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EndNote 20 for Windows

Step-by-step guidance on using the most popular functions of EndNote 20 on PC

Intro: Declutter your Library

When you are undertaking literature searches and exporting references into EndNote on different days, you might find yourself exporting the same references. Instead of deleting duplicate references manually, EndNote has a feature to remove duplicates. This page explains how to use this feature.

Watch or Read: Find duplicates

To find and remove duplicates from your EndNote library:

 

  1. Have your EndNote Library window is open and select the All References group to show all references.
  1. From the Library menu, select Find Duplicates.
    EndNote will display a Find Duplicates dialog, where you can compare duplicates and decide which version to keep and which to delete.
  1. For each set of duplicates, you have the option to:
    • Select "Keep This Record" to save that particular reference and throw the other one in the Trash.
    • Select "Skip" to leave both references in the library, intact. They will appear in a temporary Duplicate References group, so you can review them later.
    • Select "Cancel" to automatically instruct EndNote to select the most recently-entered version(s) of each duplicate reference as the one(s) to be removed. If you move the selected references to the trash, they will be removed from the library, removing all duplicate copies EndNote found. All duplicates (including the original copy of the reference which will not be selected when the group window is created) will appear in a temporary Duplicate References group if you wish to review them. Do NOT simply move all references in the Duplicate References group to the trash unless you want to remove all copies of all references duplicated, including the original.

These steps are adapted from the below webpage:

FAQs about groups

Q. Can I add a reference to more than one group?

A. Yes. You are adding a 'ghost copy' of the reference to your Group from your 'All References' list.

Q. If I delete a reference from one of my groups, will it be deleted from the Library altogether?

A. No. You are deleting a 'ghost copy' of the reference, so it will only be removed from the Group, not your 'All References' list (the All References List is what you see when you first open your EndNote Library).

Q. If I delete a reference from my 'All References List', will it be deleted from my group/s?

A. Yes. This is because you are deleting the reference from the 'All References' list.