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EndNote Desktop

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

Key points

Import from various sources 

You can import references into EndNote from various sources, including LibrarySearch, library databases, Google Scholar, and the Capture Reference tool available through EndNote Online.

After importing 

  • Check each reference for missing or incorrect details. 
  • Edit references via the Edit tab in the right panel. 
  • Add personal notes in the Research Notes field. 
  • Use the Rating field to star important references (enable it by right clicking a column header).

Imported References Folder

  • New imports appear here temporarily. 
  • They also stay permanently in All References. 
  • Each new import replaces the previous list in the Imported References folder, but not in the overall library.

Mac users 

When exporting references from LibrarySearch, library databases, or Google Scholar, use the Firefox browser for best performance. There can be issues with exporting references to your EndNote Desktop library on a Mac via the Safari or Chrome browsers.

Exporting references

Exporting references from LibrarySearch 

Make sure that you have your EndNote library open:

  1. Access LibrarySearch and perform a search.
  2. Mark records you want to export from LibrarySearch by selecting the pin next to each record.  
  3. Select the large pin on the top right of the screen to Go to my favourites.  
  4. Select the tickbox at top left hand side of the list to mark all references. You can also send references to EndNote individually by selecting the EndNote (RIS) Export icon   
  5. You’ll now see three options next to My Favourites. 
  6. Select the ellipsis (three dots) icon. 
  7. Select EndNote (RIS) Export from the list.  
  8. Ensure UTF-8 Encoding is selected and then Download. 
  9.  Save the Primo_RIS_Export.ris file to your desktop (or another convenient location). 
  10. Open the file from your desktop (or convenient location) and this will send the record(s) to your EndNote library.
Tip: When you open the .ris file, if you are asked what program to open it with, select EndNote (you may need to browse the list of programs) and tick the option to always use this program to open these files.   

Exporting records from Scopus 

Most major academic databases provide direct export options to citation management tools like EndNote. These options are typically found near the citation or download tools on the article page or search results.

  • Look for buttons labeled "Export," "Save," "Send to," or "Cite".
  • Choose RIS format if "EndNote" is not explicitly listed.
  • For bulk export, use the folder or selection tools to gather multiple citations before exporting.

Access Scopus and perform a search

Select the reference(s) you would like to export by selecting the box next to the corresponding number.

scopus citation record 

Image: Copyright © Elsevier. Used under licence.

Select Export.

Scopus Export option 

Image: Copyright © Elsevier. Used under licence. 

From the Export document settings window, select EndNote (RIS) Format. Note: ‘Citation Information’ will be selected within the Export document settings window. Other options (e.g. Abstract and Keywords) can be selected.

Select Export to start saving.

scopus RIS file 

Image: Copyright © Elsevier. Used under licence.

Download and save the scopus.ris file to your desktop (or another convenient location). 

Open scopus.ris file from your desktop (or convenient location) - this will send the records to the EndNote library.

Note: Sign in to Scopus to save your Export selection by ticking Save as preference for future sessions. You will automatically export to EndNote by selecting Export and My RIS settings.

Tip: The record(s) will appear in the Imported References folder within your EndNote library. It also appears in the All References (master) folder. Each time you export a record(s), the previous record(s) will be replaced with the new one(s) within the Imported References folder but will still remain in the All References folder.

Exporting records from ProQuest

Most major academic databases provide direct export options to citation management tools like EndNote. These options are typically found near the citation or download tools on the article page or search results.

  • Look for buttons labeled "Export," "Save," "Send to," or "Cite".
  • Choose RIS format if "EndNote" is not explicitly listed.
  • For bulk export, use the folder or selection tools to gather multiple citations before exporting.

Access ProQuest Central and perform a search

Select the references you would like to export by ticking the box next to the corresponding number. To select a page of references, tick Select 1-20.

Select the ellipsis icon to the top right of the record (three dots).
endnote export options
Image: Copyright © ProQuest. Used under licence.
 

Next, select the EndNote icon.
A group of blue circles with white textDescription automatically generated
Image: Image: Copyright © ProQuest. Used under licence.
 

The Export/Save box will appear. Select > Continue.

Download the ProQuestDocuments (dated).ris (e.g. ProQuestDocuments-2024-04-03.ris) file to your desktop (or another convenient location).

