EndNote Online: Use EndNote Online

EndNote Online enables you to keep your citation records (references) organized in different groups for various classes, research papers, and projects. These "groups" serve the same purpose as "folders." Once you have registered for your own EndNote Online account, use the following steps to create your groups:

1. Click the yellow Organize tab to access the Manage My Groups area.
2. Click New Group.
3. If you receive a message that Windows is trying to use scripted windows, click Temporarily Allow Scripted Windows, then click New Group again.
4. Type a new group name in the Script Prompt window that appears toward the top of the screen.
5. Click OK.

When you return to the My References section of your EndNote Online account, you should now see your new group listed along the left-hand side of the screen under the heading "All My References" (below the "My Groups" subheading).

Now you are ready to start exporting article and book citation records (references) from databases into your EndNote Online account (see Export Citations steps below and in handouts listed to the left). You will be able to store these references in the groups you've created.

If you are collaborating on projects with other people who also have EndNote Online accounts, you may share access to your groups. Simply follow these steps to share a group:

1. Click the Organize tab to access the Manage My Groups area.
2. Click the Manage Sharing button to the right of the desired group.
3. Click Start sharing this group.
4. Type the email address(es) used by your teammate(s) to login to EndNote Online.
5. Select either Read only or Read & Write.
6. Click Apply.
7. Click Close window.

When you search for articles and books in various research databases (such as, EBSCOhost databases, ProQuest databases, SAGE, Kean Catalog, and so on), look for the Export option, which will typically be found near the Email and Save options.

Some databases will provide a "direct export" option, which will enable you to click and send the citation information (reference) directly into your EndNote Online account in a single step. Other databases will require a two-step process, in which you export the reference out of the database (typically by saving an RIS file to your computer) and then import the reference into your EndNote Online account.

If you need help with the export/import process for a particular database, please click the database name in the EndNote Online Handouts box on the left-hand side of this screen.

Once you've exported citations into your EndNote Online account, be sure to keep your references organized into Groups. (See Create Groups for Storing Your Sources box above.) Simply follow these steps:

1. Click the My References tab.
2. Click Unfiled (under the "All My References" heading).
3. Click the checkboxes to the left of the citations you want to move into a group (or click All above the list).
4. Select the desired Group from the Add to group... drop-down menu provided just above the list.

You may create bibliographies, References, or Works Cited lists with the references you've exported or entered into your EndNote Online account. Simply follow these steps:

1. Click the yellow Format tab.
2. Make sure that the Bibliography form appears. (If not, click Bibliography from the choices listed below the Format tab.)
3. Select the appropriate group from the References drop-down menu.
4. Select your desired citation style from the Bibliographic style drop-down menu. (Please note: there is a very long list of Bibliographic styles. You may customize your list by clicking Select Favorites, selecting one or more citation styles from the list, then clicking Copy to Favorites.)
5. Select your desired format from the File format drop-down menu. For instance, if you would like to produce a Microsoft Word document, select RTF (rich text file).
6. Click Save. 

Please note: this bibliography may not be perfectly formatted. It is very important that you proofread the bibliography and correct any problems. Refer to the Consult Citation Style Resources section of this guide for help with citation style rules. Look out for the following common problems:

• every letter in the article title is capitalized
• missing page numbers
• abbreviated version of the journal name appears in brackets immediately after the journal name

See the Edit Your References section below for instructions on how you may fix problems in the references stored in your EndNote Online account.

If you have downloaded the free EndNote Online Plug-in onto your personal computer or laptop, you should be able to use Cite While You Write to insert in-text citations from your EndNote account into a Word document. At the same time, you will begin building your bibliography, References, or Works Cited list. (Please go back to the Set Up Your EndNote Online Account section for instructions on how to download Cite While You Write.)

If Cite While You Write downloaded successfully onto your computer or laptop, an EndNote toolbar should now be visible at the top of a Microsoft Word document. To use Cite While You Write, follow these steps:

1. Open your Word document.
2. At the end of a sentence that includes a quote or paraphrase, place the cursor in front of the sentence's final punctuation mark, then click the EndNote toolbar to access the EndNote Online options.
3. Select your desired citation style from the Style drop-down menu that appears in the EndNote toolbar.
4. Click Find Citations.
5. Type an author's name or title keyword for the article or book you are trying to cite, then click Find.
6. Select your desired reference from the list that appears.
7. Click Insert.
8. If necessary, fix the spacing in front of the in-text citation and correct any formatting problems that appear in the complete reference added at the bottom of your document.
9. Continue typing your paper, and repeat steps 2-8 for any additional quotes or paraphrases you need to cite in your paper.
10. Add the appropriate heading (such as References or Works Cited) above the list of references added at the bottom of your document.

If you have any books, print journals articles, or other types of resources on hand, you may manually type reference information for such resources into your EndNote Online acccount. Simply follow these steps:

1. Click the yellow Collect tab.
2. Click New Reference.
3. Select the desired type of resource (such as, Book, Book Section, Edited Book, Conference Proceeding, Journal Article, and so on) from the Reference Type drop-down menu.
4. Fill out the form that appears for the reference type.
5. Click Save.

On occasion, a reference exported from a database may contain some errors. For instance, watch for the following common problems:

• every letter in the article title is capitalized
• missing page numbers
• abbreviated version of the journal name appears in brackets immediately after the journal name

It is recommended that you edit such problems in your EndNote Online account, so the same problems will not occur again and again every time you create a bibliography using the EndNote Online Format option. Follow these steps to edit a reference in your EndNote Online account:

1. Click the My References tab.
2. Locate the problem reference either in the All My References section or in one of your Groups.
3. Click the title of the article to access the bibliographic record.
4. Click the part of the record that needs to be edited in order to access the editable bibliographic field.
5. Make any desired changes.
6. Click Save.

Listed below are options available for you to contact a reference librarian and ask for help with your research.