down list again to select EndNote Import.

c) Select a group OR [Unfiled] for the To drop-down list.

d) Press the Import button. This will export (send) your selected references into your EndNote Online library. Note: Only the information of the references will be exported (e.g. title, author, etc.), not the actual full-text PDFs.

import multiple references from google scholar into endnote online
Image: Copyright © Clarivate. Used under licence.

Capturing web references using EndNote Online

You can create a new reference for webpages, blogs and other online research materials. You need to have an EndNote Online account before you can capture webpage information. See Setting up EndNote sync on the EndNote Desktop guide to set up your account.


Note: EndNote Online's Capture Reference bookmarklet / plugin has been retired by Clarivate/EndNote and removed from the Downloads tab in EndNote Online. Capture Reference is not available for downloading and installation anymore, and no longer supported by Clarivate/EndNote. Users who already have the Capture Reference bookmarklet / plugin installed from previous times will still be able to use it. Users who do not have the retired bookmarklet / plugin can manually add web references to their EndNote Desktop library. See Manually creating references.


If you ALREADY have the Capture Reference bookmarklet / plugin installed from previous times:

  1. Find a webpage you want to capture in your EndNote library. Note some details, such as the author(s) name and the page title. Now select Capture Reference in your Bookmarks/Favourites bar (if prompted, enter your EndNote Online login details).
     
  2. A pop-up window opens and EndNote will import any publication data it can detect in the webpage.
     
  3. Make sure Web Page is selected in the Reference Type drop-down list.
     
  4. Type in any other useful bibliographic information in your reference, e.g. author names(s), publisher, year etc.
     
  5. Select the radio button for my.endnote.com (this will add the reference to your EndNote Online library), then press the Save To button.

    select my dot endnote dot com option in capture new reference bookmarklet
    Image: Copyright © Clarivate. Used under licence.

Note:

  • You can add additional information to your reference. See Minimum fields.
  • For webpages, add in the Access Year and Access Date.
  • The webpage title and the URL address will be automatically captured.

Manually creating references

Manually creating references (manual input)

References can be manually created in an EndNote Online library. Manual creation is needed if the reference you are using is not in LibrarySearch, library databases or Google Scholar, and if the reference cannot be captured by EndNote's Capture Reference tool. In such cases, the reference cannot be exported to your EndNote Online library.

Examples of a reference that may require manual creation would be: a report from a government department's website; an image from a website; artwork from a gallery or museum; podcasts; YouTube videos; social media posts; company or industry reports; and unpublished works such as lecture slides, students' own work or manuscripts.
 

  1. Click on Collect > New Reference.
  2. Choose the appropriate Reference Type using the drop-down menu.
  3. Fill out the necessary fields.
  4. The reference can be placed into an existing group by scrolling to the bottom of the page and clicking on the arrow beside Groups.
  5. Your new reference will be saved automatically.

 

Note: In your EndNote Online library, the reference will appear in All My References AND in [Unfiled] (or whatever group you placed it in). Each time you manually create a reference, the new reference will be added to All My References AND in [Unfiled] (or whatever group you place it in).

Minimum fields

For references to display correctly in most referencing styles, a certain number of bibliographic elements or minimum fields are required.

Your referencing style may require more fields. Refer to the Library's Easy Cite referencing guide for more details.

Webpage Journal article Electronic article Book Electronic book
  • Author or producer of site (personal or corporate) 
  • Title (of site) 
  • URL 
  • Year (date of publication or of last update) 
  • Access Date (date you accessed the site) 
  • Author 
  • Title 
  • Journal 
  • Volume 
  • Issue 
  • Year 
  • Pages 
  • DOI – Digital Object Identifier (if applicable)
  • Author 
  • Title 
  • Year 
  • Periodical Title (Journal title) 
  • Volume 
  • Issue 
  • Pages 
  • Date accessed 
  • URL (or database name) 
  • DOI – Digital Object Identifier (if applicable)
  • Author 
  • Title 
  • Year  
  • Publisher 
  • City  
  • Edition (If not the first) 
  • Author 
  • Title 
  • Publisher 
  • Year (copyright date) 
  • Date accessed 
  • URL (or database name)

Online search

The Online Search feature can be used to retrieve references from library catalogues and some databases directly from within EndNote Online. There is also the option to create a favourite list of library catalogues and databases by clicking Select Favorites.

  1. Click on Collect > Online Search.
  2. Select the required catalogue/database (eg. RMIT_University_Library) using the drop-down list.
  3. Press the Connect button.
  4. Enter your search words and
  5. Select retrieve all records or select a range of records to retrieve.
  6. Press the Search button.
  7. Tick the references you want.
  8. Click the Add to group drop-down list and select the group you want to copy the references into.
  9. The references will appear in All My References AND in the group you had selected above. 

Editing a reference

  1. Go to My References > All My References.
  2. Click on the title of the reference you want to edit.
  3. Click on the field you wish to edit and make your changes.
  4. Press the Save button.
  5. You are able to revert (undo) the changes by press the Revert Reference button.