Find Reference Updates

Select and update individual or multiple references using the Find Reference Updates feature by retrieving information from source databases outside EndNote such as Web of Science Core Collection and PubMed.

The Find Reference Updates feature is available from the References menu.

When you select this feature, EndNote searches for and retrieves available field updates for the selected reference.

EndNote uses the following process when searching for field updates.

  1. EndNote first looks for the DOI (Digital Object Identifier) that matches the DOI of the selected record. If a reliable match is found, EndNote displays the Review Reference Updates dialog and displays the field updates.
  2. If EndNote cannot find a matching DOI number, it looks for the author name, year of publication, and journal title that matches the selected record. If a reliable match is found, EndNote displays the Review Reference Updates dialog and displays the field updates.
  3. If no match is found, then a message that all references are up to date is displayed.

Note: The Find Reference Updates feature is designed for journal articles. It will probably not work for other reference types, even if they are available in PubMed or Web of Science.

To update a reference:

  1. Select one or more references from the Reference List.
  2. From the References menu, select Find Reference Updates.
  3. All updates are highlighted in blue in both the Available Updates and the My Reference panels. An update exists for a field in the My Reference panel when the field is empty or differs from the information in the same field in the Available Updates panel. For each update that EndNote finds for a record, you can:
  • Click the Update All Fields button to update all the fields in the My References panel with updated information from the Available Updates panel. EndNote will ask if you want to apply this choice to all references to be updated. If you click Yes, you will not be given a choice of how to update the rest of the references to be updated.
  • Click the Update Empty Fields button to update every empty field in the My Reference panel with the new information from the Available Updates panel. EndNote will ask if you want to apply this choice to all references to be updated. If you click Yes, you will not be given a choice of how to update the rest of the references to be updated.
  • Edit the reference manually by selecting the Edit Reference option, making your changes, then clicking the Save and Continue button to save your changes and continue to the next record.

Note: If you have selected more than one reference, click the Skip button to skip a particular reference that you do not wish to update.

All fields in the My Reference panel will display, even if they are empty.

Editing a Reference in Find Reference Updates

After selecting the Edit Reference option, you can copy any of the information from a retrieved field and paste the information into the same field in the My Reference panel. You can also edit any of the fields in the My Reference panel. The following edit options are available: Cut, Copy, Paste, Paste with Text Styles, and Select All.

You cannot edit any of the retrieved fields from the Available Updates panel.

Related Topics

Creating a New Reference

Entering References

Important Points About References