Working on Different Computers
If you are working on a paper and moving between different computers, you will want to have access to the references needed for your paper wherever you are. EndNote gives you options for accessing your references on different computers, as well as options for sharing those references with colleagues who may be working on the paper with you.
EndNote Sync and Sharing
EndNote Sync allows you to synchronize the references in your library to multiple computers. EndNote Sync does not synchronize the library as a whole; it creates a new library on the second (or third, or fourth, etc.) computer(s) and synchronizes all the reference data within the library to the new computer. Terms lists are not synchronized, and record numbers change during this process, but all the reference data remains intact from the original library. See The Sync Feature for information on syncing an EndNote library.
After a library is synced, the library can be shared with other EndNote desktop users. See About Shared Libraries for information on sharing your library with other EndNote users.
Caution: Avoid unformatting your citations and bibliography if using EndNote Sync or Sharing; the record numbers for the same references may be different on each computer. To work with unformatted citations, you need the record numbers used in the library the citations were originally inserted from; the record numbers in a synced library are unlikely to match.
Sharing Groups through EndNote Online
EndNote Sync synchronizes your references with your EndNote account, making them available from anywhere through a Web interface. These references can also be used in Word with Cite While You Write. You will have access to all the references in your EndNote account, and also have the ability to share just selected groups with collaborators. This may be a preferred option when you don't want to share your entire library. See Using Cite While You Write with EndNote Online for information on switching between using your desktop and online libraries in a paper; see Sharing Groups for information on sharing groups in your EndNote library.
The Traveling Library
The Traveling Library refers to a copy of the reference data from your EndNote library embedded in the Word field codes of the paper. Most of the time you don't see the contents of those field codes, you see the results of them: formatted EndNote citations. Only the reference data for citations used in the paper is included. Because that data is present in the paper, colleagues can add EndNote citations, or even change the EndNote Style, and the paper will be updated to include both your citations and those added by your colleague. You can find more information on the field codes used in Field Codes in Microsoft Word.