Skip to Main Content

JCU logoLibrary Guides

EndNote

PDF import

It is possible to import PDF documents directly into EndNote. This can be helpful for those who already have a number of documents saved to their computer.

Your PDFs will need to have a DOI on the front page of the document in order for EndNote to file the metadata to create a proper record. Otherwise it will create an empty record with the file attachment and the file name instead of a title (e.g., <Firth&Wagner1997_Discource.pdf>).

When this happens you can either edit the record manually and copy-and-paste the relevant data from the document (see our page on manual entry for advice), or delete the record and find it via One Search or Google Scholar to export a machine generated record, then attach the PDF manually (see our page on attaching files).

Importing PDF files

Import image

 

  1. Select File > Import > File
  2. (choose folder if there are a number of PDFs to import from the same location)
  3. Click on Choose and locate the file you want to import
  4. Select the Import Option: PDF
  5. Click Import

 

 

You can also import and entire folder full of files by choosing File > Import > Folder (keep the settings as above).

You can set up EndNote to automatically check a folder for new PDFs and import them when you open the EndNote program.

First, chose or set-up a folder to be your EndNote PDF Import folder. You can keep adding PDFs to this folder so EndNote can find them.

In Edit > Preferences, go to PDF Handling and tick the box for "Enable automatic importing". Then select the folder that you have chosen to store your PDFs for EndNote importing.

Manually Importing PDFs

This video from Belmont University's Bunch Library shows how to import a file or files from a folder into EndNote. 

PDF Auto Import Folder

This allows you to  automatically import any PDF files saved in a selected folder into an EndNote Library.

We acknowledge the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the first inhabitants of the nation and acknowledge Traditional Owners of the lands where our staff and students, live, learn and work.Acknowledgement of Country

Creative Commons Licence
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International License, unless otherwise noted. Content from this Guide should be attributed to James Cook University Library. This does not apply to images, third party material (seek permission from the original owner) or any logos or insignia belonging to JCU or other bodies, which remain All Rights Reserved.

.