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EndNote

  • Use a reference management tool til organise your references

What is EndNote?

EndNote is a reference tool, which assists you in keeping track of your sources and ensures that everything you refer to in your written work will appear in your bibliography. A bibliography that your reference tool automatically will create for you, in the output style of your choice.

Once you have installed EndNote on your computer, you can create an EndNote online account, which is your online backup solution. It also allows you to synchronize the contents of your EndNote library with your iPad or any other computer as well as share your references.

Students and employees at AU are able to download and install EndNote for free.

EndNote is compatible with both Windows and Mac OS and works well with Word - check compatibility and system requirements.


Getting started with EndNote

Download EndNote

EndNote and Microsoft Office 365

Windows: Microsoft Word must be installed locally on your computer in order for it to work with EndNote. EndNote does not work with Word Online.

Mac: Microsoft Word must be installed locally on your computer in order for it to work with EndNote. EndNote does not work with Word Online.


Get off to a good start with EndNote

  • When you have downloaded and installed EndNote you can find help on how to get off to at good start by using one of the guides we have listed on our page. 
  • Save your EndNote library locally on your computer. EndNote recommends that you DO NOT save your EndNote library to the cloud (Dropbox, OneDrive, SharePoint, Box Sync, Google Drive, iCloud, etc.).  
  • From most databases and search engines you can export references directly in to EndNote. It might be an advantage to you to export references directly when you are searching literature in several places anyway. 
  • To get Word to use the references in your EndNote library you have to use the plugin that is installed automatically together with EndNote (Cite While You Write (CWYW)).
  • If you encounter any errors in your bibliography which EndNote has generated, you have to go to your EndNote library to that specific reference and correct it - not in your Word document.
  • If you wish to add text or page numbers in your citations in your running text you have to use the function "Edit & Manage Citation(s)" in your EndNote plugin in Word. If you add text manually in your citations in Word these will be deleted the next time EndNote updates your citations and your bibliography. Read more about this in EndNote's knowledge base.

Why should I use EndNote?

You create a library in which you store data about your references. In this way you will always have information about your sources at hand and you do not have to re-order a book because you forgot to make a note about a publication year, a specific page number or something else. EndNote organises and keeps track of your references for you. 

You can use EndNote profitably to organise your references. You can create folders containing sources used for a specific article, a specific assignment, a specific subject. You can add your own notes and comments to your references. This could be notes about on which page you have found something relevant for you. Or notes about why a specific theory maybe cannot be used in your assignment. 

You can save your texts, the files that matches your references in EndNote. In this way you will always have access to your texts. The texts can be read directly in EndNote, where you are able to highlight and comment in the texts as well.

The main advantage of using EndNote is that it  automatically can help you citing and creating a bibliography when you are writing your text in Word. All this by using Cite While You Write (CWYW) which is a plugin that is automatically installed in your Word program. 

Read more about EndNote.

How can I share my EndNote library?

You can share your EndNote library with other EndNote users by using EndNote Online - see video about sharing EndNote libraries (04:15).

EndNote does not recommend sharing via Dropbox or other cloud services because there is a risc of files being destroyed when they are sent back and forth.

Contact and support

If you have problems with or questions about EndNote you are more than welcome to write us - or contact your local library. We would like to help you!