In the Spotlight

Download EndNote version 9.0 for Windows

The latest version of EndNote, version 9.0 for Windows, is now available to all Northwestern students, faculty, and staff. To download this version to your PC, go to the Library's Support for EndNote page and follow the instructions under "Where to Acquire EndNote." Only a Windows version of EndNote 9 is currently available. Mac users should continue to use version 7 or 8.0.2. Both of these versions are also available from the University's e-academy download site.

This latest version of EndNote is the second to be totally Unicode compliant, meaning that you can now capture numerous special characters in EndNote libraries, including mathematical and chemical signs, Greek symbols, and of course the entirely different character sets of languages such as Japanese, Hebrew, Russian, and Thai. Cutting and pasting as well as downloading records in these and many other languages is now supported. Additional improvements include better compatibility with Microsoft Word, e.g. with the "Track Changes" feature. Finally, many of the bugs that made working with version 8.0 so difficult have been addressed and fixed. Access EndNote's web site for more information on new features.

A few caveats before downloading this new version of EndNote. First, if you are attempting to install this software while not directly connected to the Northwestern Network, you will need to configure a VPN connection. If you need assistance configuring VPN or downloading and installing EndNote 9, please call the NUIT Support Center at 847-491-HELP (4357) or e-mail consultant@northwestern.edu.

Second, the NU EndNote Toolkit available with version 7.0 works only with version 7.0. Once you install version 9 you will not be able to use the toolkit. A toolkit for version 9 is in preparation and will be completed this fall--until then, individual connection files and import filters can be downloaded from the Reference Department's EndNote site above. NU custom style sheets, which must still be revised to work with EndNote 9, will take a little longer.

Also, note that upon installing version 9, EndNote will convert each of your EndNote libraries to version 9 format when you open them--leaving, however, the original EndNote v. 7 libraries intact. You may wish to keep version 7.0 on your PC to use with those libraries. Once converted to version 9, these former EndNote 7 libraries cannot be converted back. A fresh copy of version 7 can be downloaded from the e-academy site at any time.

Northwestern University Library will be offering workshops for EndNote 9. Library staff will need some time to become better acquainted with the new features in EndNote 9 before being able to answer all EndNote questions, but we should be fully up to speed several weeks into fall quarter. If you have any questions about using EndNote, email the Reference Department or call the Reference Desk at 847-491-7656.

Jeff Garrett