EndNote essentials

Export references from databases

Most research databases let you export citation details straight into EndNote. This means you can quickly create references without typing them yourself. When you are searching in a database, look for options like: Export, Direct export, Export to reference manager, Send to Citation Manager, or Export to RIS. These terms indicate that the database can send citation information directly to EndNote.

Each database works a bit differently, so if you are not sure how to export your references, check the Help section in the database for instructions.



It is important to preview your references to make sure they are formatted correctly in the referencing style you have chosen. EndNote is not able to tell if any information is wrong or missing, so you should always compare your references with the referencing guide or style manual to make sure they are accurate.

Manually create references

Sometimes you will need to add references yourself, especially for sources that cannot be exported from a database—like printed books, reports, or websites.



  1. Click on the New Reference icon or go to the References menu and select New Reference
  2. Choose a Reference Type from the drop down list. The default is Journal Article. Check the guide below to see which type to use for the Curtin EndNote styles
  3. Fill in the details for your item in the relevant fields. You only need to complete the fields required for your chosen referencing style
  4. When you have entered all the required information, click Save (Windows), or click the red cross in the top left corner of the New Reference window (Mac).
  5. The reference will now be added to your library.

Filling in the Author field

When you enter author names in EndNote, follow these rules:

  • Use the format: Last Name, First Name. Example: Smith, John J.
  • Put each author on a new line
  • For corporate authors (like organisations or government departments), add a comma at the end of the name. Example: Department of Health,
  • Use correct capitalisation when typing author names.

Reference types to select and fields to populate

This short guide explains which reference types to choose and which fields to fill in when using the Curtin EndNote styles for: APA 7th, Chicago 18th Author-Date and Vancouver.

Important tips:

  • Always check your references in EndNote against the referencing guide to make sure they are accurate.
  • When adding a reference to EndNote, you only need to enter the basic information. Unless this guide says otherwise, do not add punctuation or formatting such as: colons, full stops, brackets, italics, or words like In, Retrieved from, ed., or Ed. EndNote will automatically add these when it formats your reference.

APA 7th reference types

  • For print items, leave the DOI/URL field blank
  • If the author and the Source/Publisher are the same, leave the Publisher field blank
  • Some reference types may require manual changes - see Convert to Plain Text
Reference type EndNote fields Notes
Audiovisual Material
Use for: TV series
For a single episode from a series use Television Episode 		Author, Cast, Year, Title, Type, Publisher, URL Cast field: Enter the contributors role
Blog
Use for: Blog post		 Author, Year, Date, Title of Entry, Title of WebLog, URL  
Book
Use for: Book		 Author, Year, Title, Edition, Publisher, DOI or URL  
Book section
Use for: Chapter in an edited book		 Author, Year, Title, Editor, Book Title, Edition, Pages, Publisher, DOI or URL  
Case
Use for: Case		 Case Name, Year Decided, Reporter Volume, Reporter Abbreviation, First Page, URL  
Conference paper
Use for: Conference paper		 Author, Year, Date, Title, Type, Conference Name, Conference Location, DOI or URL Type field: Enter Paper presentation or Poster presentation
Computer program
Use for: Specific Gen-AI chat, Gen-AI tools		 Programmer, Year, Access Date, Title, Description, Publisher, URL  
Dataset
Use for: Dataset		 Investigators, Year, Title, Distributor, DOI or URL  
Dictionary
Use for: Online dictionary or encyclopedia entry
For an entry in a print dictionary or encyclopedia use Book Section 		Author, Year, Title, Editor, Dictionary Title, Edition, Publisher, Access Date, URL Access Date field: Enter in the format Month Day, Year
Film or Broadcast
Use for: Film or Video		 Director, Year Released, Title, Medium, Distributor, URL Distributor field: Enter the production company. Separate multiple companies with a semi-colon and space
Journal Article
Use for: Journal article		 Author, Year, Title, Journal, Volume, Issue, Pages, DOI or URL  
Journal Article
Use for: Journal article with an article number		 Author, Year, Title, Journal, Volume, Issue, Article Number, DOI or URL Do not populate the Pages field
Journal Article
Use for: Journal article - Advance online publication		 Author, Year, Title, Journal, Label, DOI or URL Label field: Enter Advance online publication
Legal Rule or Regulation
Use for: United Nations Treaties or Conventions		 Title, Date of Code Edition, Year, URL  
Music
Use for: Single song or track		 Composer, Year, Title, Form of Item, Album Title, Publisher, URL Form of Item field: Enter Song
Newspaper Article
Use for: Newspaper article		 Reporter, Year, Issue Date, Title, Newspaper, Pages, URL For a print newspaper, include the page number in the Pages field
Online Database
Use for: AMH, MIMs, Martindale, UpToDate		 Author, Year, Title, Publisher, Date Accessed, URL Date Accessed field: Enter in the format Month Day, Year
Pamphlet
Use for: Brochure, Fact sheet or Pamphlet		 Author, Year, Title, Type of Work, Publisher, URL Type of Work field: Enter the format, e.g. Brochure
Podcast
Use for: Podcast episode
For a whole podcast series use Audiovisual Material 		Author, Year, Title of Podcast, Number, Type, Title of Show, Publisher, URL Type field: Enter Audio podcast episode
Press Release
Use for: Press release		 Author, Year, Date, Title, Type of Work, Publisher, URL Type of Work field: Enter Press release
Report
Use for: Government or organisation report, Australian Curriculum		 Author, Year, Title, Report Number, Institution, DOI or URL For Australian Curriculum, enter the version in the Report Number field
Social Media
Use for: Facebook, Instagram etc.		 Username, Handle, Year, Post Date, Post Text, Type of Work, Provider, URL Enter capitalisation and spelling exactly as it appears in the post
Original Post field: if needed, include the format
Standard
Use for: Standards		 Institution, Year, Title, Document Number, Publisher, URL  
Statute
Use for: Act of Parliament		 Name of Act, Code, Sections, URL  
Television Episode
Use for: TV series episode
For a whole TV series use Audiovisual Material 		Producer, Year, Episode Title, Season, Episode No., Series Director, Title, Distributor, URL Producer field: Enter the writer and director
Series Director field: Enter the executive producers
Manually add the contributors roles
Thesis
Use for: Thesis		 Author, Year, Title, Degree, University, Place Published, URL Degree field: Enter Doctoral dissertation or Master’s thesis
Place Published field: Enter the database name
Web Page
Use for: Webpage on a website		 Author, Year, Title, Publisher, URL  
Web Page
Use for: Webpage on a news website		 Author, Year, Date cited, Title, Publisher, URL Date Cited field: Enter Month Day article was posted
Web Page
Use for: YouTube or streaming video		 Author, Year, Date cited, Title, Type of Medium, Publisher, URL Date Cited field: Enter Month Day video was posted
Type of Medium field: Enter Video
Web Page
Use for: Lecture		 Author, Year, Title, Type of Medium, Publisher, URL Type of Medium field: Enter the format, e.g. iLecture, PowerPoint Slides

