EndNote desktop: FAQs and tips

Some styles require abbreviating the journal name (e.g. Vancouver), and the source (e.g. database, Google Scholar) for your EndNote reference might supply the full journal name.

Some styles require the full journal name  (e.g. APA 7th), and the source for your reference (exported from a database) might give only the abbreviated journal name.

The same solution fixes both these problems, an EndNote "Terms list" (a translation table from journal name abbreviated form to full form, and the reverse).

International Journal of Amazing Stuff <--> Int J Amaz Stuff

1. In EndNote, Library menu ► Open Term Lists ► Journals Term List
   
2. Important: Clear existing terms (created from existing references).
   • Click once to highlight one of the entries
   • Press Ctrl+A (Cmd+A on a Mac).to select all the existing terms
   • Click Delete Term
     
3. Change to the Lists tab
4. Highlight Journals if not already highlighted
5. Click Import List
   
6. EndNote should automatically take you to the Terms Lists folder inside the EndNote application folder
7. Select a terms list to highlight it, and click Open
8. Click OK on the pop-up information box.
9. Click Close.

The journal names in the references you add in Word will now be abbreviated or expanded as the referencing style requires.

The University of Western Australia provides term lists for:

• Ancient history (Courtesy of the University of Queensland)
• Chemical
• Law
• Medical
• Sport Science, Exercise and Health

A terms list is simply a tab-separated values file (using a Tab character between vales or fields).

You could easily create one in a text editor (not a word processor) or a spreadsheet program e.g. Excel (be sure to save as Tab-delimited text)

Use the full name of the journal in the first column, and the abbreviated journal name in the second column.