EndNote desktop: FAQs and tips

Smart groups

Smart groups are automatically maintained by a set of search criteria.

If a reference matches the search criteria, it will be automatically added to the smart group. This applies to both existing records and any new records.

This can includes author names, journal names, or keywords (or partial keywords) in the title or abstract or even in an attached PDF.

1. From the Groups menu, select Create Smart Group
2. Set up your criteria for adding to the group
   1. Watch out: the default first search field is Author. Change it if appropriate.
   2. Word searches will also work on partial words, so bat will also find bathing or battle or Sabbath. This can be very helpful for finding word variations, but it does have its problems in finding irrelevant words that contain the partial word.
3. Click Create - any references that match, now or in the future, will be added to the group.

To edit a smart group in the future, select the group, then Groups menu, Edit Group.

Group sets

By default EndNote comes with a single group set called My Groups. 

However, you can rename that group set and add other group sets for more complex organisation.

If groups are like folders full of references, group sets are like filing cabinet drawers. By default you start with one filing cabinet drawer, but you can add more as required.

• To create a group set: From the Groups menu, Create Group Set.
• To rename a group set: Select a group set, then Groups menu, Rename Group Set
• To delete a group set: Select a group set, then Groups menu, Delete Group Set
  • Warning: deleting a group set will also delete all groups within it, but no references will be deleted

Groups can be dragged from one group set into another.

Combination groups

You can also create a group that is based on the content of other groups.

For example:

• create a Combination Group C that consists of references that are in both Group A AND Group B
• create a Combination Group C that consists of references that are in Group A but NOT in Group B
• create a Combination Group C that consists of references that are in either Group A OR in Group B

To create a combination group, select Groups menu, Create From Groups.

Note: the groups that make up the combination do not have to be in the same group set.