Open the ProQuestDocuments (dated).ris (e.g. ProQuestDocuments-2024-04-03.ris) file from your desktop (or convenient location) - this will send the records to the EndNote library.

Reminder: The record(s) will appear in the Imported References folder within your EndNote library. It also appears in the All References (master) folder. Each time you export a record(s), the previous record(s) will be replaced with the new one(s) within the Imported References folder but will still remain in the All References folder. 

Exporting records from Google Scholar 

  1. Search Google Scholar
  2. When prompted, login using your personal Google/Gmail account. Alternatively, you can export individual publication records without logging in. 
  3. To import an individual reference into EndNote select the Cite icon (quotation mark) underneath the citation and select the EndNote option. 
  4. Alternatively, if you login to your Google Scholar using a personal email account, you can Save references individually to My library and then Export all by following Steps 5-10 below. 
  5. When you log into Google Scholar for the first time, you need to enable your Scholar library. Select the My library link at the top of the screen.  
  6. From the Getting Started page, select the ENABLE button to enable your Scholar library.
     
    Tip: When you open the .ris file, if you are asked what program to open it with, select EndNote (you may need to browse the list of programs) and tick the option to always use this program to open these files.  Note: Steps 5 and 6 (enabling your Scholar library) only needs to be completed once - the first time you sign in to Google Scholar using your personal Google account.   
  7. Search on a topic in Google Scholar
  8. Select the Save icon (star) below each required reference to save them to your Google Scholar library.  You can create/select a folder if you wish.
     
    Tip:  When a reference has been saved, the Save icon changes to a blue solid colour. You can select the Cite option to view the reference's citation details. The reference is also placed in the My library option (on the right-hand side of the screen). 
  9. From the My library option (right-hand side of the screen option under hamburger menu. 
  10. Select EndNote from the drop down Export All button at the top of the screen. Note: If using Chrome, save the 'citations.enw' file and then double-click it to open. If using Firefox, IE or MS Edge, you can save or open the file (look for the pop up at the bottom of the screen).  
  11. Your Google Scholar references have now been exported into your EndNote library.
     
    Tip:  An alternative method if you do not sign into Google Scholar with your personal email address or enable your Scholar library is to use the Cite option below each record and select EndNote. Or, select the ‘Settings’ option and choose EndNote for the ‘Show links to import citations into’ option under the Bibliography Manager heading and then select the Import to EndNote option below the required reference. 

Notes:  

  • Remember to check each record to make sure that all information is correct (see the section Minimum Fields for details). You can make quick corrections to fields by selecting Edit, and when you have finished, you can select the Save button to save any changes.
  • You can add Research Notes to identify important references (in Edit mode), and in the library summary screen, you can also add a Rating.
  • You can also view full-text PDFs in the Attach file PDFs section. See the section Adding full text for instructions on attaching PDFs in your EndNote library.

Capturing web references using EndNote Online

You can create a new reference for webpages, blogs and other research materials.

Tip: You need to have an EndNote Online account before you can capture webpage information. See the instructions in the Setting up EndNote sync for collaboration to set up your account.

Firstly, you will need to add the Capture Reference tool to your browser.

  1. Go to EndNote Online and login to your EndNote Online account. 
  2. Scroll across the top menu bar and select Downloads. 
  3. Next, drag and drop the Capture Reference button into your bookmarks toolbar. Note: In some browsers, you may need to right-click and select "Add to Favorites" or "Bookmark This Link." 
  4. 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 bar (if prompted enter your EndNote basic login details).  
  5. A pop-up window opens and EndNote will import any publication data it can detect in the webpage. 
  6. Make sure the Reference Type drop-down is set to: Web Page.
  7. Type in any other useful bibliographic information e.g. author names(s), publisher, year etc.
  8. At the top of the pop-up box, tick the radio button for EndNote (this will add the reference to your EndNote library), then select the Save To button.
Tip: You can add additional information. See Minimum Fields listed in the Manual input section. For webpages, add in the Access Year and Access Date. The webpage title and the URL address will be automatically captured. The new reference has been added to your Imported References group in EndNote 

Manual input of references

Manual input of references

Creating a new reference

  1. Go to References > New Reference or click the plus (+) icon.
  2. The default type is Journal Article. To change it:
    • Use the Reference Type drop-down menu (e.g., Book, Web Page, etc.).

