Customize Your Software
Custom Fields
Endnote is very flexible software which you can enhance to suit your special needs through the addition of Custom Fields. Don't cram your text into the Notes field -- that is a holding zone for tangential data from the scholarly databases if the data doesn't "map" to other Endnote fields.
Add your own custom fields with Edit/Preferences/click Modify Reference Types button. Some custom fields might include:
- my quotes - use Endnote to store the definition or method or any text you will commonly quote when you cite a particular publication. The text excerpt will be conveniently ready to copy/paste into your paper.
- my comments - jot down a few thoughts while the paper's contents are fresh in your mind and later, sometimes much later, you can copy/paste those notes into your paper and polish 'em up.
- my grants/projects - quick way to retrieve subsets using your own keywords/codes
- my courses/lectures - ditto. This element may be included in item 2 so as not to use an entire custom field for this usually very brief notation.
Alphanumeric "codes" can be used to note paper(s) read for a certain class, i.e.. ELAN8000, or papers cited in your grant proposal NIH852. I love alphanumerics because you can search for them in Any Field (but you have to remember the alphanumeric you use). Ordinary words you use in custom fields will probably require you to point to that custom field when you search the text for them.
Type your label for Custom 1 into the first cell (Journal Article), then highlight, copy (Ctrl-C), Tab, paste (ctrl-v), Tab, paste (ctrl-v), etc. If you don't want to proceed to the very last reference type, at least continue over as far as Report, which will include the reference types that are most commonly used.
Custom List Display
Edit/Preferences/Display fields:
You might want to add journal title to the list display so you can click on the header and sort the list by journals for efficient gathering from print copies at the library. Or, if you use My Comments as a custom field, you can add that to list display to see at a glance which references have content added by you. Your list display can be changed for brief or extended periods as your needs change.
Link to/Open Link
On an Endnote record, box URL field, click References, Link to and you'll get a popup window to create a path to something on your hard drive, such as a .pdf, .html, .doc, .txt, .ppt, etc. When you want quick access to the full-text, open the Endnote record, highlight the path in URL field, click References, Open Link and the linked item will open pronto!