How to Find and Retrieve Full Text
When you retrieve the full text file of a referenced work, it is saved to the File Attachments field as a relative link (the file itself it stored in the current library’s .Data folder). The file is saved in its native format, which in most cases is a PDF file.
When a file is downloaded and attached to a reference, a file attachment icon appears in the File Attachment field for the reference. In the Reference List, a paper clip icon appears in the File Attachments column for that reference.
The Find Full Text command can attempt to find full text documents for up to 250 records at a time; this total includes all full text searches run concurrently in open databases. If you want to find the full text for more than 250 EndNote records, you must run the Find Full Text operation more than once. Select up to 250 references each time.
Note: References must be in an EndNote library to use Find Full Text. You cannot find the full text for references in Online Search groups. Copy your references to your library, then run Find Full Text.
To find and retrieve full text:
- Select the reference(s) to which you want to add full text.
- In the Library window, highlight up to 250 references.
For example, you can select a single reference, or hold down the Ctrl key to select individual references, or use Edit > Select All to select an entire set of displayed references.
- From the References menu, select Find Full Text > Find Full Text. You can also right-click a reference in the Reference List and select Find Full Text from the contextual menu or use the Search the Web for full text documents for the select references button on the toolbar.
- (Optional) If you have entered an OpenURL address and authentication URL in the Find Full Text Preferences, you may be directed to a login web page for your institution’s library. Follow the instructions to log in, such as entering the appropriate User ID and password. Once you are logged in, click Continue.
EndNote begins searching for and downloading full text for the selected references. Full text downloading happens in the background, which may affect the performance of other operations.
References appear in groups under a Find Full Text group set. See Find Full Text Groups for a description of the resulting groups.
Note: Your institution may sever your OpenURL connection after a certain amount of time. Unfortunately, there is no indication when that happens. You will need to go to the References menu, select Find Full Text, and then Authenticate to restore access to the site. Just selecting Find Full Text again during this EndNote session will not restore authentication.
To add access to a library, see Adding Access to Your Institution's Library.
To improve the likelihood of finding full text articles for references, see Improving the Search for Full Text.
If you want to pause or cancel a Find Full Text operation, see Pausing or Canceling Find Full Text.
Note: Some institutions or data providers may have restrictions on downloading large numbers of PDFs using methods such as Find Full Text. If you are unsure of the restrictions for your institution, check with your library.