EndNote Tutorials: How to Import PDFs into EndNote?

EndNote allows you to import a PDF or a folder of PDFs into your library with all the bibliographic information extracted automatically, under the condition that the PDFs have DOIs embedded. How to import a PDF? Here are the steps:

• Open your EndNote library.
• Under the File menu, choose Import.
• If it is a single PDF, choose File; if it is a collection of PDFs placed in a folder, then choose Folder.
• In the Import File or Import Folder popup window, retrieve the PDF file or folder and click OK.
• Make sure the Import Option is PDF. You can choose Import All (can dedup later).
• Clicking on the Import button, all the PDFs will be imported into EndNote.

Note: If the PDF file was scanned or it does not have a DOI assigned, then it will not be successfully imported. All it has will be an attachment to an empty record.

If you have a bibliographic reference in your EndNote Library and you want to attach its fulltext article in PDF, you may follow the steps below to do so:

• Open your EndNote Library.
• Click on the reference to which you want to attached the PDF file. (Note: Single click shows the fields of the record on the right; double click opens the full window to view the fields.)
• Move the cursor to the File Attachements field. 
• Either right click or go to the References menu on the top.
• Go to File Attachments --> Attach File...
• Retrieve the file you want to attach.
• The fulltext PDF should be displayed in an thumbnail icon. The actual fulltext file is placed in the .data folder.