Because Endnote provides no integration with Google Docs, I’m manually inserting the field codes in this document in the form {Author, Year, Record Number}, e.g. {Austin, 2006 #843}. The record number is taken from my Endnote desktop application.
The idea is that if I’d later copy/paste my text with the field codes from Google Docs into Word (with CWYW), I can easily generate the references / bibliography with the press of a button in Word.
This is how I discovered that, for a given Endnote reference in my library, the record numbers on my PC and Mac computers are not necessarily identical. This obviously hampers my workflow.
For instance, {Austin, 2006 # 843 } and {Austin, 2006 # 870 } evoke different responses from Endnote when generating references / bibliography on either the Windows or Mac computer.
Practically, this means that I should use one of my machines as the ‘single source of truth’ and only create Word documents (with proper references / bibliography) there.
I’m aware that record numbering has been an issue for some time in Endnote. But I’m really surprised that this hasn’t been addressed programmatically until now, or so it seems.
Will this issue be sorted in the foreseeable future?
My recommendation is to set your preferences in Endnote to use page numbers rather than record numbers for the temporary citations. You probably already know that you can ctrl+C a highlighted or multiple highlighted records in endnote and then ctrl+V those into your google doc to insert the appropriate temporary citation.
You can (I believe) save a Google file as an RFT format, and then using the Format Paper (under tools menu on the PC), you can format the document directly when ready to submit without copy pasting to a word document directly. I have not personally worked with this workflow, so you propbably will want to test it. – and obviously keep a backup copy of the google doc for safe keeping.
Before I implement any changes, can I pls verify my understanding and raise the following points?
First, am I right in thinking that this change to use Page Numbers rather than Record Numbers should be made on each computer used in writing the document?
Second, this change would also affect any previously written Google Docs still using the Author/Year/Record Number format? (In other words, it would require some additional manual steps to generate the proper references / bibliography for such ‘legacy’ documents, i.e. reverting back to the default Author/Year/Record Number format in the preferences.)
Third, the fact that some journals provide abbreviated page numbers like 345-56 instead of 345-356 won’t be an issue as the match is a simple string comparison. Thus, as per the example, the page numbers won’t need changing from 345-56 to 345-356?
Fourth, when page numbers are absent (e.g. in books), the solution would still work?
maybe others can comment, as I said, I haven’t used the work flow. – My recommendations work best when I am sitting at your computer looking at your documents! sorry. (and always working on a copy, so if I go “oops” that didn’t work, I have the original to go back to).
I have checked and it doesn’t automatically change from record numbers to page numbers in a preexisting document. So that is a drag, and yes everyone would make the change in their desktop preferences.
I have been known to create a output style that replaces the citation with square bracketed temporary citation lookalikes, [author, Year pages] and update citations. – not sure if that would work in a google doc to replace preexisting record number versions. Then you change the delimiters and format, change them back to curly brackets and convert back to temporay citations and change the output style to your prefered one.
I don’t know if the basic online endnote allows any of this.
again – one has to test it, and this is all easier in word than in a google doc.