Chicago reference types

  • For print items, leave the DOI/URL field blank
  • Some reference types may require manual changes
Reference type EndNote fields Notes
Audiovisual Material
Use for: YouTube or streaming video		 Author, Year, Title, Publisher, Format, Extent of Work, URL Enter Video in the Format field
Enter the running length time in the Extent of Work field
Blog
Use for: Blog post		 Author, Year, Date, Title of Entry, Title of WebLog, Description, URL Enter the word blog in the Description field if it doesn’t appear in the blog name
Book
Use for: Book		 Author, Year, Title, Edition, Publisher, DOI or URL Enter EPUB in the Type of Work field if the book was accessed in EPUB format
Book section
Use for: Chapter in an edited book		 Author, Year, Title, Book Title, Editor, Edition, Publisher, DOI or URL Enter EPUB in the Label field if the book was accessed in EPUB format
Case
Use for: Case		 Case Name, Year Decided, Reporter Volume, Reporter Abbreviation, First Page, URL  
Conference paper
Use for: Conference paper		 Author, Year, Title, Conference Name, Conference Location, Date, DOI or URL  
Dataset
Use for: Dataset, Dataset created using a company database		 Investigators, Year, Title, Dataset(s), Original Release Date, DOI or URL For a dataset from company database, enter Dataset in the Dataset(s) field and include an include an Access Date in the format Month Day, Year
Film or Broadcast
Use for: Film or Video		 Director, Year Released, Title, Distributor, Date released, Format, URL Add the contributor’s role in the Cast field, e.g. Director
Generic
Use for: News broadcasts, Company and industry report created using a database, Company and industry profile from a database, Lecture		 Author, Year, Title, Secondary Title, Date, Type of Work, Publisher, DOI or URL  
Journal Article
Use for: Journal article, Journal article with an article number, Journal article - Advance online publication		 Author, Year, Title, Journal, Volume, Issue, Pages, DOI or URL For Advance online publication, enter ahead of print in the Type of Article field
Music
Use for: Song or album		 Composer, Producer, Year, Title, Volume, Album Title, Format of Music, Publisher, URL Producer field: Enter creator’s role, e.g. vocalist, band
For single song, enter track number in the Volume field
Newspaper Article
Use for: Newspaper article		 Reporter, Year, Issue Date, Title, Newspaper, Name of Database, URL If there is no author, you will need to manually alter the reference to comply with Chicago requirements
If there is no suitable URL, include the Name of Database instead
Pamphlet
Use for: Brochure, Fact sheet or Pamphlet		 Author, Year, Title, Publisher, URL  
Podcast
Use for: Podcast episode		 Author, Year, Title of Podcast, Version, Title of Show, Type, Publisher, Date, Type, Running Time, URL Type field: Enter podcast
Enter Author’s role in Narrator field, e.g. host
Press Release
Use for: Press release		 Author, Year, Date, Title, Type of Work, Date, URL Type of Work field: Enter type of release e.g., Media release, Press release
Report
Use for: Government or organisation report, Annual report		 Author, Year, Title, Report Number, Institution, DOI or URL  
Social Media
Use for: Facebook, Instagram etc.		 Username, Handle, Year, Post Text, Provider, Post Date, URL You will need to manually alter the capitalisation used in the post text to comply with Chicago requirements
Standard
Use for: Standards		 Institution, Year, Title, Document Number, Publisher, URL  
Statute
Use for: Act of Parliament		 Name of Act, Code, Sections, URL  
Television Episode
Use for: TV series episode		 Producer, Year, Episode Title, Season, Episode No., Title, Broadcast Date, Access Date, Network Name, URL  
Thesis
Use for: Thesis		 Author, Year, Title, Thesis Type, University, URL Thesis Type field: Enter Master’s thesis or PhD diss.
For a thesis retrieved from a commercial database, enter the Database in the Name of Database and any identification number in the Document Number field.
Web Page
Use for: Webpage on a website		 Author, Year, Title, Publisher, Access Date, URL If there is no date, enter n.d. in the Year field and include Access Date in the format Month Day, Year

