EndNote user guides
Endnote: Sorting bibliography by source.
Primarily for History students, this guide will show you how to create an Endnote bibliography that is sorted into primary and secondary sources. This guide is based on Endnote 7 for PC, but the steps will be similar for later versions.
Learning outcome: Ability to sort bibliography by primary/secondary source.
It is highly recommended that the output style file first be copied and renamed so that the original is not altered.
Either use the existing “label” field of each bibliographic reference, or create a new field, “primary”, to be inserted into every reference type for the output style being used. Using the label field is the easiest approach.
1. Using the label field.
- For each record in your bibliography (or at least, each record being cited in the paper), the term “primary” or “secondary” needs to be placed in the label field as appropriate.
- Edit/output styles/ [select the style being edited - preferably a copy of an existing style].
- Bibliography/sort order/other.
- Take note of the existing order in the drop down sorting order menus, then change the top menu to the “label” field. The remaining menus should be set to the original order appropriate for the style.
- As alphabetically “P” is before “S”, you will not have to reverse the sort direction, but there is an icon to do so for other sorting changes.
- Okay/close edit output style/yes to save changes.
- Insert the citations into the paper. The reference list will sort itself by the primary and secondary label field, then by author, title, etc.
2. Creating a new field.
Create a new field in reference type.
- Edit/preferences/reference types [select book journal, etc - every reference type being cited will need this done].
- Modify reference types.
- Select the reference type - book for example - and scroll down until there is a blank cell - preferably one of the “custom” cells.
- Name the chosen field “primary”.
Alter bibliography sort order.
- Edit/output styles /[Select the copied output style, not the original].
- Scroll to bibliography/sort order. Select “other”.
- There are multiple drop-down sort options. Make sure the first is set to the field cell you have chosen (Custom 1, for example). Ensure the remaining sort preferences are as per your citation style - author, then title, then year, etc.
- Okay, then yes when prompted to save.
Identify primary sources within records.
- Having set up a new field in your reference types, for each bibliographic record, manually place the term “Primary” or “Secondary” in the new field as appropriate. Another approach would be to add a numeric value instead. It is suggested that primary sources are given a value of “1”, secondary sources a value of “2”. Note that leaving the field blank won’t work successfully - these will have a value of “0”, and will float to the top when sorted.
- You will need to manually enter these terms or numeric values whenever you add a new record to your library.
- Headings for “Primary sources’ and “Secondary sources’ can be added manually, but only after the bibliography is completed. This will not work if further citations are subsequently added to the bibliography.