Using EndNote to Search PubMed

EndNote can be used to search PubMed directly, with the following benefits: (1) it frees you from potential confusion of importing records into EndNote from a text file; (2) the interface for constructing Boolean searches is more straightforward than the PubMed interface; (3) you can select Search Fields directly from EndNote pulldown menus, and you don't have to remember PubMed's Search Field Tags.

Emory University has purchased a site license for EndNote and distributes it at no charge to Emory students, faculty, and staff at many sites on campus (Cox Hall, the Emory Bookstore, etc). The latest version is 8.0; on the Mac, this is the only version that is compatible with Microsoft Office 2004.

To set up PubMed searching from within EndNote, perform the following steps:

  1. Open the EndNote application.

    The same protocol works in EndNote versions 6 through the latest version, 8.0.

  2. Select the command "Edit > Connection Files > Open Connection Manager".



  3. Scroll down till you see "PubMed" and check the box to the left in the "PubMed" row. Close the window by clicking the red button.


  1. Select the command
    2. "Tools > Connect > PubMed (NLM)".

  1. Perform your search.

  2. Drag retrieved references from the PubMed window to a local EndNote library on your computer.