Sub sections:

Importing and copying references

Learning objectives

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

import and copy references into EndNote.

Importing references from a database

There are three basic options for importing references from a database. These are:

Direct Export. This is possible when the database you are using includes an option to save directly to EndNote. Google Scholar is a good example: you can set your Google Scholar preferences so that each search result will include an Import into EndNote link. Clicking on this link tells Google Scholar to down load the reference to this item into EndNote. This works best if you have your EndNote Library open. It is also a good idea note to be viewing the contents of an individual reference. How well the information transfers depends on how accurately the information provider has tagged each item of bibliographic information.
Using Filters: When a database does not provide direct export to EndNote, the process of importing references becomes a little more complicated. You must save references from the database to a text file in a tagged format on your desktop. Then, in EndNote, you must either use the File>Import feature to select the tagged text file for import or click on the Import Button icon on the main EndNote toolbar. Either way, you need to choose the appropriate filter for this task. The Help Files in EndNote include a list of Output Formats with Corresponding Import Options. Reading this list will enable you to identify the appropriate filters for the databases you are using.
Online Search. EndNote will also allow you to search a database over the Web without leaving EndNote. The new network makes this possible for a wider range of databases.

Importing using direct export from a database

Many databases now allow you to select records and then send them directly to your EndNote library. With databases such as Web of Science, this feature works very well. With others, you will find that the records do not import accurately. In such cases, you may find it better to download the records separately as a tagged file.

To import references from Web of Science, follow these steps:

Go to Web of Science
Enter a keyword in the Search box and click on the Search button.
Click in the check box next to an individual items to select this item. Repeat this process for each item you require.
Click on the Add to Mark List button to add your selections to a list. Repeat this process on subsequent pages.
Click on the Marked List tab at the top of the screen.
Select the fields you wish to include if you want more than the default fields. You might, for example, wish to include abstract or keywords in your download (Fig. 10).
Click on the Save to EndNote, RefMan, ProCite button.
Web of Science will open your copy of EndNote and prompt you to select the required EndNote library using the standard Windows or Macintosh Open dialogue box.
Double click the EndNote library you require. Web of Science then exports the references to your library.
Don’t forget to check your references before integrating them with the rest of your EndNote library.

Figure 7: Web of Science Output Options

Importing downloaded references with a filter

A filter is a piece of software that will take a set of references which have been downloaded from a database and convert them to a format compatible with your EndNote library.

The file of references must be in plain text (*.txt) and must be split up into labelled fields, something like this:

AU: Smith, J.
TI: New developments in instructional software
SO: Journal of Educational Technology, vol. 3 (2001): 305-318

A filter is specific to a particular database (eg Medline, PsycInfo). When the database is marketed by more than one company, separate filters will be required for each vendor's platform (eg Medline from Ovid, Medline from SilverPlatter, Medline from CSA).

EndNote X3 comes with 100 filters. Additional filters can be found at the University Library EndNote filters page.

Activity

Sometimes you will need to download a filter for a specialised database that isn't among the standard filters that comes with EndNote.

For practice, let's download the filter for PsycINFO, a bibliographic database that indexes articles about Psychology.

Browse through the list of filters on the UNE EndNote filters page until you find the filter for the database PsycINFO (CSA).

Right-click on folder icon and choose Save Target As to begin the download of the relevant filter.
Save it in your EndNote Filters folder. This folder will be inside the EndNote folder created by EndNote when you installed the program. The location of this folder will vary depending on your computer's operating system.

Importing using Filters

The most commonly available method is to import tagged files using EndNote's filters. To import a tagged file into your EndNote library, follow these steps:

Click on the Import Button icon or choose File>Import. You should see a dialogue box that looks like Figure 8.

Figure 8: Import Dialogue Box

Now click on the Choose File button. This will open a standard Open File dialogue box.
Find the tagged file which you have downloaded to your desktop.
Click on the file name.
Click on the Open button. This will return you to the previous dialogue box.
In the box labelled Import Option, click on the down arrow to see the standard import options. If the import option you require is not available, click on Other Filters to see the list of filters (Figure 9).

filters list

Figure 9: Filters List

Browse down the list of databases until you find the appropriate filter for the file you have downloaded.
Click once on the filter name.
Click on the Choose button. This will return you to the previous dialogue box. If the filter you require is not here, follow the steps in the Activity above to download a filter from the UNE filters page.
Check that, in the Text Translation box, the default option Unicode (UTF-8) is visible (this last step may vary depending on the database in question). The dialogue box should now look something like Figure 10:

import dialog box

Figure 10: Import Dialogue Box

Click on the Import button.

The references you have just imported will be visible in the library window. To see all the references in the EndNote library, choose Show All References command from the References menu.

Once you have chosen a filter, it becomes a "favourite" and will be be available from the pull-down menu in Figure 10. You will not need to search the Filter folder for the filter again.

Checking your data

After you have imported a new set of data from an external database, spend a few moments checking that your data is "clean". Look for consistency in author and title names, capitalization and for missing data before integrating your data with the rest of your library.

See Garbage in, Garbage Out in the previous module.

Online search mode

The Online search mode allows you to search a database over the Web, without leaving EndNote.

The new UNE network means that this is a useful method of searching a growing number of online library catalogues. This method will also work with some online databases (such as Web of Science). However, searches using connection files usually lead to poor quality results than searchers carried out in the database's native interface, so this method is not recommended.

To start an online search, choose Tools>Online Search. This will then bring up the Choose a Connection window. Click on the name of the database or library catalogue you wish to search and then click on Choose. This will select the Connection file that EndNote will use to search the database.

This will open a Online Search window. You can then choose your search options using a set of pull-down menus. Note that your search options are different depending on the appropriate connection file.

You are now ready to proceed to the next part: Searching and sorting your library.

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