Technology has evolved and cloud-based software has become the norm. However, this has created some unique issues when it comes to scholarly publishing. Most authors today use citation management tools to assist them in collecting, organizing, and citing references in their manuscripts. While some more recent citation management tools were built in the cloud, such as RefWorks, Zotero, and Mendeley; others started as desktop software programs.

These desktop-based products, most notably EndNote, have struggled to adapt to the changing technologies. In 1989 EndNote Version 1 was released as a ”Reference Database and Bibliography Maker” for Apple Macintosh by Niles & Associates (EndNote was first acquired by Thomson Reuters in 2000, and in 2016 it fell under their spin-off company Clarivate Analytics [now called Clarivate]).

By 1992 EndNote had several competitors, including ProCite and Reference Manager (both later acquired by Thomson Reuters and subsequently discontinued). By the time EndNote 4.0 was released in 2000, most of EndNote’s core functionality was in place. In 2020, EndNote 20 was released, and the most recent update is EndNote 20.2.

EndNote Web

In 2007, EndNote released EndNote Web, a web-based version of EndNote that was integrated in ISI Web of Knowledge (today known as Web of Science). EndNote Web later became EndNote Basic (there are two versions) and EndNote Online.

• EndNote Basic is a web-based reference manager that allows for up to a maximum of 50,000 references and 2GB of attachments. There are two different versions of EndNote Basic.
  
  • A free web-based only version of EndNote with limited functionality (21 citation styles and a limited number of filters and connection files). It requires no additional purchases, subscriptions, or licenses.
  • An upgraded version of EndNote Basic that is available to individuals who have institutional subscriptions to Web of Science. This version of EndNote Basic has thousands of citation styles and hundreds of filters and connection files.
• EndNote Online is the cloud-based portion of the licensed EndNote Desktop. This online version of the desktop library can contain an unlimited number of references and attachments.
  • EndNote Online can only sync to ONE (1) EndNote Desktop Library, and from there users can share references and collaborate with others.
  • EndNote Online syncs with EndNote desktop versions: X8, X9 and 20.

Microsoft Moves to the Cloud

Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365) is Microsoft’s subscription-based suite of products, including the core Microsoft Office software (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc), as well as many additional cloud-based business services such as Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive.

Many of the core office products in the 365 suite also include the current desktop versions of the office applications – currently Microsoft Office 2021. Office 2021 is also sold as a one-time purchase of the Office applications for a single computer. There is also an Office for the Web, which is a free version of the core Office applications that can be used right in the browser.

Read more here: What’s the difference between Microsoft 365 and Office 2021?

NOTE: MSK has an site license for Microsoft 365, and all MSK employees are able to access Microsoft Office software both on their desktop workstations as well as in the cloud via SharePoint.

So what does all of this mean for EndNote?

One of the most challenging aspects of this changing landscape is that these two companies (Microsoft and Clarivate, the owner of EndNote) fail to be able to fully cooperate in making their products work seamlessly.

The biggest hurdle is for users who want to collaborate with their colleagues to write manuscripts. Below are just a few of the overlapping issues currently playing out.

1. EndNote Desktop does not allow for sharing of libraries/groups or collaborating with colleagues; it must be done by syncing through EndNote Online. Only one (1) desktop library can be synced to EndNote Online. Shared groups appear in EndNote 20 desktop simply as links back to EndNote Online.
2. Office 2021 (desktop version of Word) can only connect to either EndNote Desktop or EndNote Online, but not both at the same time using the Cite While You Write (CWYW) plugin.
3. Microsoft 365’s Word (cloud-based in SharePoint) is not compatible with EndNote CWYW at all, therefore documents must be opened in the Word desktop application to make edits in the document.
4. Documents formatted with EndNote cannot safely be stored in cloud-based storage.
5. Co-editing Word documents that are formatted with EndNote CWYW that are living outside of a shared folder or drive (e.g. SharePoint, GoogleDocs, DropBox) can corrupt the document.

What’s the Solution?

• Create ONE (1) single library within your EndNote Desktop
  
  • .enl + .data  (library + data folder, on either Windows or Macs)
  • .enpl (packaged library, only available on Macs)
  • Use Groups and Group Sets to organize references
• Sync your single EndNote library to EndNote Online
• Create shared groups either in EndNote Desktop or EndNote Online and sync.
  • Invite collaborators to the shared group from within EndNote Online.
• Use the desktop application of Microsoft Word to add and edit EndNote citations to the Word document.
• Store Word documents in cloud-based storage like SharePoint, OneDrive, and DropBox as “unformatted” citations.
  • This allows for multiple people to edit the document without corruption and without the need to constantly email versions back and forth.
• Do not use Track Changes in Word with EndNote, it must be turned off (not visible) in order to format documents properly without errors.

