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EndNote: Frequently Asked Questions

Introduction to Library support for EndNote Desktop and EndNote Online.

Questions by category

 
Q: I have installed EndNote on my Windows machine, but it is asking for a license key. Where do I find it?
A: You have missed an essential step in the installation instructions.

Once you have downloaded the software you still need to extract the files in the download folder to your desktop in order for the installer to see the license file:

  1. Uninstall the application
     
  2. Go back to the download folder and extract the files to a location on your device (usually the desktop)

    Extract files button 
    Click image to enlarge
     
  3. Run the installer from the extracted files location on your desktop.
 
Q: The EndNote tab has disappeared from my toolbar.
A: If EndNote does not appear as a tab in the toolbar it may be that Word was open when you installed EndNote or that there is a compatibility issue.

Here are a few things to try:

If that fails, or if you have already installed the update, please try the following:

  • Close and re-open Word. Now try to use EndNote tools.

    1. Open a Word document.
    2. Go to "Tools > Templates and Add-Ins".
    3. You should see the below EndNote files listed under "Global Templates and Add-ins"
      • EndNote CWYW Word 2016.dotm 
      • EndNote CWYW Word 2016.bundle
      • EndNote CWYW Word 16.bundle
    4. If any of these file(s) is unchecked, check it, and click OK.
 
Q: Is there an issue with exporting to EndNote on a Mac?
A: There are known problems using Direct Export with Chrome and current Safari browsers on a macOS system.

In most cases, instead of importing directly into EndNote, the browser will instead save a file onto the Desktop. This is due to the way these browsers handle MIME types; they interfere with the ability to directly export from certain websites into EndNote.

Try accessing the website and exporting using a Mozilla-based browser instead (see http://www.firefox.com/). Mozilla-based browsers like Firefox allow you to specify how to handle the data when you initiate a direct export, permitting you to select the EndNote application.

NOTE:  If you minimise your library before you try to export from Firefox it will not get imported. You need to leave the library open and not minimised for it to directly import into the open library.

 

From Clarivate FAQ: https://support.clarivate.com/Endnote/s/article/FAQ-Import-Export-Query?language=en_US

 
Q: My imported PDF has no details in the EndNote library. What do I do?
A: Most PDFs are created with a Digital Object Identifier (DOI), providing EndNote with all the citation information to automatically populate the required fields in EndNote.

However, not all PDFs have DOIs and they will import without any citation information in your library. You will need to manually add the required information into the record in your EndNote Library.

Q: How you can get Endnote 20 to add  PDFs to references.
A: You can set up Endnote 20 to do this in preferences.
  • Go to Edit>Preferences
  • Then go to, Find Full Text
  • In the openurl box put: http://jq6am9xs3s.search.serialssolutions.com/
  • In the authenticate with: url box put https://ucd.idm.oclc.org/login
 
Q: I'm having trouble installing EndNote on my ChromeBook
A: EndNote is not compatible with all platforms.

Unfortunately, EndNote Desktop is currently only compatible with Windows and Mac Operating systems. Try using EndNote online instead.

Q: I tried to install the Cite While you Write browser Extension to integrate with Google Docs, but I get a message saying, "This application is not allowed by your administrator".
A: UCD IT Services policy does not allow the use of 3rd party extensions without proper agreements in place to ensure adequate data security and privacy protections in accordance with the provisions of GDPR.

If you still wish to use this extension, we recommend you use a personal google account to download and install the extension in your browser. However, you should consider the security risks carefully before granting access to your Google drive content.

Q: How do I modify my in text citations if I directly name the author in my sentence and only want the year to appear in the parentheses?
A: You need to edit the citation format.

To do this:

  1. click on the citation in your document 
  2. open the edit & manage citation(s) window from the endnote toolbar. 
  3. In the lower half of the pop-up window you will see a format option with a dropdown list of choices. Select "exclude author" from this list if you want just the year displayed in parentheses (2018).