Learning Resource Center: EndNote: Cite While You Write

How to Use Cite While You Write (CWYW)

When you install EndNote, it will automatically install files allowing EndNote and Word to communicate and enabling Cite While You Write (CWYW) in Word. This EndNote 21 ribbon will appear in Word in both a Windows and Mac environment.

In Word, you will see a tab on the ribbon, similar to the screenshot below.

The "Go to EndNote" command will take you to the EndNote program, where you can select (highlight) references for insertion into your Word document.

The "Insert Citation" command will provide a search window where you can enter text that is in any text field of the EndNote record you want to find. You can then select references from a list of those that contain your search terms and insert them into your paper. You can choose to search your open EndNote libraries or groups shared with you using a drop-down list.

The "Insert Selected Citations" command will insert the references that are selected (highlighted) in EndNote into your document at the location of the Word cursor. Both buttons shown below activate this command; the one at the left is found in Word, the one at the right is found in EndNote. (Note: For Macintosh, click on the small arrow at the right of the Insert Citation button to activate the list of commands available for the button in Word.)

If you just want to change the style without changing any of the other formatting options (such as font or line spacing), the Style drop-down list will allow you to do so.

The "Configure Bibliography" command will allow you to change the EndNote style used for your document. It will also let you make other changes to the layout of your bibliography, such as adding a heading, changing the font for the bibliography, or changing the line spacing.

Configure Bibliography

Use the "Edit & Manage Citation(s)" command to make any changes inside a citation, such as adding page numbers or removing author names from author-date citations.

Edit & Manage Citation(s)

Instant formatting provides a constant updating of all citations and the bibliography. However, there may be times when it is helpful to turn off this constant updating, such as when you are moving large amounts of text in the document and want EndNote to wait until all the text is in its final location before formatting. This command turns instant formatting on or off for the current document. This is especially helpful when working on theses and dissertations. See CWYW Tips for additional recommendations.

Instant Formatting menu to toggle between On and Off

EndNote has made Cite While You Write (CWYW) available for use with PowerPoint presentations as well; however this is only possible on Windows devices. This feature allows you to add references from your EndNote library to your PowerPoint presentations.

Adding EndNote references to PowerPoint slides

Have your EndNote library open
Open your PowerPoint presentation, click on the EndNote 21 ribbon
In EndNote, select your required style
In PowerPoint, click into a text box on your slide where you want to add a citation
- You can add custom text boxes to place citations wherever you wish
In EndNote, select the required references
Then in PowerPoint on the EndNote 21 ribbon, click Insert Selected Citation(s) to insert the selected references into your slide(s)

Adding complete references to the final PowerPoint slide

In PowerPoint, select the last slide in your presentation
In EndNote, select the required references
Then in PowerPoint on the EndNote 21 ribbon, click Insert Selected Reference(s)

Cite While You Write (CWYW) can be a time saving feature, but there are some tips and tricks to be aware of that will make working with CWYW an easier experience. CWYW introduces EndNote encoding into your Word documents which is incompatible with using Track Changes and can also cause issues with many manuscript submission systems. The sections below address some best practices to help you avoid some common CWYW problems. For more recommendations on formatting your bibliographies, visit our Creating a Bibliography page.

Dissertations, Theses, and Other Large Documents

If you are working on a large research document, especially if you anticipate sharing your work with others to provide feedback using Track Changes or Comments in Word, here are some steps to follow while using CWYW:

Turn Instant Formatting Off in Word.

Turn Instant Formatting Off

Use Convert to Unformatted Citations in your draft document.

Wait until the end of your revisions to do your citation and bibliography formatting.

You may find it beneficial to keep two copies of your document; one copy that can circulate to faculty and peers for review, and another copy where you can make your edits. This may help to prevent issues that arise from using Track Changes and EndNote's CWYW in the same document.

Manuscript Submissions

Many manuscript submission systems cannot process the EndNote CWYW encoding. It is a recommended practice that you create a copy of your manuscript to use for submission that removes the EndNote formatting.

You can use Convert to Plain Text. This will create an identical copy of your document without the Endnote CWYW encoding.