Hunter College
GSR 716:  Workshop in Using Information Technology for Research
Spring 2007
Manfred Kuechler


Last update:  5 Jan 2007
Recommended monitor resolution: 1280 x 1024   (how to)

Using EndNote at Hunter: Tips for Saving References from Selected Databases


For the most part, this document assumes that you are using a Win XP computer with EndNote X.0.2 installed (check vendor site on  Win Vista compatibility ).  For downloading and installing instructions (including other operating systems) see separate document.  It assumes further that you have a basic familiarity with EndNote, e.g., by having studied the Getting Started Guide (105 pages, the full manual is 680 pages),  the basic tip sheets or other support materials (including animated tutorials and 'webinars') available on the EndNote support site.  

This document will discuss how EndNote is best used with  specific databases available to the Hunter community and what modifications to your EndNote installation you should make. The focus is on databases particularly important for the social sciences and -- even more specifically -- for the paper assignment in GSR716 (social policy topics). This document also assumes that you are familiar with these databases (see overview) and their user interfaces.

Supposedly, EndNote X provides the same functionality under Windows and Mac though there are slight differences in display and certain keystroke combinations are different between Windows and Mac. However, by and large, the content of this document should be of interest to Mac users as well. There are, however, functionality differences between EndNote X.0.2 and earlier versions (like version 7 the latest version running under Win 98/Me). So, if you have an old computer which cannot be updated to EndNote X.0.2., not all of the following may apply or work . More information on version differences.

Finally, you may also want to take a look at two companion documents; one about using the new "web option" in EndNote and the other about using the MS Word/EndNote integration.

Filter and Connection Files

As a quick reminder:
So, typically you would use one or the other. There are advantages and disadvantages to each approach. Going to a database independently lets you use all features of the user interface for this database, and if you typically use only a limited number of different databases this may be your best bet. But you have to learn how to use these different user interfaces rather than just the one interface in EndNote. At Hunter, you don't have a choice when it comes to "licensed" rather than "free" databases. The connection files EndNotes provides for databases like EBSCO assume that you have a personal user name and password to access the database. In contrast, CUNY/Hunter access to licensed data bases ("authentication") is -- with a few exceptions -- via IP address. And to connect to a licensed data base directly (from within EndNote) you need to use the "Z39.50" server of the provider (like EBSCO) rather than the web server (as for use with a web browser). So, you cannot fix the problem yourself based on what you know about normal (via web browser) access to these data bases. Hunter would have to make special connection files available, but this has not happened and it doubt whether it will ever happen. Support for bibliographical software does not rank high on the library's priority list.

The only connection file Hunter provides is for the CUNY+ catalog ("CUNY-Hunter.enz") which you should download from the Hunter library.  As to other free databases, use the connection files provided by EndNote.  

Especially when you are running an older version of EndNote, make sure that you have installed all available connection/filter files and that all connection/filter files are current. If  there are bugs in a filter file, your imported references will not show correctly. And -- unfortunately -- such  bugs and glitches are not uncommon. The current  filter (.enf) and connection (.enz) files can be downloaded from the EndNote web site; simply right click on the link labeled "FTP" next to a filter or connection, select "save target as" (exact wording varies with the browser you use), and save the file in the matching EndNote folder, typically:
Unfortunately, these pages on the EndNote web site are badly designed in that you cannot search efficiently for a specific filter or connection file. You have noticed a glitch (import did not proceed as expected) and you are now looking for a more recent version of a filter file. There are filtering (only show certain subtypes) and sorting (by date, database name, etc.)  options which help somewhat but the result list is broken up into  many pages. But if you go to the ftp site directly, you get all filters (connections) displayed on one page and you can use the "Edit"/"Find in this page" function of your browser to locate the wanted file (or get a negative response "not found") quickly: Filters, Connections.

No special installation needed (other than putting the downloaded filter/connection file into the correct folder); EndNote will recognize the additions when you access a menu using a filter/connection list like:
It may be necessary to restart EndNote before an added or changed filter/connection becomes available.  See the sections on specific databases below about which filters you definitely should add or replace.  Do this before you start searching in  a particular data base, it is a one time operation.  But there is always a chance you notice only later on that something does not work quite right with a specific filter, so keep the procedure described above in mind.


A. EBSCO

As long as no Hunter/CUNY-specific connection files are available, connect to EBSCO as usual and use the EBSCO interface to conduct your search. When you  find a suitable item, you can either save it in a folder first (and later export the references for all items in the folder) or you can export the bibliographical information immediately:










When you click the "Save" button (on the left),  the selected references are downloaded, EndNote is started automatically and all you have to do is to select the "EndNote library" where you want your references to go.

