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EndNote desktop: FAQs and tips

Preparing for manual conversion between in-text and footnote styles

While the content of footnote citations in a footnote style can be maintained by EndNote, the actual footnote formatting is a feature of Word.

The best way to manually convert between an in-text style and a footnote style, in either direction, is to convert your in-text EndNote citations to unformatted style. This uses placemarkers in the form of {Smith, 2017 #123} where #123 is the record number in your EndNote library (there may be other formatting for page numbers, multiple citations, and other variations).

In unformatted form, there is no bibliography.

Manually convert between footnotes and in-text citations, or vice versa

1. In Word, change to the EndNote tab of the Word toolbar ribbon

2. From the Convert Citations and Bibliography drop-down, select Convert to Unformatted Citations

screenshot of EndNote tab on Word toolbar, indicating Convert to Unformatted Citations selection

3. For each and every footnote placemarker:

  • Cut each footnote placemarker (select and Ctrl+XCmd+X on a Mac)
  • Find the footnote number in the text
  • Paste the placemarker into the text (Ctrl+V, or Cmd+V on a Mac)
  • Delete the footnote number in the text

animated screenshot showing cutting a placemarker citation from a footnote, pasting it in-text, and deleting the in-text footnote number

4. When you have moved all your footnote placemarkers into the text, on the EndNote tab in Word, click Update Citations and Bibliography

screenshot indicating Update Citations and Bibliography in EndNote section of Word toolbar

  • Optionally, turn Instant Formatting back on (otherwise, any new references will be added as unformatted placemarkers, and you will have to click Update Citations and Bibliography every time you add new references)

animated screenshot of turning Instant Formatting back on

1. In Word, change to the EndNote tab of the Word toolbar ribbon

2. From the Convert Citations and Bibliography drop-down, select Convert to Unformatted Citations

screenshot of EndNote tab on Word toolbar, indicating Convert to Unformatted Citations selection

3. For each and every in-text placemarker:

  • Cut each citation placemarker (select and Ctrl+X, Cmd+X on a Mac)
  • Insert a footnote (References tab in Word, Insert Footnote, Ctrl+Alt+F, or Cmd+Opt+F on a Mac)
  • Paste the placemarker into the footnote (Ctrl+V, or Cmd+V on a Mac)

aimated GIF screenshot showing cutting an unformatted in-text citation, inserting a footnote in the same place, then pasting the placemarker in the footnote

4. When you have moved all your in-text placemarkers into footnotes, on the EndNote tab in Word, click Update Citations and Bibliography

screenshot indicating Update Citations and Bibliography in EndNote section of Word toolbar

  • Optionally, turn Instant Formatting back on (otherwise, any new references will be added as unformatted placemarkers, and you will have to click Update Citations and Bibliography every time you add new references)

animated screenshot of turning Instant Formatting back on

Possible automatic conversion between footnote and in-text citations (might not work for all documents)

In the desktop version of Word, switch to the View tab in the ribbon bar, and click on the Macros icon to display the dialog box with the current list of macros.

Screenshot of Word in the View tab of the tool ribbon, with Macros icon indicated

Screenshot of Word dialog box for Macros

Click the Create button to add a new macro (use Edit if your already have a macro in the NewMacros area), and insert the following text.

Sub foot2inline()
Dim oFeets As Footnotes
Dim oFoot As Footnote
Dim oRange As Range
Dim szFootNoteText As String
Dim index As Long

' Grabs the collection of FootNotes
Set oFeets = ActiveDocument.Footnotes

' Iterates through each footnote
For Each oFoot In oFeets
    index = index + 1
    szFootNoteText = oFoot.Range.Text
   
    'Start search from beginning of document
    Set oRange = ActiveDocument.Range
     
    With oRange.Find
        .Text = "^f" ' Looks for all footnotes
        .Forward = True
        .Wrap = wdFindStop
        .Execute
    End With
   
    ' Delete the footnote
    oFoot.Delete
   
    'Insert the footnote text
    oRange.Text = " " & szFootNoteText

    'CHANGE COLOR HERE. Color code is below.
    'oRange.Font.Color = 6299648

    'Disables undo to save memory on very large documents.
    'ActiveDocument.UndoClear
Next
End Sub

Credit: from a 2013 post by Jay Freedman in the Microsoft Office forums

In Word, change to the EndNote tab on the ribbon bar and convert all footnote citations to unformatted: 

  • Convert Citations and Bibliography > Convert to Unformatted Citations.

