Tips for using Endnote

Endnote is probably the most popular reference management software. Its drag and drop function allow you to directly put the reference into your word file by using your mouse alone. In this article, I would like to provides some tips to save you more time.

• Add a reference without a first name

This usually happens when you want to add a reference with its author having no first name. For example, a report is published by a government or a university, so you can not copy their name and paste it on your endnote. You should use the format:

Last name, first name

and leave the first name blank (since it does not have one) like the following picture (using Harvard University as an example):

• Use Google Scholar to download the citation

Most publishers allow you to export the citation from their website:

However, sometimes, especially for old books, it is hard to find the citation. You can try Google Scholar, and type in the reference title and click the button ,import into Endnote:

Sometimes what we have is the old reference but we some new references to back-up our topic. A follow-up trick of using Google Scholar is to use it to update your references. 

• Overcome software crash

This happens especially when you update your endnote files from different devices. I found it is solved by upgrade to version 7 (Endnote X7). 

• Stop endnote from auto updating the bibliography in word

After updating the bibliography, you might do some minor corrections without the intervention of Endnote. You can stop the instant formatting like the following figure. 

This article will continuously be updated and I welcome anyone of you to post your experience here.