Saving the reference

  • Click the Save button (top right).
  • Note: References auto-save, but clicking Save ensures it's stored.

Input formatting tips

Authors

  • Format: Last name, First name
    Example: Benton, Tim
  • For organizations: Write the full name, followed by a comma
    Example: RMIT University,
  • Enter each author on a new line (press Enter).
  • For initials: Add a space between initials and a full stop after each
    Example: Smith, J. O.

Titles

  • Use sentence case for titles (capitalize only the first word and proper nouns)
    Example: Nanotechnology: Photons make light work

Keywords

  • Add custom keywords to help with future searches
    Example: specific wavelengths, quantum dots, solar cells

Minimum fields

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

Note: Refer to EasyCite 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) 

Adding full-text and PDFs

Adding an existing (saved) PDF to existing record

Purpose:
Use this method when you already have the PDF saved, or when the reference does not have a DOI.

Steps:

  1. In your EndNote library, select the reference you want to attach the PDF to.
  2. Click the Summary tab (right panel), then click Attach File.
    • Or go to: File Attachments > Attach File, select the PDF, then click Open.
  3. Click on another reference to trigger the “Save changes?” prompt. Click Yes.
  4. Repeat for each reference as needed.

Using 'Find Full Text' to attach PDFs to existing records

Purpose:
Use this method when you don’t have the PDFs. EndNote will search for and attach available full-text PDFs using DOIs.

Step 1: Configure EndNote Preferences

Windows: Edit > Preferences > Find Full Text
Mac: EndNote > Preferences > Find Full Text

  • Tick OpenURL
  • OpenURL Path: https://libkey.io/libraries/1057/openurl
  • Leave Authenticate with URL blank
  • Click Apply

Then go to URLs and Links:

  • ISI Base URL: https://go.openathens.net/redirector/rmit.edu.au?url=
  • OpenURL Arguments: Replace WoS with endnote
  • Click Apply, then OK

Step 2: Run “Find Full Text”

  1. Select one or more references in your library.
  2. Use one of the following:
    • References > Find Full Text > Find Full Text
    • Click the Find Full Text icon
    • Right-click > Find Full Text

Results:

  • Found PDF: PDF attached to reference.
  • Found URL: Only a link found. Manually download and attach using Method 1: Attached a saved PDF.
  • Not Found: No PDF or URL found. Manually download and attach using Method 1: Attached a saved PDF.
  • Note: This method only works for journal articles and conference papers with a DOI.

Adding a folder of existing PDFs to create new records

Purpose:
Use this method to create new references from a folder of saved PDFs. Works only if PDFs contain a DOI.

Steps:

  1. Go to: File > Import > Folder
  2. Click Choose, select your folder, then click OK
  3. Click Import

Outcome:

  • EndNote creates new references with attached PDFs.
  • Check each reference for accuracy.
  • If a PDF lacks a DOI, only the file is added — you must manually enter citation details.

Automatically Import and Rename PDFs

Automatic Importing

You can set up EndNote to automatically import PDFs from a specific folder (like your Downloads folder). When a new PDF is added to that folder:

  • EndNote will create a new reference and attach the PDF.
  • If the reference already exists, the PDF will be attached to the existing record.
  • If the PDF has a DOI, EndNote will try to fill in the reference details.

To enable this:

  • Windows: Edit > Preferences > PDF Handling
  • Mac: EndNote > Preferences > PDF Handling

Then:

  1. Tick Enable automatic importing.
  2. Click Select Folder and choose your PDF folder.
  3. Click OK.

Tip: While researching, save all new PDFs to this folder.

Automatic Renaming

EndNote can rename PDFs to something more useful, like: Bendall-2013-The public life of maps.pdf

To set this up:

  • Go to: Preferences > PDF Handling > PDF Auto Renaming Options
  • Choose a naming format (e.g., Author + Year)
  • Click OK

Renaming happens automatically when PDFs are imported. It doesn’t change the original file name on your computer.

Find Missing Reference Info

If a PDF is imported with only a filename or DOI:

  1. Select the reference.
  2. Go to: References > Find Reference Updates
  3. If EndNote finds more info, copy it into the blank fields and Save.

If the suggested article is incorrect, click Skip.