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EndNote 20 for Mac

Intro: Import from PDF

You may be able to add references by importing one or more PDFs into your EndNote library, provided the PDFs have DOIs (Digital Object Identifiers). This page explains how to add references by importing PDFs manually and automatically.

Caution: A reference will typically only generate if the PDF has a DOI. Sometimes, however, even articles with DOIs don't import well.

But if you have plenty of PDFs, it is worth a try to import them to see which references generate. The ones that don't generate metadata well, you can export those references from GALILEO or an individual database instead. 

Add references by importing PDFs

 

Quick Steps: File > Import > File or Folder > Browse for PDF or folder with PDFs > Import Option: Choose PDF > Import

Step-by-Step:

  1. Select File > Import.

  2. Choose File or Folder, depending on whether you have single or multiple PDFs.

  3. Browse to locate the PDF or folder with PDFs.
  4. Choose PDF as the Import Option.
  5. Select Import.
  6. EndNote will create a reference, and attach the PDF.
  • If EndNote was unable to import the metadata and complete the fields, then the reference will only contain the PDF, and you will need to fill out the fields manually.

 

Watch or read: Set up a PDF Auto Import Folder

You can set your EndNote preferences to automatically create a reference for any PDFs that you download to a particular folder.

If EndNote is able to discover author & title information (because the PDF has an embedded DOI number), then the full reference will be created, otherwise, a record showing the PDF name will be created, that you can then edit to add full details.

  1. Click on EndNote 20 > Preferences > PDF Handling
  2. Tick the Enable Automatic Importing option
  3. EndNote will automatically open the Finder for you to choose the folder you wish to import from.

  4. If you wish to change the folder, click Select Folder and browse to choose a folder that will hold your downloaded PDF files

  5. Click Open

 

 

If you set this preference then when you start EndNote it will automatically create records for new PDFs in your download folder, and attach a copy of the PDF file into your Library. The references are stored in the group Imported References, which you can them move into your own groups.

FAQ

FAQ

Q: How do I find out if my article PDF has a DOI?

A: The DOI is usually in the article description on the first page. 

Instead of checking each PDF to see if it has a DOI, we recommend:

  1. Import all PDFs and see which references generate.
  2. For the PDF imports that were unsuccessful, export the citations from Galileo and attach the PDF.
  3. Delete the records that were unsuccessfully imported.