For further assistance with citation management, check out our scheduled Library Classes, or take a look at our self-guided resources on our Citation Management LibGuide.

The RIS (file format) is a standardized tag format developed by Research Information Systems company. The tag includes two letters, two spaces, and a hyphen to express bibliographic citation information. Each tag supports a different field. Below are some examples of tags for various field codes in a reference.

TY  -        "Type of reference" (eg. JOUR - always first tag)
AU  -        "Author"
PY  -        "Publication Year"
T1  -        "Primary Title" 
T2  -        "Secondary Title" (eg. journal title)
SP  -        "Start Page"
EP  -        "End Page"
VL  -        "Volume"
IS  -        "Issue"

Most citation management tools use the RIS file format to properly tag information to the correct field (i.e. Author, Title, Journal Title, etc.). Most scholarly databases also include RIS format as one of their export options. See below for a list of RIS compatible tools and databases.

Therefore, the RIS file format can be used to transfer references to and from different programs. The most common use of RIS format is for exporting search results from a database into a citation management tool. In this example, the search results from an RIS-compatible database are exported by selecting RIS format, or occasionally a format specific for a software program (e.g. EndNote, RefWorks). In the latter case, it is using RIS format behind the scenes, but making it clearer to the user which option should be chosen. The database then converts the selected references into a raw format that the citation management tool can interpret. The user than either imports the file into their software program or they have their browser settings set to open an RIS file automatically in a specified program.

RIS files (file extension is .ris) are also a great option for long-term preservation. You may want to archive an EndNote Library you no longer use to save space, by preserving the citation records in an RIS file, if needed in the future, the file can simply be imported and repopulated in EndNote (or another software program). The same goes for if somebody sends you an RIS file of references, you can keep it in your records and, when needed, simply import it into an EndNote Library.

When doing this, it is best to have the target EndNote Library (most often a newly created one) already open on your computer so that when you double click on the RIS file the references are imported directly into that Library, otherwise EndNote may default to the most recent used library. If you want to preserve your own RIS files you can get them from Downloads (for example, in Chrome go to Downloads and then click Show in Folder, then copy to/save the RIS file where you want it to be) and rename it as needed.

What about PubMed??

One notable database that does NOT use RIS file format is PubMed. PubMed uses their own proprietary file format created by the National Library of Medicine. This “PubMed format” also known as MEDLINE tagged format, replaced RIS format so that it could better accommodate specific fields of information only found in PubMed (such as PMID). The file extension for the PubMed format is .nbib and it is essentially a .txt file format that can be opened and modified – this is not advised!

Still, you can easily convert Pubmed references to the .ris file format, if need be. To do that you need to export the references from PubMed to an Endnote Library first, then, in Endnote go to File>Export.. Type a file name in a File Name box and replace the extension .txt with .ris, Then choose Text File (*.txt) from Save as Type and RefMan (RIS) Export from Output Style drop down boxes. If you don’t see the RefMan (RIS) Export in the Output Style drop down box, click on Select Another Style and scroll to select it. Then Save your .ris file where you’d like it to be located. This .ris file can be now used for keeping and for export to and import by other software.

There are also other file formats that can be used to import and export to and from various products, such as BibTex (.bib), and EndNote format files (.enl, .enlx, .enlp, and .xml).

Takeaways: The RIS file format is a tagged file format used for bibliographic information, in both a variety of scholarly databases, journals, and library catalogs, as well as in certain citation management programs.

RIS-Compatible Citation Management Software Programs (*not exhaustive)

• EndNote
• RefWorks
• Zotero
• Mendeley
• Papers
• PaperPile
• SciWheel

RIS-Compatible Scholarly Databases (*not exhaustive)

• Embase
• CINAHL
• Scopus
• Web of Science
• PsycINFO

OpenAthens is an identity and IP-based authentication system that provides access to the Library’s licensed online resources via single sign-on (SSO) technology. It is replacing our previous system, EZproxy. 

Now when you are remote, you will be able to use your MSK credentials (username and password) to sign on with the MSK secure single sign-on, regardless if you are on or off of VPN. There should be no change to access when on-campus.

We still strongly recommend navigating to the Library’s Remote Access (top right corner of the library’s website) first to access library resources and subscription content.

In some cases, you may be prompted by Open Athens to select your institution; simply go to Find your institution and select “Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center”.

Please refer to this LibGuide on Open Athens for further information. For questions regarding Open Athens or access issues, please reach out to resources@mkscc.org.