EndNote Online: Collecting References

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Reference information needs to be added to your EndNote account for EndNote to create your citations.

Follow the directions on this page to import reference files with citation data. Files may be .nbib, .enw, or. ris format. As you search for articles and download reference files to import into EndNote, select the correct import filter based on the file type:  

1. Start at the library homepage, click PubMed.
2. Perform a search. 
3. In your search results, check the box near the title of article(s) you wish to add. 
4. Click the Send To link near the top of the page. 
5. Under Choose Destination, click Citation manager, then Create File. 
   • *Do NOT try to open the file* 
   • If a dialog box opens, save the file somewhere you can retrieve it easily (ex: downloads folder, desktop, etc.)
   • If no dialog box opens, your file saved to the downloads folder on your computer.
6. To the import reference file into Endnote, go back to EndNote Online.
7. Hover over Collect in the menu bar and select Import References. 
8. Select the reference file by clicking the Choose File button. Find and select the .nbib file you saved from PubMed. 
9. Select the database from which you are importing. From the Import Option: dropdown, select PubMed (NLM). 
10. Send the reference to a group. From the To: dropdown, select [Unfiled], create a new group or select a previously created group. (See the Organizing references tab for more on groups.)
11. Click the Import button. A confirmation message with the number of references imported appears on the page. 

1. From the library homepage, click EBSCOhost Databases. 
2. Check the box to Select All or select the database(s) you want to use, and click Continue. 
3. Perform a search. 
4. Click on the title of an article to open the record.
5. In the Tools sidebar, click Export on the right-hand side. 
6. In the box that appears, select Direct Export to EndNote Web. 
7. Click the Save button. EndNote Online will open in a new tab with a confirmation message. 

Hint: Add references to a temporary folder in EBSCO to import more than one reference at a time. 

1. From the library homepage, click EBSCOhost Databases. 
2. Check the box to Select All or select the database(s) you want to use, and click Continue. 
3. Perform a search. 
4. Click on the title of an article to open the record.
5. In the Tools sidebar, click Export on the right-hand side. 
6. In the box that appears, select  Direct Export in RIS Format. 
7. Click the Save button.
   1. Do NOT try to open the file* 
   2. If a dialog box opens, save the file somewhere you can retrieve it easily (ex: downloads folder, desktop, etc.)
   3. If no dialog box opens, your file saved to the downloads folder on your computer.
8. To the import reference file into Endnote, go back to EndNote Online.
9. Hover over Collect in the menu bar and select Import References. 
10. Select the reference file by clicking the Choose File button. Find and select the .ris file you saved from EBSCO. 
11. Select the database from which you are importing. From the Import Option: dropdown, select Refman RIS. 
12. Send the reference to a group. From the To: dropdown, select [Unfiled], create a new group or select a previously created group. (See the Organizing references tab for more on groups.)
13. Click the Import button. A confirmation message with the number of references imported appears on the page. 

Hint: Add references to a temporary folder in EBSCO to import more than one reference at a time. 

1. From the library homepage, click Web of Science.
2. Perform a search. 
3. In your search results, check the box near the title of article(s) you wish to add. 
4. Click the Export button at the top of the search results and select EndNote Online. 
5. In the pop up box, confirm the number of records to export to EndNote and the amount of citation information to import. 
6. Click Export. 
7. A small endnote icon () appears next to the record.

1. From the library homepage, click Google Scholar. 
2. Perform a search. 
3. Under the article title, locate and click the quotation icon

4. Click EndNote in the pop up box to save the .enw file to your computer.
   • *Do NOT try to open the file* 
   • If a dialog box opens, save the file somewhere you can retrieve it easily (ex: downloads folder, desktop, etc.)
   • If no dialog box opens, your file saved to the downloads folder on your computer.
5. To import references into Endnote, go back to EndNote Online. 
6. Hover over Collect in the top menu and select Import References. 
7. Select the reference file by clicking the Choose File. Find and select the .enw file you saved from Google Scholar. 
8. Select the database from which you are importing. From the Import Option: dropdown, select EndNote Import. 
9. Send the reference to a group. From the To: dropdown, select [Unfiled], create a new group or select a previously created group. (See the Organizing references tab for more on groups.)

Optional: You can set your Google account to show an EndNote link under results for one-click downloading of .enw files. Click the three bars on the left of Google Scholar to access the settings page. Under bibliography manager, set ‘Show import citation links to’ to Endnote. 

To create a reference for a website or book, you’ll need to make a reference ‘by hand’ entering the citation information.

1. Hovering over Collect in the menu and selecting New Reference. 
2. Select the Reference Type (book, website, etc.)
3. Fill in the appropriate fields 
   • The author field 
   • The title field 
   • The year field 
   • The publisher field (this includes website too) 
   • The URL field if applicable 
   • The access date field 
4. Reference is auto saved to [Unfiled].