Skip to Main Content
Home

Morris Library

EndNote Desktop: Organize References

A guide to EndNote Desktop X9

Ask a Librarian

Profile Photo
Ask A Librarian
There seems to be something wrong with your browser. Please try reloading this page.
For in-depth research assistance, fill out this form to meet with a librarian

For quick questions, call the Information Desk at (618) 453-2818

For questions that can wait a day or two, email us at askalibrarian@siu.edu

(All our services are answered by library staff.)

Subjects: Accountancy, Accounting, Advanced Energy and Fuel Management, Advanced Vehicle Systems and Diagnostics, Aerospace Studies, Africana Studies, Agricultural Education, Agricultural Sciences, Agricultural Systems, Agricultural Systems and Education, Air Traffic Control, Aircraft Product Support, Airport Management and Planning, American Sign Language, Ancient Practice, Anthropology, Architectural Studies, Architecture, Army Military Science, Art, Art and Design, Art Education, Art History, Automotive Technology, Automotive, Truck, and Equipment Management, Aviation Flight, Aviation Management, Aviation Technologies, Behavior Analysis and Therapy, Biomedical Engineering, Biomedical Science, Business, Business Administration, Business Analytics, Business and Administration, Cannabis Production Systems, Child and Family Services, Chinese, Cinema, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Classical Civilization, Communication Studies, Computer Engineering, Construction Management and Operations, Continuous Improvement, Counseling and Rehabilitation Education, Creative Writing, Criminology and Criminal Justice, Crop Breeding, Genetics, and Biotechnology, Curriculum and Instruction, Cybersecurity and Cyber Systems, Early Childhood, East Asian Civilization, Econometrics and Quantitative Economics, Economics, Education, Educational Administration, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Elementary Education, Energy Engineering, English, Environmental Resources Policy, Equine Studies, Exercise Science, Fashion Studies, Finance, Food and Process Engineering Technology, Forensic Science, French, Game Design and Development, Geography and Environmental Resources, Geosciences, German, German Studies, GIS, Global Studies, Greek, Health Administration, Health Informatics, Health Information and Informatics Management, Higher Education, History, Human Sciences, Industrial Design, Infection Prevention and Control, Information Technology, Interior Design, International Studies, Japanese, Journalism, Languages, Cultures, and International Studies, Latin, Latina/o/x and Latin American Studies, Leadership (Military Science), Legal Studies, Linguistics, Long Term Care Administration, Management, Marketing, Mass Communication and Media Arts, Mechanical Engineering and Energy Processes, Media Theory and Research, Medical Dosimetry, Medical Science, MEDPREP, Molecular Biology, Microbiology, and Biochemistry, Molecular, Cellular, and Systemic Physiology, Music, Musical Theater, Mythology, Neuroscience, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Organizational Learning, Innovation, and Development , Paralegal Studies, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Philosophy, Plant, Soil, and Agricultural Systems, Political Science, Pre-Law, Professional Media and Media Management Studies, Psychology, Public Administration, Public and Nonprofit Administration, Public Safety Management, Quality Engineering and Management, Quantitative Methods Education, Radio, Television, and Digital Media, Radiological Sciences, Recreation Leadership, Social Work, Sociology, Spanish, Special Education, Sport Administration, STEM Leadership, Strategic Analytics, Sustainability, Teacher Education Program, Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, Technical Resource Management, Television Studies, Theater, University Honors, University Studies, Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Visual and Screen Cultures, Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

Groups Overview

There are 5 different kinds of groups in EndNote Desktop: custom, smart, combination, permanent, and temporary. Permanent and temporary groups are automatically created by Desktop and you can't delete or modify them, but you can create and modify custom, smart, and combination groups. See the boxes below for instructions.

Tips

  • If you delete a custom, smart , or combination group, the references it contains will not be deleted from your library.
  • You can have a combined total of up to 5,000 custom, smart, and combination groups in an EndNote library.
  • All groups are organized under broader headings called "Group Sets." You can create up to 5,000 group sets in a library.
  • If you delete a reference from a group, it will remain in your library.
  • You can have the same reference in multiple groups.

Custom Groups

A custom group is simply a group that you create and to which you manually add references. To create a custom group:

Step 1: Select or create the group set under which you want to put the custom group.

Step 2: In the Groups menu click Create Group, enter a name for the group, and hit enter.

Step 3: Add references to the new custom group in one of two ways:

  • Select and drag individual or multiple references to the custom group.
  • Right click an individual reference, hold your cursor over Add References To, and choose the desired custom group.

Smart Groups

According to the EndNote Desktop manual smart groups "use search criteria to dynamically update groups as existing references are edited or new references are added to the library."

To create a smart group:

Step 1: Select or create the group set under which you want to put the smart group.

Step 2: In the Groups menu click Create Smart Group. 

Step 3: Name the smart group and enter your search strategy in the smart group pop-up window.

Step 4: Click Create and your new smart group will appear in the Groups panel

Example 1

Step A: Choose the group set under which the smart group will appear.

Step B: Name the smart group.

Step C: Designate the search strategy. The smart group 2000-2013 will only contain references for items published between 2000 and 2013.

Step D: Click Create and the smart group 2000-2013 will appear in the Groups panel. Any subsequent references added to your library with a publication date between 2000 and 2013 will automatically be added to this smart group.

Example 2

Step A: Choose or create the group set under which the smart group will appear.

Step B: Name the smart group.

Step C: Designate the search strategy. The smart group IJIM will only contain articles from the International Journal of Information Management.

Step D: Click Create and the smart group IJIM will appear in the Groups panel. Any subsequent articlea imported into EndNote Desktop from the International Journal of Information Management will be automatically added to this smart group.

Combination Groups

A combination group is a group composed of references from existing groups in your EndNote Desktop library.

To create a combination group:

Step A: Open the Groups menu and select Create From Groups.

Step B: Name the group.

Step C: Select the existing groups to include in the new combination group.

Step D: Click Create and the new combination group will appear in the Groups panel.

Back to TOP