To customize EndNote, from the Edit menu, select Preferences. The following areas can be modified:
- Change case: Identify the words for which case should not be modified when EndNote changes the case of titles or authors (such as USA or DNA)
- Display fields: Select the fields to display in the library window
- Display fonts: Customize the fonts used in EndNote: library display font and general display font
- Duplicates: Customize how EndNote identifies duplicates (which fields to compare and the criteria used in comparison)
- Find Full Text: Maximizes chances for finding available PDFs
- Folder locations: Set the default location of folders for styles, filters, and connections
- Formatting: Customize formatting options: confirming style before formatting; omitting author/year from formatted citations if they are deleted from the temporary citation; merging duplicates in the bibliography
- Libraries: Specify which library/libraries to open automatically when EndNote is launched
- PDF Handling: Options for renamimg and importing PDFs
- Read/Unread: Make selections as to how a reference is viewed and rated
- Reference types: Customize reference types; see also customizing reference types
- Sorting: Identify the words to be ignored in author and title sorting
- Spell check: Customize spell-check options, including selecting a primary dictionary. [Note: EndNote has an option for American English Medical.]
- Sync: Set your username and password for EndNote Online
- Temporary citations: Modify the default temporary citation format by changing delimiters, number marker, prefix marker, and note marker
- Term lists: Customize term lists; see section above for more information on customizing term lists
- URLs & Links: Starts your default web browser (this is whatever your system identifies as the default browser, such as Explorer or FireFox) and will display in your browser’s window the links related to the record you have open
In addition to the preferences for the EndNote program, preferences can also be set for Cite While You Write in Word (Cite While You Write allows you to cite and format references in Word using EndNote). These can be found under Preferences in Word's EndNote Tools menu.
- Open/Close: Indicate whether EndNote should be automatically launched when Word is launched and/or closed when Word is closed
- Return to document: Indicate whether Word should be the active window once citations have been inserted
- Instant Formatting: Activate or deactivate this feature
- Keyboard Shortcuts: Designate keyboard shortcuts for add-in commands
- Figures and Table: Determines the location of figures and tables in the word document as well as their respective labels or captions
- Application: Select the Cite While You Write application to use: EndNote or EndNote Web.
NOTE: This video is from an older version of EndNote that differs slightly from later versions. Most notable is that EndNote Web (now EndNote Online) preferences are now under Sync, and the EndNote Web Plug-in is located under Help in the EndNote Toolbar.
