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EndNote desktop: FAQs and tips

One common requirement for writers and researchers is the need to join several Word documents, each with EndNote in-text citations and a reference list (e.g. several chapters of a thesis, or several chapters of a book), to form a single document with one reference list.

EndNote makes this relatively easy.

Combining documents

Firstly, convert your in-text citations to Unformatted style.

  1. Change to the EndNote tab in Word
  2. Click on Convert Citations and Bibliography
  3. From the drop-down menu that appears, click Convert to Unformatted Citations.

​screenshot indicating Convert to Unformatted Citations in EndNote tab of Word toolbar

All your in-text citations will temporarily change to the "placeholder" format, with "squiggly brackets" (or braces) and an EndNote record number.

Your reference list at the bottom of the document will also disappear - don't panic, this is all normal behaviour.

screenshot of unformatted citation in Word document

You may now safely copy and paste the chapter documents together in one Word document.

After all the documents have been joined into one major document, change back to the EndNote tab and click Update Citations and Bibliography. This will restore the formatting of your in-text citations and create one combined list of references at the end of the combined document.

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