Vancouver reference types

  • Enter access dates in the format Month Day, Year
  • For print items, leave the DOI/URL and Access Date fields blank
Reference type EndNote fields Notes
Audiovisual Material
Use for: YouTube or streaming video		 Author, Title, Type, Date, Year, Access Date, URL Type field: Enter source name
Blog
Use for: Blog post		 Author, Title of Entry, Title of WebLog, Date, Year, Access Date, URL  
Book
Use for: Entire book		 Author, Title, Edition, Publisher, Year, Access Date, DOI or URL  
Book section
Use for: Chapter in an edited book		 Author, Title, Editor, Book Title, Edition, Publisher, Year, Pages, Access Date, DOI or URL  
Case
Use for: Case		 Case Name, Year Decided, Reporter Volume, Reporter Abbreviation, First Page  
Conference paper
Use for: Conference paper or poster		 Author, Title, Type, Conference Name, Date, Year, Conference Location, Access Date, DOI or URL Type field: Enter the type of presentation, e.g. Paper, Poster
Journal Article
Use for: Journal article, Journal article with an article number, Cochrane systematic review		 Author, Title, Journal, Year, Volume, Issue, Pages, DOI or URL Enter article numbers in the Pages field
For Cochrane, enter Cochrane Database Syst Rev in the Journal field
Journal Article
Use for: Journal article - Advance online publication		 Author, Title, Journal, Original Publication, DOI or URL Original Publication field: Enter Published online and the date
Journal Article
Use for: Journal article published in a supplement		 Author, Title, Journal, Year, Volume, Issue, Part/Supplement, Pages, DOI or URL Part/Supplement field: Enter suppl and the supplement number or letter
Newspaper Article
Use for: Newspaper article		 Reporter, Title, Newspaper, Issue Date, Year, Section, Pages, Access Date, URL  
Podcast
Use for: Podcast episode		 Author, Title of Show, Title of Podcast, Date, Year, Access Date, URL  
Report
Use for: Government or organisation report		 Author, Title, Institution, Year, Report Number, Access Date, DOI or URL  
Social Media
Use for: Facebook, Instagram etc.		 Username, Post Text, Post Date, Year, Access Date, URL Post Date field: Enter Month and day
Statute
Use for: Act of Parliament		 Name of Act, Code, Access Date, URL  
Thesis
Use for: Thesis		 Author, Title, Thesis Type, University, Year, Access Date, URL Thesis Type field: Enter Dissertation or Master’s thesis
Web Page
Use for: Webpage on a website, Online reference works (AMH, Martindale, MIMs, UpToDate)		 Author, Title, Publisher, Dated Cited, Year, Last Update Date, Access Date, Access Year, URL Publisher field: Enter name of website

Organise references into groups

When you add new references to your EndNote library, they will first appear in the Unfiled group in the Groups panel. You can create your own groups to organise your references for different assessments or projects.

  1. Click Groups in the menu bar and choose Create Group, or right-click on My Groups in the Groups panel and choose Create Group
  2. Type a name for your group and press Enter
  3. To add references to your group, highlight the references and drag and drop them into the group, or right-click on a reference, choose Add References To, and select the group.

A Group Set helps you organise related groups within your EndNote library.

  1. Click Groups in the menu bar, or right-click on My Groups in the Groups panel and choose Create Group Set
  2. Type a name for the Group Set and press Enter
  3. You can right-click on the Group Set and choose Create Group to add a new group, or drag and drop existing groups into the Group Set.

Add tags

The Tags feature in EndNote lets you create custom labels to help organise your references.

  1. Click Tags in the menu bar and choose Create Tag…
  2. Type a name for your tag, choose a colour, and click Create Tag
  3. Select the reference you want to tag, then click Manage Tags in the Summary tab
  4. Choose the tag (or tags) you want to apply and click OK
  5. Tagged references will appear under My Tags in the Groups panel.