Technically, this is done by sending this file with the mime type "application/x-research-info-systems" and the ".ris" extension. When installing EndNote,  a helper program named "risweb32.exe" is also installed and the ".ris" extension is registered to open with this application. This helper program then opens EndNote (if not already open) and makes EndNote prompt you for the name of a "library" (.enl file). Depending on the browser you use, it may be necessary to fiddle a bit with the browser configuration to make sure that a  ".ris" file  is not simply written (saved) to disk but rather that it is "opened". But this is a one time adjustment, and saving references this way is almost as convenient as a direct connection.  You first time you do this, you may see a window asking you what to do with .ris file:

Simply select the "open with" button and check the box at bottom, and in the future you will go to EndNote automatically.

If you are working on a lab computer, this may not work (if the lab manager has not set this up in advance) as you may not have the appropriate "folder access permissions". You have better luck with using another browser (MS IE vs. Firefox and vice versa), but  there is only so much you can do -- if it is not your own computer.

But here is an alternative: You can always save the ".ris" file to disk and then start the import process manually (open EndNote, select a library, "file"/"import", name the saved ".ris" file as "Import Data File" and then select "Reference Manager (RIS)" as the "Import Option".

By default, the exported file with your references is named "delivery.RIS". Of course, you can save it under another name -- which is actually a good idea if you don't want to overwrite files previously downloaded.

Using this alternate approach has actually an advantage as it allows you to select a "text translation". By default, no text translation is used. When downloading from the EBSCO database, you should use "Unicode". Otherwise, some your entries may not display correctly -- those using non-Western languages (e.g., Chinese, Cyrillic, Hebrew) and those using special characters like quotation marks in a title. See the folder list above for an example (the second title starting with 'Go West Young Man').

See the same reference as it appears without (automatic transfer) and with appropriate text translation (alternative method) in your EndNote library:


How a reference will look like in the reference section of your paper depends on the "style" you choose (like APA 5th). In contrast to APA 5th, I require that the persistent/stable URL to the full text (or a page with a link to the full text -- in EBSCO the pdf version of the full text is usually available from the main page for the particular item) is shown in clear text and I have created an additional style called "GSR716" (which is APA 5th plus display of persistent URL).  Simply download the matching file "GSR716.ens" and save it to styles folder. Typically, this would be
You can then select this style and display any record (reference) in your EndNote library according to this style:


B. CSA (includes SAGE Collections)

As long as no Hunter/CUNY-specific connection files are available, connect to any CSA data base (which includes the SAGE collections) as usual and use the CSA interface to conduct your search.  When dealing with an interdisciplinary topic (like in our class) it is advantageous to search all SAGE social science data bases simultaneously by changing the selected data base as shown in the screen shot below:


When done with your search and ready to save, go to the "Save, Print, Email" page, change the setting from "Short Format" to "Full format", indicate the operating system of your computer (PC/Mac/Unix), and then click the "save" button as shown in the next screen shot.  Note that if you do not switch to "Full format" persistent URLs will not be exported and you would have to add them manually. On the other hand, you do not have to pick a "bibliographic style" this choice does not affect what you save. (The page is not well designed!)




Upon clicking the "Save" button,  a file named "csaresults.txt" is sent to your browser, but unlike other .txt files it is not (or at least should not -- but this depends on the browser you use) displayed on screen, rather you are prompted to provide a file name and the location where it should be saved on your computer. (Technically, this is achieved by sending this file with the mime type "application/octet-stream".)  The location where you save this file does not matter (as long as you remember where you put the file), but you may want to change the original file name  to make sure that you don't -- inadvertently -- overwrite a file, e.g., in case you search two different CSA databases and save records from both searches.

The saved file "csaresults.txt" (or whatever you renamed it) must then be imported into EndNote. As for any import, you need both the file with the references and an "import filter" (which determines how EndNote reads the file with references. However, many of the CSA import filters supplied with the EndNote installation file do not work properly as they put journal title, page number, and year of publication all together in the "notes" field -- though some, e.g., "Sociological Abs (CSA).enf" is dated 5/16/05 and the EndNote filter site even has a date of 10/18/2006.  One CSA filter which appears to work fine for all social science data bases is  "Comm Studies (CSA).enf" (dated 11/8/2005).  Be careful, as many filter names are quite similar.

The following two screen shots illustrate the import process -- after you have added the needed filter (if necessary):


Note that if you have not used a specific filter before, you need to click on "Other Filters ..." and select the needed one. This filter is then added to your filter menu (as shown in the first screen shot). You may leave the other two entries at their default values (as shown in the second screen shot). If you have EndNote 8 or better, you may consider choosing "Unicode (UTF-8)" as this provides better handling of special characters, e.g., used in non-English languages. E.g., there may be accents in French or Spanish author names. However, in contrast to EBSCO, "Unicode (UTF-16)" does not work.



