Cite While You Write

Cite While You Write allows users to insert footnotes, endnotes, and bibliographic references into their papers as they write.  This feature is only compatible with Microsoft Word; if you are using another program to write your thesis or dissertation, you will need to put citations in by hand, and export your citations from EndnoteWeb to a bibliography.

To see what this looks like in action, check out these videos from other academic Libraries:

 

The Cite While You Write feature in Endnote Web requires that users install a plug-in for Word.  Before installing, check the program's system requirements here .  If your computer does not meet these requirements, the Cite While You Write feature will not function.  It may also cause conflicts with other programs on your computer.

If your computer meets the system requirements, you may install the Cite While You Write feature by following these instructions for Windows users:

Install MyEndnoteWeb Cite While You Write Plug-In for Windows

Microsoft Word must be closed during installation of Cite While You Write.

 

 

  1. Making sure you are logged into the EndNote Web site in a Web browser, click the Downloads tab at the top of the page.
  2. In the left hand column under Cite while you Write, choose Download Windows.


  3. Make sure Internet Explorer and Microsoft Word are closed.
  4. Run the EndNoteWeb installer. Click Next on the first page of the installer.
  5. Enter your name and Drew University on the Registration page. Click Next.
  6. Choose the Default server. Click Next again.
  7. Keep clicking next through to "Ready to Install".
  8. When the installation is finished, click the "Finish" button.

  9. Open Word.

  10. Click on the EndNote tab.



  11. Once in the "Endnote" tab, click on the "Preferences" link as shown in the screenshot below


  • In the pop up window, select "Application" so that you may connect your Endnote online account to Word.




  • Select "Endnote online" and enter your account info


  • If you have connected to Endnoteline in a prior writing session, you may need to enter your email address and password in the box that pops up. Click "OK".
  • If you save your document, you will not be prompted for your login information again in that document. You will, however, have to log in again for a new document.

 If the EndNote toolbar or menu doesn't appear in Word, you'll need to activate it, by going to the Start button in Word (in the upper left) and clicking on "Word Options" at the bottom.  Click on "Add-Ins" in the left-hand menu, and then at the bottom next to "Manage:" select "Word Add-ins" from the drop-down menu.  Click on Go.  Now check "EndNote Cwyw.dotm" on the list and click on OK.  Now close and re-open Word.

Install MyEndnoteWeb Cite While You Write Plug-In for Macintosh

Microsoft Word must be closed before you install Cite While You Write.

  1. Making sure you are logged into the EndNote Web site in a Web browser, click the Download tab at the top of the page.
  2. In the left hand column under Cite while you Write, choose either Download Windows or Download Macintosh.


  3. Make sure all applications are closed.
  4. Double-click the Cite While You Write.dmg file that was downloaded.
  5. Drag the EndNote Web folder to the Applications folder on your hard drive.
  6. Double-click on the Applications folder, then the EndNote online folder, and finally the CWYW_installer file.
  7. Follow the instructions to complete the installation.

  8.  Open Word.

  9. Go to the "Tools" menu, point your mouse over "EndNote X7" and select "Cite While You Write Preferences...".

  10. On the Cite While You Write Preferences window, click on the "Application" tab.
  11. Select "EndNote Web" or "EndNote online". Enter your registered E-mail address and password for EndNote online. Check to remember the e-mail address and password.

  12. Click "OK".
  13. Restart Word and to use the Cite While You Write commands.

 How to Use the Cite While You Write Feature

Though EndNote Web instructions say you must use Internet Explorer, the CiteWhileYouWrite plugin appears to work with Firefox. EndNote can be used to cite and format references in a manuscript. EndNote installs a tab in the Word toolbar. The ribbon has three sections: Citations, Bibliography, and Export Tools.

  1. Open Microsoft Word and open your document or begin a new document.
  2. Click on the EndnoteWeb tab.



  3. Select the citation format to use in the EndnoteWeb toolbar.
    1. If you do not see your desired format in the list, choose "Select Another Style..." from the top of the dropdown menu. Look for the citation format in the dialog box that opens.
  4. Click on Go To Endnote or Go To EndNote Online to be sure you are logged in to Endnote web.
  5. When you want to insert a new citation in your document, click on Find Citations in the EndNoteWeb tab/menu
    1. Note: if you are adding a footnote or endnote, go into the References tab and choose "add footnote" or "add endnote" to create the note first!
    2. Type in a keyword to find the item(s) you wish to cite and click Find. (Note: you can't search by the group name; search by citation keyword instead.)
    3. Select the item citation(s) and click Insert. The in-text reference will inserted where your cursor was in the text, and the full citation will be inserted into its alphabetical position in the list at the end of the text.
    4. To add page numbers to a particular in-text reference/footnote:
      1. Right-click (or, on a Mac, click) on the in-text reference and choose "Edit Citation"
      2. You may have to choose "More" in the Edit Citation menu, and select Edit Citation again in the window.
      3. There will be a field for the page number(s).

Citation Dropdown Tools:

    • Find Citation(s): Opens a window where you can search for the reference of interest, and insert it into the manuscript
    • Insert Note: Allows adding a note to the document
    • Insert Selected Citation(s): Inserts selected references as a temporary citation at the location of the cursor in the Word document
    • Find Figure(s): Allows insertion of a figure included in an EndNote library

Go to EndNote: Launches EndNote or, if EndNote is already open, brings EndNote to the front of the desktop so that one or more references can be highlighted

Edit & Manage Citations: Allows editing of references, such as removing author name or year, or adding page numbers

 

Edit Library Reference(s): Allows editing of EndNote references from within Word (such as hiding the author name or adding page numbers); see the EndNote Getting Started Guide or the Help feature within EndNote for details.

Bibliography Tools:

Update Citations and Bibliography: Automatically updates the Word document with changes made to citations in EndNote.
Convert Citations & Bibliography Dropdown Tools:

  • Convert to Unformated Citations temporarily unformats a citation before editing it or unformats the entire manuscript
  • Convert to Plain Text creates a copy of the document, removing EndNote field codes, so the text can be edited & shared. 
  • Convert Reference manager citations to EndNote changes Reference Manager entries to EndNote citation
  • Convert Word 2007 Citations to EndNote reformats citations created using Word's formatting!


 

Configure Bibliography: Accessible by clicking on the small arrow in the Bibliography section of the Word EndNote Toolbar   . Formats or reformats the references according to the selected output style. Also allows editing of font and line spacing (Layout tab) The formatting process replaces the temporary citations with formatted citations and builds a formatted reference list at the end of the manuscript.



Export to EndNote Drop-down tools:

  • Export Traveling Library: Creates an independent library from the references cited in a paper (The reference data saved with each citation includes all fields except Notes, Abstract, and Figure).
  • Export Word Citations: Creates a library from the citations in a paper that were created using the formatting feature in Word (found under the References tab) to export into an existing or a new EndNote library [See Manage Sources under the References tab]
  • Export Word Master List: Creates a library from the Word Master List of references to export into an existing or a new EndNote library [SeeManage Sources under the References tab]
  • Preferences: Set preferences for the Cite While You Write (CWYW) feature, including turning off instant formatting, keyboard shortcuts, and switch to EndNote Web CWYW
  • EndNote Help: Help topics related to Cite While You Write



Reviewed June 5, 2023