Word tooolbar, EndNote tab, indicating Convert Citations to Bibliography, and Convert to Unformatted Citations

Switch to the View tab in the ribbon bar, and click on the Macros icon to view the list of macros available.

Screenshot of Word in the View tab of the tool ribbon, with Macros icon indicated

  • Click once to highlight the foot2inline macro, and click the Run button

Macros dialog box in Word, with foot2inline macro selected and Run button indicated

If the macro was successful, all the footnote citations should have been converted to in-text citations.

  • Finally, in the Endnote tab in Word, select your desired in-text citation style, then click on Update Citations and Bibliography to re-format the citations and generate the reference list.

Word ribbon toolbar, EndNote tab selected, indicating Update Citations and Bibliography

In the desktop version of Word, switch to the View tab in the ribbon bar, and click on the Macros icon to display the dialog box with the current list of macros.

Screenshot of Word in the View tab of the tool ribbon, with Macros icon indicatedScreenshot of Word dialog box for Macros

Click the Create button to add a new macro (use Edit if your already have a macro in the NewMacros area), and insert the following text.

Public Sub ConvertIntextToFootnote()

Dim oField As Field
Dim sCode As String
Dim sSuffix As String
Dim sSuffixLeft As String
Dim sSuffixRight As String
Dim pos1 As Long
Dim pos2 As Long

'Loop through all fields in the document
For Each oField In ActiveDocument.Fields
    'Is the field an Endnote field?
    If InStr(oField.Code.Text, "EN.CITE") = 0 Then GoTo Bypass:
    oField.Select

    'Modify the Suffix in the field code … text, if one exists
    sCode = oField.Code.Text
    'MsgBox sCode
    pos1 = InStr(sCode, "")
    
    If pos1 > 0 Then 'suffix exists, so extract it
        sSuffixLeft = Left(sCode, pos1 + 7)
        'MsgBox sSuffixLeft
        pos2 = InStr(sCode, "")
        sSuffixRight = Right(sCode, Len(sCode) - pos2 + 1)
        'MsgBox sSuffixRight
        sSuffix = Mid(sCode, pos1 + 8, pos2 - (pos1 + 8))
        'MsgBox sSuffix
        
        'If no dash, replace : with p. else with  pp.
        If InStr(sSuffix, "-") > 0 Then
            sSuffix = Replace(sSuffix, ":", " pp. ")
        Else
            sSuffix = Replace(sSuffix, ":", " p. ")
        End If
        
        'Add a full stop
        sSuffix = sSuffix + "."
        'MsgBox sSuffix
        
        'Now rebuild the code
        sCode = sSuffixLeft + sSuffix + sSuffixRight

        'Set the new code in the field
        oField.Code.Text = sCode
        'MsgBox oField.Code.Text
        
    End If
    
     'If author is excluded, show the author
        If InStr(sCode, "ExcludeAuth=""1""") > 0 Then
            oField.Code.Text = Replace(sCode, "ExcludeAuth=""1""", "")
        End If
    
    Selection.Cut
    
    'Add temporary bookmark so we can return to the Main Story
    With ActiveDocument.Bookmarks
        .Add Range:=Selection.Range, Name:="tempqxtz"
        .DefaultSorting = wdSortByName
        .ShowHidden = False
    End With
            
    'Add the Footnote
    ActiveDocument.Footnotes.Add Range:=Selection.Range, Reference:=""
    Selection.Paste
    
    'Return to Main Story
    Selection.GoTo What:=wdGoToBookmark, Name:="tempqxtz"
    
    'Delete the temporary bookmark
    ActiveDocument.Bookmarks("tempqxtz").Delete

Bypass:
    
Next oField

MsgBox "Process Complete", vbOKOnly + vbInformation, "Convert In-text Citations to Footnotes"

End Sub

Credit: from a 2014 post by pecksterism101, modified from a 2009 post by mirib1 (Miriam) in the Clarivate EndNote support forums.

  • Switch to the View tab in the ribbon bar, and click on the Macros icon to view the list of macros available.

Screenshot of Word in the View tab of the tool ribbon, with Macros icon indicated

  • Click once to highlight the ConvertIntextToFootnote macro, and click the Run button

Word dialog box for Macros, ConvertintextToFootnote macro selected, Run button indicated

If the macro was successful, all the in-text citations should have been converted to footnotes.

  • Finally, in the Endnote tab in Word, select the desired footnote style, then click on Update Citations and Bibliography to re-format the citations and the reference list in the appropriate style.

Word ribbon toolbar, EndNote tab selected, indicating Update Citations and Bibliography