C. ScienceDirect  (Elsevier Journals)

As long as no Hunter/CUNY-specific connection files are available, connect to ScienceDirect as usual and use the ScienceDirect interface to conduct your search. As a reminder, select "Social Sciences" to limit your search. When you have concluded your search and made your selection, click the "Export References" button at the top of the results list to initiate the saving process (shown in the two screen shots below):





The rest  is the same as with EBSCO as described above.



D. JSTOR

As long as no Hunter/CUNY-specific connection files are available, connect to JSTOR as usual and use the JSTOR interface to conduct your search.  JSTOR offers "save citation" links in the last line of each entry on the results page. When done selecting, click the "view saved citations" link on the top right on the results list. You can just stay with the default selection as shown in the screen shot below:





JSTOR now  offer export in Reference Manager format (a recent improvement).  So, the rest is the same as with EBSCO and ScienceDirect.  The automatic transfer even leaves quotation marks in a title intact, but other special characters like the accent on the "o" in "migracion" (second title in the screen shot above) are lost.

E. Lexis-Nexis

LN does not offer any save option suitable for import into EndNote or any other bibliographic software. The only option offered is to send the references as they appear on screen as an e-mail message. Then, you have enter the information manually into your EndNote library -- piece by piece, a very cumbersome and tedious process. On the other hand, this way you can be sure that all pieces of information end up in the correct fields. And this is something you need to check anyway when "importing" wholesale. As the CSA example above shows, filters do not always work properly and or the information provider sets up the export file incorrectly (see NYPL below) so that even a correct filter produces flawed entries in your EndNote library.

F. CUNYplus

  1. Direct Connection from within EndNote
  2. Using the CUNYplus web interface: save and import

Direct Connection from within EndNote

Using the special Hunter-CUNY connection file (remember you have to download the connection file first as described above) to connect from within EndNote:



In this case, you use the standard EndNote user interface (rather than the CUNYplus interface):




You can construct very complex searches (aka "Boolean" searches using logical connectors like "and" and "or").  Initially only three search fields are shown, but you can add more by clicking on "More" in the lower left corner which will make additional buttons visible including an  "Add Field" and an "Insert Field" button.  (Note that how many search fields are shown initially depends on the connection file and will vary from database to database.)

Note that the term "field" is used with a double meaning here. For one, what I would call "search boxes" are referred as "fields" (the buttons we just discussed). And within each "search box" you have a "field" pull-down menu (where field refers to the different types of information used for each bibliographical record).  Which of these "fields" are offered (and you can use to specify what you are looking for) depends on the  database you are connecting to. After you have specified your search string  (via the boxes), you click the "Search" in the lower right corner which triggers a search in the external database (here: CUNYplus).

Unlike a search directly in CUNYplus, you only get the number of references which match your search specification. If you want to actually see any of these, you need to retrieve (download) them. Be careful here as this download can be rather slow (even if you have a fast Internet connection). However, you can limit this retrieval to say the first ten or twenty by changing the number shown (here: 61) before clicking the "OK" button. This way you avoid a long wait for the references to be retrieved and you can preview some of the references quickly:




One thing you will  notice quickly: There are quite a few duplicates, like the book by Smith (2001) in the screen shot above. This is due to the fact that the search was done in the combined CUNY catalog so  a title is listed for each individual CUNY college library which has it. In theory, it should be possible to select whether the "whole library" should be searched or just a part (like specifically the Hunter library). You can do this when you use the web interface to CUNYplus, but the current connection file does not allow this (the relevant pull-down menu is grayed out, see next to last screen shot above). Hopefully, maybe at some point in the future we will get an improved connection file which allows us to make such a choice, but -- as stated before -- support for EndNote has very low priority at the Hunter library.

Also, it is not apparent in which order the found references are listed and there is no way to express a preference. It seems, however, that more recently published titles come last -- without that the references are strictly ordered by publication date. Still, if you want to retrieve only part of the references (to save time), you should select from the bottom, e.g., references 40 to 61 in this example. But whether you retrieve all or just part of the references found, the next step is to select titles of interest (using the "preview" window to get at least the basics for each title); as usual, you can make multiple selections by holding down the CTRL key while clicking an entry. Then, you can copy the selected references into an EndNote library. (Though the references are already on your computer, they are in a temporary file, and in order to keep them for good you need to copy them (or the ones you are interested in) into an EndNote library for further inspection and modification (like adding notes and comments).



Alternatively, you may want to weed out duplicates before you even screening the individual titles. This can be easily done via "References"/"Find Duplicates" which will select all duplicated items followed by  "References"/"Delete References" which will delete them all with one keystroke. So, even if your search produced hundreds of hits (and  a great number of duplicates) weeding out the duplicates is quick and easy.


