This question is about Web of Science searches in Endnote X2 and how to discard a large number of unwanted citations. I did several Web of Science searches in Endnote yesterday and assigned the citations of interest into various custom groups. Now I realize that I should have deleted the unwanted search results but I didn’t since I was not aware that all search results are automatically saved to the database. I have now 1000 unwanted citations in the All References Group. How can I remove the unwanted ones without deleting those in the custom group? Is my only option to export the Custom Groups into a new library and to delete the current library? If that is the case, how do I “keep” wanted online search results if there is no check box next to the results as there is in the online Web of Science? Is the only option to individually delete the unwanted citations? Obviously, it is much more efficient to select the 10 citations I want than to delete the 990 ones I don’t want. Thanks for any suggestions.
You need to ensure you have installed the X2 patch. See this FAQ which describes the Online search button to use instead of the integrated mode.
To get rid of your current batch, which are not currently in groups, there is a plug-in described here that Tech Support has developed which you may find useful. Once you have these, select all and then delete them.
Leanne: Thanks for the information–you saved my day! This makes me wonder why Online Mode is not selected automatically for any online search. This is easy to overlook and if one does not assign all references into Custom Groups, one online search in the Integrated Mode could screw up the entire library, no?
I think this is a point that the developers need to consider. At the moment, by default, a library opens in integrated mode. We advise all our users to immediately select the local mode, and EndNote will remember this preference when you close the library.
Given the number of complaints on this forum about the way the integrated mode operates, it would surely be better if local mode were the default?
You aren’t the first to make this point; in fact I have never seen a message from anyone who thought the change was a good idea! But at least they went back and provided a way to make it possible to choose not to add everything. And once you have made the choice to go with the online vs standalone /library, it sticks.