EndNote 2025

In EndNote, you can search for the full text of documents. First, select the reference(s):

• Click one reference, or

• Use CTRL + click to select several references, or

• Use Shift + click to select a group of references, or

• Use CTRL + A to select all references

• Then, right-click and choose 'Find Full Text' or click the 'Find Full Text' button.

In the left panel, EndNote shows the results of the full text search.

Found URL: sometimes, a PDF isn't attached automatically, but EndNote did find an URL.Click on the title of a reference and use right click to open an url.

You can open the full text for any reference in EndNote (short or long view) using the University Library’s links. Make sure you have changed your settings.

Go to Edit > Preferences > URLs&Links

• Click on References
• Click on URL
• Click on OpenURL Link or Open URL

You will see information about the publication or go straight to the full text.

1. Connect a PDF filed on your computer to an existing reference in EndNote:

- Click on the button Attach file in the screen on the right

- Browse to the document and connect it to the reference.

Tip: to find a PDF easier on your computer: save it on author name + year
It 's recommended to connect the PDF right after downloading it.

2. Adding a PDF from your computer to EndNote without an existing EndNote reference

Important: to save yourself a lot of manual work, go to Edit > Preferences > PDF Handling. Default is don't rename. Change into Author+year+ title

Go to File > Import > choose the import option: PDF > Choose the PDF you want to import

​For articles: in most cases the relevant fields (author, journal name etc.) will be filled automatically,

For reports, and other types of literature: this option will not work. You have to create the EndNote Record first. Search LibSearch or Google Scholar to find a reference and export it into EndNote.

You can also add information manually into the EndNote record. Use the option Edit in the right screen and add a pdf with the Attach File button.

It can happen that you can not find a PDF to your imported references. Reasons could be: 

• You are working outside the campus. To solve this: follow the steps from the tab EndNote Preferences or use the Lean library tool
• The Library does not have a subscription on the journal or book
• Some publishers prevent Endnote to import the full text
• The publication is not full text available 
• Document is hidden from the public (classified material)

Tips for finding Full text:

Tip 1:  check if the references that did not provide a full text, can be updated (Right-click or go to the Top bar > References > Find reference updates). Sometimes, if a DOI or URL is added after the update, a full text can be found.

Tip 2: If you have found an article in a literature database such as PubMed, try to find the UvA Linker leading you to another database and see if you can get access to the article. 

Tip 3: if you could not find a link through the Open URL-option in EndNote, try the following steps:

• Click on one of the not found references and look at the reference fields in the Preview screen
• Copy the title (make selection and press CTRL-C), memorize at least one author
• Paste the title into the search field of Google Scholar with CTRL-V and add author name
• Search. Check result. Is there a link behind the article reference?
• Yes: click on the link and save the PDF

You can now add the PDF manually to your reference. See the tab ' Adding PFD's manually"

EndNote has the ability to search for full text articles which you have access to through the VU library subscriptions and/or that are freely available on the Internet to attach to your existing references. When EndNote locates a copy of an article, it automatically downloads and attaches the PDF the corresponding EndNote record.

To get the most out of this feature, you will first need to change some settings in EndNote.

Go to Edit > Preferences > Find Full Text

1. Change the settings: automatically invoke find full text
2. Change the settings: to find full-text outside the campus

1. Change the settings automatically invoke full text'

In EndNote you can add PDF's (full text documents) automatically.

In some cases this may seem useful, after all, it saves a lot of work. In other cases, e.g. when importing thousands of references it is not recommended: the download time will be impacted enormously, the library size increases as well. You can control this through your EndNote preferences.

Top bar > ​Edit – Preferences – Find Full Text

If you are working with large reference sets it is recommended to uncheck the box 'automatically invoke find full text'

2. Fill in information necessary to find VU-licensed material

Go to Edit > Preferences > Find Full Text
Copy/paste this information:

Go to Edit > Preferences > URLs&Links