EndNote
A smarter reference manager to summarize, translate, organize and cite with ease.
About EndNote
EndNote is Clarivate's reference manager for students, academics and professional researchers. It captures references and PDFs, organizes large libraries, syncs them between the desktop app, EndNote Web and iPad, and inserts formatted citations and bibliographies in Microsoft Word and Google Docs. EndNote 2025 adds an AI Research Assistant for chatting with, summarizing and translating papers, and the newer cloud-based EndNote Fusion targets institutions and research teams.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Industry-standard reference manager that many universities license and support with training
- Over 7,000 citation styles and a mature Cite While You Write plugin for Word
- Handles very large libraries with smart groups, tags and auto-organizing rules
- EndNote 2025 adds AI document chat, summaries and PDF translation
- Web of Science integration, Find a Journal and retraction alerts from Clarivate's data
- Library sharing with up to 1,000 collaborators and 24/7 support
Cons
- Expensive compared with free alternatives such as Zotero
- Steep learning curve and a dated interface compared with newer reference managers
- Paid version upgrades are needed every few years to get new features and keep cloud storage
- Sync can be slow with large libraries, and only one library syncs online
- The iPad app lacks desktop features such as smart groups and tags
Key Features
Cite While You Write
Insert in-text citations and auto-generated bibliographies in Microsoft Word and Google Docs as you write.
7,000+ citation styles
Format references in APA, MLA, Chicago and thousands of journal-specific styles, and switch styles instantly.
AI Research Assistant
Chat with a PDF in plain language, get AI-generated key takeaways, summarize sections and translate full documents (EndNote 2025).
Cloud sync across devices
Sync your library between the Windows/macOS desktop app, the EndNote Web interface and the iPad app.
Library sharing
Share whole libraries or subsets of references with up to 1,000 people, with edit permissions and an activity log.
Find Full Text and reference updates
Retrieve full-text PDFs in bulk and update reference metadata to keep records correct and complete.
Smart groups and tags
Organize unlimited references with smart groups, custom tags and rules that auto-sort new records.
Find a Journal
Get machine-learning journal recommendations for a manuscript, powered by Web of Science data, from inside the Word plugin.
Retraction alerts
Get flagged when a cited paper has been retracted so you don't build an argument on withdrawn research.
Web of Science integration
Pull trusted Web of Science data into your library, view citing articles and related records.
Pricing
- For owners of EndNote 21 or earlier
- Upgrade to EndNote 2025
- AI Research Assistant
- Keeps cloud storage active
- Full EndNote 2025 at a student discount
- Requires student eligibility verification
- Desktop, EndNote Web and iPad access
- EndNote 2025 for first-time buyers
- Install on up to 3 machines
- Cloud sync and library sharing
- AI Research Assistant
- Find a Journal
- 24/7 support
- Group, lab or institution-wide licensing
- EndNote Fusion cloud platform
- Admin controls for libraries
- Contact sales for pricing
Best For
Thesis and dissertation writing
Graduate students manage hundreds of sources and keep citations and bibliographies consistent across long documents.
Systematic and literature reviews
Researchers import large result sets from databases, deduplicate, find full text in bulk and screen references.
Journal manuscript preparation
Authors switch between journal citation styles and use Find a Journal to pick a target publication.
Collaborative lab research
Research teams share a common library with set permissions and track changes through the activity log.
Institutional reference management
Universities, libraries and R&D organizations deploy site licenses or EndNote Fusion with admin controls.
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