Save in CUNYplus and import to EndNote

Given the limitations of the current CUNYplus connection file, you may want to consider using the web interface to the CUNY+ and then save and import the titles of interest to you -- basically the same way you deal with the databases discussed above. Here are the details; the procedure is by no means obvious.

Using the web interface to CUNY+ you get a much more informative result list (see screen shot below). Also, I get fewer results this way as if I would use the simpler search for just "charter schools" from within EndNote. Apparently, the web interface interprets my search string as two consecutive words ("charter schools") whereas the EndNote interface treats it as an implied "and" operator ("charter" and "schools").  Also, the latest published titles are listed first. Here is the screen shot:



After you have made your selection (using the check boxes) select "Save/Mail" and -- on the next page --  "save" selected records as "MARC tags" via download to your computer.



If you do not include an e-mail address (and you should not because chances are that the MARC format gets messed up  via e-mail transport), you get another page where you have to confirm your choice to save/download. This page says "PC", but this may be just sloppy wording. I don't see any reason why this should not work for Macs.



There is another complication in that the file is downloaded has a  .sav extension (which is also used by SPSS). So, if you have SPSS installed on your computer, your browser may be set to open this file with SPSS which will result in an error message.  So, make sure that you download this file to disk, e.g., by using the right-click menu of your mouse.  While saving you may also want to change the extension from ".sav" to ".txt" and provide a more meaningful name, but this is not necessary.

After saving to disk, this file can be imported into EndNote. As there is currently no import filter for CUNYplus, use "Harvard U" as the "import option" (see attached screen shot for more details:



G. NYPL (CATNYP)

There is no connection file for CATNYP, the catalog of the research division of the New York Public Library (located at Fifth Avenue between 41st and 42nd Street). This catalog is of great interest for people at Hunter given the limited holdings at Hunter and at CUNY in general. At NYPL, books can be only used on premises, they can never be checked out, and thus you can get quick access (notwithstanding that books disappear and the catalog holdings not always match reality).

The web interface for CATNYPoffers save choices supposedly suited for import into EndNote. (The visual appearance is a bit snazzier now, but the structure is unchanged, so I have not updated the following screen shots.)



After you click "Save Marked Records", your selection marks disappear and two more buttons show up in the top bar:


 


You need to change to default settings, to "EndNote" on the left and to "Local Disk" on the right.  The file is named "export.txt", make sure that your browser saves it to disk rather than displays it on screen.  When given a choice, select "save" rather than "open".

When importing use the following setting:


Unfortunately, NYPL does not prepare the export file correctly. The publication date comes with the wrong "tag" ("%8" rather than "%D"), multiple authors are specified incorrectly, and more. So, importing an export file from NYPL require extensive manual correction work. As this format ("tagged EndNote Import") is based on a generally accepted convention (Refer/BiblX), it is clearly the fault of NYPL (not of EndNote) that the import produces rather messy results.

Recommendation:
Do not use CATNYP for searches in the early phase of research. Rather use the catalog of the Library of Congress (below) which allows a direct connection from EndNote and proper import of selected references.  Use the CATNYP catalog only to check whether a specific title is available at NYPL (so that you can get hold of it, if not available at Hunter --  always a good chance), not for documentation purposes.


H. Library of Congress

Though not in physical proximity (hence no physical access to conventional printed books), the LoC had comprehensive holdings and you are not likely to miss important titles (always a good possibility when relying just on CUNYplus).

Connect directly from EndNote using the EndNote search interface discussed above. 

If you are using a computer behind a firewall, it is possible that this connection will not work  as it uses a different "port" than what a web browser uses. However, this all depends on the exact configuration of the firewall. At Hunter, we do have a firewall in place and there is no problem with the EndNote/LoC connection whatsoever.  If you are in an overly restrictive firewall setting, you could try to talk to the people in charge of the firewall and ask them to allow outgoing connections to IP address 140.147.249.38 port 7090 (this is the LoC Z39.50 server EN uses).  Also, note that Win XP comes with its own firewall (just for your computer). While the default settings will not interfere with the EndNote/LoC connection, you may have changed the default settings to a higher security level and you may be -- unintentionally -- locking yourself out.

While the LoC catalog is also accessible via a web interface,  and selected references can be saved in "MARC" format (detailed help page at LoC), I have not been able so far to locate a matching import filter for EndNote. There are some "MARC" filters available, but "MARC" comes in many different flavors, and the one used by LoC for its web interface is not currently not supported by EndNote.  At this time, the only alternative to connecting from EndNote directly is to save references as "text" and then input this information into EndNote piece by piece manually -- not a good strategy.