How to Search an Online Database

The process of searching an online database is very similar to searching an EndNote library. Here are the basic steps involved; more detailed descriptions of these steps are provided in additional help topics.

To search and retrieve references from a online database:

Initiate the online search in one of these two ways:

From the Tools menu, select Online Search to display the collection of connection files installed on your computer.

or

Click more under the Online Search group set. Select the online database that you would like to search, and then click Choose. See Selecting a Connection File.

When the connection has been established, the Search panel appears ready for you to enter a search.
Once you have searched an online database, or marked the database as a favorite with the Connection Manager, it appears in the Online Search group set in the Groups panel.

Enter your search request in the search fields on the Advanced Search panel, and then click Search. EndNote searches the database and displays the number of references that were found to match your search criteria.
Click OK to retrieve the references.

If you would like to pause during record retrieval, click Pause. When you are ready to continue, click Resume.

Note: The connection to the online database is maintained only until the search is completed and the matching references are retrieved; when the references are downloaded, you are automatically disconnected. Each time you initiate another search, EndNote reconnects.

Next, Determine Which References to Keep

The retrieved references are stored in the Online Search group set for the library, but they are not yet in your EndNote library.

Select the references you want to add to your library.
Now you have choices on how to add the references to your library.

Go to the References menu and select Copy References To in order to select a new or existing library and copy the selected references to that selected library.
Right-click on the selected references and select Copy References To from the list in order to select a new or existing library and copy the selected references to that selected library.
Drag and drop the references into the group you want to add them to in the library.
Mark the references using the checkmark boxes to the left of them, and then click the Add the selected records to your local library button to add them to your library.

If you used the Copy References To command, the references are copied to the selected library and are displayed in a Copied References group. Each time you copy references into an EndNote library, the Copied References group is replaced with the new set of references. Previously copied references remain in the library; they are just no longer part of the latest Copied References group.