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Medical Libraries

EndNote at Rowan University: Cite While You Write (CWYW) Using Google Docs

Guide to Using EndNote for students, faculty, and staff at Rowan University

EndNote and Google Docs

Using EndNote Web, the newer cloud based version of EndNote, in conjunction with the EndNote app installed on a computer users can insert, edit, and manage citations and references within a Google Doc using a browser add-on. 

The Google docs browser add-on must be used with the EndNote Web. EndNote Web is only compatible with newer versions of the EndNote app, EndNote 21 and EndNote 2025. Older versions of the EndNote app and the old cloud based version of referred to as EndNote Online Classic have limited functionality with Google Docs.      

To add EndNote Cite While You Write (CWYW) functionality to Google Docs you must install an add-on in Google Docs via the Google Marketplace:

  • Use this link to get the EndNote CWYW add-on in the Google Marketplace 
  • Click Install.
  • Click Continue to accept the policies.
  • Sign into your Google account and allow Cite While You Write access

Using EndNote CWYW with Google Docs and Inserting a Citation

  • Open the EndNote Cite While You Write Extension in the Google Doc you want to use with EndNote




Users will be prompted to log-in into EndNote 21 Web if they are not already logged in.  If you have not registered for an online account with EndNote 21 Click Here. 

To utilize CWYW in Google docs you also must have synched a library between EndNote 21 and EndNote 21 Web.  Once logged into EndNote 21 Web your synched library will display in your Google doc in a separate column.  

 

 Google Doc EndNote 21 Web

To insert a citation

  • Position the cursor at the point in the Google Doc where a citation is needed.
  • Use the "Search References" box to do a keyword search
  • Check the checkbox next to the citation you want to insert
  • Click Insert Citation to insert the citation into the Google Doc

Inserting citation    


Sharing Behavior

  • Multiple users can insert citations at the same time and the user can see the references added by other users but there is no way to track which references are cited by whom.
  • Important: When a user is editing or adding a citation and another user updates the document at the same time, the changes made by the first user in the citation are removed.

Manual Text Edits

  • Manual edits to the citations and bibliography are ignored, as it reverts to the original format every time citations are updated.
  •  If a user deletes/cuts a citation, and then undoes the action with CTRL-Z, the citation comes back.

Important: The Google Docs EndNote add-on is less intuitive than EndNote CWYW in Word. Unlike in Word the EndNote add-on will not track and automatically update citations and the reference list if content is copied and pasted elsewhere in the document.  You will need to reorder and reinsert your citations and update the reference list yourself.  

Publication/Citation Styles

As with the CWYW with Word you and select among hundreds of publication styles to use in your document. 

  • To select or change the publication style in EndNote click the vertical ellipsis and select Citation Style.Citation Style
     
  • Use the search box to search for the publication style and then select it

    .Search and select citation style
     
  • Citations and reference list may update to selected style automatically.  If not, click the Update Citations button 

    Click Update Citations button

EndNote Help

Guide and videos tutorials from the creators of EndNote, Clarivate Analytics. 

Contact a Rowan Librarian specializing in EndNote