FAQ Contents

1. My Cite-While-You-Write (CWYW) tool is missing from Microsoft Word
2. My computer won’t recognise RIS files as belonging to Endnote
3. I want to transfer my Endnote Library to a new computer
4. When I use CWYW in Word, EndNote keeps asking me to log in
5. My citations aren’t formatting properly
6. References look strange and appear in curly brackets
7. References in curly brackets don’t go away after updating citations
8. Corporate authors
9. Initials appearing in-text
10. Changes to references aren't showing in the document
11. My Endnote Library says it is corrupted and won’t open
12. My EndNote Sync is broken
13. I want to update my computer/EndNote but am afraid of losing my library 

1. My Cite-While-You-Write (CWYW) tool is missing from Microsoft Word

In Word 2010 or later:

1. Click on the File ribbon and select "Options".
2. Click on "Add-ins".
3. Change the "Manage" option to "Disabled Items".
4. Click Go.
5. Highlight any EndNote item(s) and click "Enable".
6. Click OK.

If that doesn’t work, contact IT Services.

 

2. My computer won’t recognise RIS files as belonging to EndNote

This means that your computer’s file associations have not been set up.

Windows:

Further instructions here: https://www.lifewire.com/how-to-change-file-associations-in-windows-2624477

1. Right-click an RIS file and select “Properties”.
2. In the pop-up window it should have a field called “Opens with” and there should be a “Change” button.
3. In this window, scroll down to EndNote and select it and hit OK.

OR (For Windows 11)

1. Right-click the start button and select “Settings”.
2. Select “Apps” from the Panel on the left and then “Default Apps” from the centre menu.
3. Scroll to the very bottom and select “Choose Defaults by file type”.
4. Select RIS from the file type list.
5. Select EndNote from the pop-up list.
6. Click “OK” to save.

Mac:

1. Right-click on the RIS file and select “Get Info”.
2. Scroll down to “Open with” and select “Other” (unless EndNote is already visible in the list).
3. Scroll through until you find EndNote20, then click “Add”.
4. Click “Change All” to update all files of that type.

 

3. I want to transfer my EndNote Library to a new computer

1. Set up Sync with EndNote online.
2. Ensure your EndNote Library has been synced.
3. Create a new, empty EndNote Library on your new device.
4. Sync the empty Library to your EndNote online account. This will download your EndNote Library to your new device.

 

4. When I use CWYW in Word, EndNote keeps asking me to log in

This is happening because Word is trying to connect to EndNote online.

1. Go to the EndNote menu in Word and select "Preferences".
2. In the box that pops up, select the Application tab.
3. Currently, Word will have "EndNote online" selected. Change the selection to "EndNote" and hit OK.

 

5. My citations aren’t formatting properly

There are a number of common causes for this issue: usually, it relates to incorrect data in the reference in an EndNote library, or the references not being connected to EndNote properly. In the first instance, always try going to the EndNote menu in Word and clicking “Update Citations and Bibliography”.

 

6. References look strange and appear in curly brackets
This means your document is in unformatted citation mode. Go to the EndNote menu in Word and select "Update Citations and Bibliography".

 

7. References in curly brackets don’t go away after updating citations

This usually means Word can’t find the EndNote reference it has associated with that citation. Check you have the correct library open and that you haven’t accidentally deleted that reference from EndNote.

8. Corporate authors
If you are citing a company or government agency, you will need to put a comma at the end of the full organisation name in the EndNote Library reference. (eg. Australian National University,)

9. Initials appearing in-text
This usually means that the same author is appearing in your EndNote Library with multiple naming conventions. To fix this, simply go through your library and make sure the author field is the same for all publications: eg. Stephen Ball and Stephen J. Ball are the same person - use one or the other in all references.

10. Changes to references aren't showing in the document
Go to the EndNote menu in Word and select "Update Citations and Bibliography".

11. My EndNote Library says it is corrupted and won’t open

This usually happens if a Library is stored in a cloud service like Dropbox or Google Drive. Make sure your EndNote Library is stored on your local hard drive. If you need to access your EndNote Library from multiple devices, set up sync to EndNote online.
To repair your Library, follow these steps:

1. Open the EndNote application, and select Tools > Recover Library.
2. In the dialogue that pops up, navigate to your broken EndNote Library and select it. Make sure you save the recovered Library on your local drive.

If that process doesn't work, check out this helpful guide to recovering your library files from Clarivate: https://support.clarivate.com/Endnote/s/article/EndNote-The-proper-process-for-recovering-library-files?language=en_US

 

12, My EndNote Sync is broken

Sometimes you'll find that sync isn't working - EndNote might appear to Sync, but it doesn't update your online library (which you can check at myendnoteweb.com). If your sync seems to be broken, this is the procedure you should follow:

1. Make sure you have a backup of your EndNote Library. You can either create a compressed library or copy and paste your .enl library and associated .Data folder into a safe location.
2. Open EndNote >click on Edit>Preferences>Sync. Disable automatic syncing and then restart EndNote.
3. Make sure the Trash is empty both in EndNote online as well as in EndNote desktop. For EndNote online, Log into your EndNote online account, and delete all references and all groups from EndNote online.
4. In EndNote desktop, open the copy of the library you intend to work with going forward (this doesn’t have to be the backup). Open EndNote>Edit>Preferences>Sync. Add the following text to the end of your email address in the login field: #!resetLocalSync - this is Case Sensitive.
5. Click OK to close the preferences, and then click the Sync button.
6. EndNote will then appear to authenticate and return the prompt: 'A Sync library can be linked to only one account. Do not proceed unless you intend to break the link to the original account.' This happens because we tricked EndNote into thinking it authenticated against another user. Click OK, and EndNote will purge any knowledge of a previous sync.
7. EndNote will then display a message, 'Your local sync state has been reset. Please re-enter your E-Mail Address, restart EndNote, and sync again.' Click OK.
8. Close EndNote and open it again. Close all libraries then open the library which you would like to sync with EndNote online.
9. Again go to sync preferences; enter the correct username/password and then sync. 
10. When you next sync, you will get the message, 'A Sync library can be linked to only one account. Do not proceed unless you intend to break the link to the original account.' Click OK.
11. You will be prompted to make a backup, you don't have to do this as you already have one.
12. A complete sync will then begin. 
13. The first full sync can take a significant amount of time, especially if you have a large library. The time taken to sync depends upon the size of the PDF attachments and the number of references in the library.
    Once the sync is complete, log in to EndNote online and check whether you have the same set of references.

 

13. I want to update my computer/EndNote but am afraid of losing my library

Before you make any major changes to EndNote or your computer, it’s always a good idea to create a compressed backup of your Library.

On a PC:

1. Click the file menu
2. Select “Create compressed library”

On a Mac

1. Go to the EndNote menu
2. Select “Create compressed Library”.