Endnote

Get an EndNote Web Account Here – We recommend that you use your ISU email address when signing up. 

EndNote Web – What is it?

EndNote Web is a cloud-computing bibliographic management application. Its purpose is to help you to collect, organize, and use citations in your research. With an EndNote Web account, you can keep track of up to 50,000 references and format them in over 3800 different citation styles. The software allows you to organize your citations into groups so that material for multiple projects can be kept separate and even shared with other users as you like.

References can be imported into the software directly from an article database and, if you have a PDF or other file of the article, you can attach it to the reference so that you know where to find it later (up to a 2GB total for your account).

When you need to use your references in a paper you’re writing, the software has a few ways to make your life easier. EndNote Web can create a bibliography for you from your stored references, in whatever citation format you choose. Alternately, if you download and install the Cite-While-You-Write plugin (available for download from inside your EndNote Web account), you can have the software insert in-line citations and automatically generate a bibliography in your Microsoft Word document as you’re writing.

What are the different versions of EndNote?

"EndNote Web" is no longer an actual product name, but we use that phrase here at the ISU Library to distinguish our subscription from other terms. Here are some quick definitions you might see in use:

EndNote Basic is a free cloud-based version of EndNote that is open for use by anyone. It currently offers 21 popular citation styles, the ability to store 50,000 individual references, 2GB of storage for attachments like article PDF files, and other basic features. Technically, when you are creating a free account without purchasing any of the software, this is what you are signing up for, so don’t be confused if you see this name in your account information.

EndNote Web is an old product name that is still in use by some websites, but it’s also the term we use here at the ISU Library to refer the cloud-based version that the ISU Library supports through workshops and training. EndNote Web is a much more powerful version of EndNote Basic that is available free to the ISU community due to the ISU Library's subscription to the Web of Science databases. The main difference with the EndNote Basic product is that all ISU students, faculty, and staff can make use of over 3800 citation styles rather than only the most common 21 (and more can be added or created by the Library’s EndNote contact person listed below).

EndNote X9 is desktop software you buy and install on your own computer. It does not require an Internet connection to use, although it can be synced with EndNote Online - see below. It is the most complex and has the most options of any EndNote product, but you must purchase it yourself and the Library does not support all of its features. EndNote currently provides unlimited reference storage, unlimited attachment storage, and more than 6000 citation styles (plus the ability to add or create more yourself). X9 is simply the most recent version number, so if you’ve seen EndNote X7 or X8 those are simply older versions with fewer features.

EndNote Online is a cloud application that provides owners of the full EndNote software to have unlimited reference storage and five GB of attachment storage. You must first purchase the full EndNote software to have access to EndNote Online. In addition to the features of the EndNote Web category above, it currently offers unlimited storage of references, 5 GB of attachment storage, and the ability to synchronize your reference library between your computer and the cloud.

You can compare the features of some of the different EndNote products here. There is also a tablet app that you can use to manage some features of your EndNote reference library and it will sync to any of the account types listed above.

EndNote Web Support at the Iowa State University Library

All Liaison Librarians are familiar with EndNote Web and can help you in getting your account set up and using it. If you have further questions about EndNote Web, please contact Jesse Garrison at jesse@iastate.edu. He is the main contact person for EndNote Web questions and the coordinator of the Library’s EndNote Web workshops.  

You can also visit the Library's EndNote & EndNote Web Guide for general tips, tutorials, and links to more information.  The EndNote company also has a series of video tutorials available online.

EndNote Web Workshops

The Library teaches EndNote Web workshops throughout the year.  The workshops are introductory and require no previous experience with EndNote Web. You also can arrange to have an EndNote Web session for your class.  To arrange a class session, contact your liaison librarian.