EndNote 21: Create a Bibliography

If you just want to quickly generate a bibliography from your references, follow the advice on this page.

If you want to automate your in-text citations AND references as you write, move on to the next page in this guide to learn about Cite While You Write.

To export a formatted bibliography, first highlight the group of references you want included. Then click File-->Export or choose the button at the top of the library for "export."

You will then need to tell EndNote which file type you want to create and which output style to use. Your choice for file types are:

.TXT - This is a simple text file which will not retain all of the formatting.

.RTF - This file extension retains formatting and works with Word and most other word processors.

HTML - This will open the file in a web browser window.

XML - This exports the xml code for your bibliography.

When I find the file and open it with Microsoft Word, I see my references formatted in the style I chose:

You can still edit your references in Word if you notice any mistakes or omissions.

If you don't see the citation style you want listed, you can go back and add more to your favorites. You can download around 6,000 more output styles from the EndNote website's style page, including modified styles for specific journal titles.

There you can search for a specific style or learn how to download and install the entire package.

You can also use EndNote to quickly generate a formatted annotated bibliography.

To do so, edit each reference and write your annotation under the "Research Notes" field. Be sure to tell EndNote to save your changes when you navigate to the next reference.

When you export your bibliography, change the output style to one which includes annotations. For example, instead of "APA 6th" choose "APA 6th - Annotated" and the bibliography will automatically include your annotations in your exported document.