EndNote: EndNote for Systematic Reviews

EndNote for Systematic (and Scoping) Reviews

This page brings together many elements of the guide that are relevant for a researcher completing a systematic or scoping review. The elements are presented roughly in the same order as you would need them as part of the systematic review process. 

The steps in this guide have been informed by the PRISMA flow diagrams (see link below) 

We've also provided links to the University of South Australia's very comprehensive systematic reviews guide for more information

Creating Groups and Group Sets

Because systematic reviews require you to record the amount of results you are getting from each database you use, it's a good idea to learn how to use groups and group sets.

A group set is a heading under which groups are filed. For example, the group set could be named for your research topic, and the groups could be named for the databases you are using. 
 

Creating a Group Set

• Go to Groups > Create Group Set. A new group set will appear under My Groups
• Give a name to the Group Set, e.g. Systematic Review
• You can now add groups beneath the group set, named according to the databases you are using (e.g: Medline, Pubmed, Cinahl)
• You can also drag and drop Groups between different Group Sets

Creating a Group

• Go to Groups > Create Group
• Give a name to the group

Adding references to a Group

• To add a reference or references, select them and then either drag them to the group or right-click on the selected references and choose Add References To.

For more information, see our Using Groups page:

Downloading Large Amounts of Database Records

UTS Library has prepared a guide showing you how to download large amounts of database records to EndNote.

For additional information, see our Exporting References from Databases page:

Adding references manually

As part of your systematic review, you may collect grey literature, including information from websites. To do this you will have to enter some information into EndNote manually. 

The guide below shows you how to enter information into EndNote to make APA 7th references, using the library's APA 7th style. 

If you need to manually input references for a different referencing style, please consult the Adding References Manually page or contact the library using the link below.

Deduplicating Results

A key feature of a systematic review is removing duplicate papers that have been found in the different databases you are using. This deduplication can be done by EndNote either on a paper-by-paper basis or all at once.

Ideally, it is recommended to deduplicate on a paper-by-paper basis as you can select the record with the best data (ie: a record with a DOI number), but if the amount of references in your review prevents this, you can delete them all at once. 

Deduplicating Paper-by-paper

• Select where you want to find duplicates, e.g: All References, or a Group or Group Set.
• Go to Library > Find Duplicates
• EndNote will present you with two references to compare. Fields that are different in the two records will be highlighted.
• Click the Keep This Record button to choose your preferred duplicate.

Deduplicating All at Once

• After running Find Duplicates, click Cancel in the Find Duplicates window.

• The window will close, and a temporary folder named Duplicate References will be created. You will now see all the Duplicate References highlighted:

• You can now go to References > Move References to Trash to remove the highlighted references.

Exporting from EndNote to Covidence

After deduplication, remaining papers are screened for suitability at the abstract level. To facilitate this, researchers often export their results to screening software like Covidence or Rayyan.

To export from EndNote to Covidence follow these steps:

• Highlight the references you wish to export from your EndNote library. If you want to select all of them, be sure to select all in your EndNote library before exporting.
• Click on File > Export
• Select your file type and export style. You can export to RIS or XML
• To export to RIS: select "Text only" under "Save file as type" and "RefMan (RIS) Export" under "Output Style"
• To export to XML: select "XML" under "save file as type" and then select your choice of output style. 
• Click Save

Watch the video below to learn more about importing citations into Covidence from EndNote:

Exporting from Covidence back to EndNote

Once you have screened papers at the abstract level, you will need to find the full text of the remaining papers and read them before screening again.

EndNote can facilitate the finding of full text, so researchers will often take their screened results from a service like Covidence and export them back into EndNote for this reason.

To export from Covidence to EndNote

• From Dashboard choose export 
• Choose Full Text review from Category, and EndNote as referencing manager, then click on Export. A RIS file will be created. 
• Go back to EndNote and create a new Group Set with the name 'Full Text Review', and a new group under Full Text Review 
• Download data, and import to EndNote, then add the references to the new group 
• Create a backup after importing and include Full Text Review into the file name 

Finding Full Text

Find Full Text searches Library databases and the web for PDFs of articles in your EndNote library. You are restricted to searching for 250 full-text records at a time.

Setting Find Full Text Preferences

• Select Edit (EndNote on a Mac) > Preferences > Find Full Text
• Select Find Full Text from the list of preferences on the left of the preferences window.
• In the Open URL Path box, type or copy:
  https://search.lib.uts.edu.au/discovery/openurl?institution=61UTS_INST&vid=61UTS_INST:61UTS&
   
• In the Authenticate with URL box, type or copy:
  https://login.lib.uts.edu.au/app/utslibrary_frameworksaml_1/
  exk1wcbjvcoH1VkT13l7/sso/saml?
   
• Unticking the Automatically invoke Find Full Text on newly-imported references box will make EndNote run faster
  
• Click OK to save

Running Find Full Text

• Select one or more references in your EndNote library, and click the Find Full Text button (or right-click and choose Find Full Text)
  
• Login with your UTS ID and password, then click continue
• Because of issues with our authentication system, you will receive an error message that looks like the process has failed, however if you press the Continue button in the bottom left of screen, all should work properly
  
• EndNote will start to search for full text. If the full text is available, the PDF will attach to the article. Note that this only works for articles, and not for books or book chapters
• Sometimes a link is added to the reference instead of a PDF. These links may not always work!
• The presence of an attachment is indicated by a paperclip symbol in the far left column of your EndNote library
  
• You can view the attached PDF in the summary pane on the right.

 Manually Searching for Full Text via UTS Library:

• Select article and then select References > URL > OpenURL Link. A UTS Library catalogue page will open.
• If the full text is available,  Click on the link to locate the full text.
• If the full text is not available, you can sign in to request the article via Interlibrary loans
  

Saving a Compressed Library

At various stages along the way in your systematic review, it's wise to back up your work by making a compressed library. A compressed library is good because it keeps both the references and the groups and attachments in your library together in one file.

To create a compressed library in EndNote do File > Compressed Library.

More information can be found via our Creating and Backing Up LIbraries page:

Sharing Libraries

To facilitate the review process with different team members, sharing a group from your EndNote library may prove useful.

A word of caution: Sharing an EndNote group requires your EndNote library to sync with EndNote Web first. This may prove disastrous to your research if your EndNote Web library contains references that have nothing to do with your Systematic review work.

An alternative method of sharing libraries is to send your collaborator a compressed library (see box above for the method)

Before sharing with a colleague:

• Ensure your EndNote Web account has been wiped of all other references and groups first

Sharing your Library with others

• Set up your EndNote Web account and fully sync your library
• In EndNote, use the Share button (pictured below), or select File > Share
• Log in to your EndNote Web account and enter the email addresses that your collaborators emails (the addresses must be the ones your collaborators use for their EndNote Web accounts)

• You can choose the level of access (read only, edit) for each of your collaborators
  

Using a Library someone has shared with you.

• NOTE: proceed with caution here if you have materials in your EndNote Web account that aren't to do with your systematic review as your EndNote desktop will sync when the library is shared with you. To be safe, clear out your EndNote Web account before accepting the shared library, or ask your collaborator to send you a compressed library version. 
• Sync your EndNote library, logging into EndNote Web if necessary.
• Once connected, select File > Open Shared Library.
• Full-text attachments will not come over with a shared library

Sharing requires the use of EndNote Web. For more information, see our EndNote Web page: