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EndNote – journal term list for accurate journal name formatting

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Summary:

EndNote’s Journal Term List ensures journal names in your citations are consistent, accurate, and formatted according to the preferred abbreviations required by your citation style. It supports multiple disciplines with built-in lists and allows full customisation to meet specific journal requirements. Journal abbreviation lists are field-specific (e.g., medical, chemistry, and engineering all have different abbreviations) and thus not activated by default.

Benefits of using the journal term list

1. Automatic formatting

  • Ensures journal names appear correctly, whether full names or standard abbreviations. Saves much time.

2. Consistency across references

  • Eliminates manual typos or mismatches in journal names.

3. Multiple discipline support

  • Includes built-in term lists for fields like Medicine, Chemistry, and more.

4. Easy customisation

  • Edit, import, or update journal term lists to match publisher or style guidelines.

How to set up and use the journal term list in EndNote

Step 1 – Access the Journal Term List

  1. Open EndNote and your library.
  2. Go to Library > Open Term Lists > Journals Term List.

Step 2 – Clear Existing Terms (If needed)

  • In the Terms tab, review the list.
  • To start fresh: Select All > Delete Term.

Step 3 – Import a Standard Journal Term List

  1. Go to the Lists tab > choose the Journals list > Import List.
  2. Select the appropriate discipline list (e.g., Medical, Chemical).
  3. Click Open to import journal names and abbreviations.

Note that most styles are already set up for the correct abbreviation and should work correctly once you have imported the correct Journal term list.

Step 5 – Apply Abbreviations to Your Citation Style

  1. Go to Tools > Output Styles > Open Style Manager.
  2. Select your citation style and click Edit.
  3. Under Journal Names, choose the abbreviation you want to use.
  4. Save changes and close.

Note that most styles are already set up for the correct abbreviation and should work correctly once you have imported the correct Journal term list.

Best practices for journal term lists

  • Always import the discipline-specific list for your research field.
  • Check abbreviations against your target journal’s submission guidelines.
  • Maintain updated lists to ensure compliance with style changes.

 

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