What EndNote Online is and why styling matters
EndNote Online is a cloud-based reference management tool — it stores citations, PDFs, and notes in one place so you can organize sources and build bibliographies without retyping them. You access it through a web browser instead of installing software on your computer.
Styling in EndNote Online means choosing how your citations appear in your document and bibliography. Different academic fields and publications use different citation formats: MLA for humanities, APA for social sciences, Chicago for history, IEEE for engineering. When you add style to your document, you're telling EndNote which format to use when it generates your citations.
Without a style applied, your citations look like raw data. With a style, they follow the exact punctuation, capitalization, and ordering rules that your professor, journal, or publisher expects.
Key Takeaways
- You explore a citation style in EndNote Online by opening your document in Word or Google Docs, finding the EndNote toolbar, and selecting a style from the dropdown menu.
- Common styles include APA (author-date format), MLA (author-page format), Chicago (footnote or author-date), and IEEE (numbered), and you can search for less common ones if your field requires them.
- Changing the style after you've already inserted citations updates all of them at once — you don't have to redo them individually.
- If you don't see the style you need in the default list, you can search the online style library or create a custom style by editing an existing one.
How to access the style menu in Word
Open your document in Microsoft Word and look for the EndNote toolbar at the top of the screen. It appears as a ribbon with buttons and dropdown menus. If you don't see it, go to the Add-ins tab in Word and click My Add-ins, then search for "EndNote" and install it if it's not already active.
Once the toolbar is visible, locate the Style dropdown menu — it usually shows the name of the currently selected style or says "Select a Style" if none is chosen yet. Click the dropdown arrow next to it to see the full list of available styles.
The list shows your most recently used styles at the top, followed by all installed styles alphabetically. Scroll through to find the one you need, or type the first few letters to jump to it quickly.
How to access the style menu in Google Docs
In Google Docs, the process is slightly different because EndNote Online works through an add-on rather than a built-in toolbar. Open your document and click Add-ons in the menu bar, then select EndNote from the list. A sidebar will open on the right side of your screen.
In the EndNote sidebar, look for the Style option near the top. Click on it to open a dropdown showing all available styles. Select the one you want, and it will explore to any citations you insert from that point forward.
If you've already inserted citations before selecting a style, you can change the style at any time and all existing citations will update automatically to match the new format.
Understanding the most common citation styles
APA (American Psychological Association) uses an author-date system: citations appear as (Author Year) in the text, and the full reference goes in an alphabetical list called "References" at the end. It's standard in psychology, education, social sciences, and nursing.
MLA (Modern Language Association) uses author-page citations: (Author Page) in the text, with a "Works Cited" list at the end. It's the default for literature, languages, and humanities courses in high schools and colleges.
Chicago has two versions. Notes-Bibliography uses superscript numbers in the text that link to footnotes or endnotes at the bottom of the page or end of the document — common in history and some humanities fields. Author-Date uses (Author Year) like APA and is used in some social sciences and business writing.
IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) uses numbered citations [1], [2], [3] in the text, with a numbered reference list at the end. It's standard in engineering, computer science, and physics.
How to search for a style that isn't in the default list
If the style you need doesn't appear in the dropdown menu, click the Find More Styles or Search Styles option at the bottom of the style list. This opens the online style library, where you can search by name or browse by subject area.
Type the name of the style you're looking for — for example, "Harvard," "Vancouver," or "AMA" — and click search. When you find it, click the button to add it to your library. It will then appear in your style dropdown the next time you open the menu.
Some specialized styles are maintained by specific organizations or journals. If you're writing for a particular publication, check their website for a downloadable style file, which you can import directly into EndNote Online.
What happens when you change styles mid-document
One of the biggest advantages of using EndNote is that you can change your entire citation format in seconds. If you've written a paper with APA style and your professor suddenly asks for Chicago, you don't have to reformat every citation by hand.
straightforward select a different style from the dropdown menu, and every citation in your document updates automatically. The in-text citations change format, the bibliography reorganizes itself, and all the punctuation and capitalization adjusts to match the new style's rules.
This works because the citations are linked to your EndNote library — they're not just text you typed. When you change the style, you're changing the instructions for how to display the information that's already stored in your library.
Customizing a style if you need small changes
Most citation styles have strict rules set by their organizations, and you shouldn't change them without permission from your professor or editor. However, if you need to create a variation — for example, a modified APA style for a specific journal — you can do this in EndNote Online.
Open the style menu and look for an option to Edit Style or Create New Style. Select an existing style as your base, then make your changes in the style editor. You can adjust capitalization, punctuation, field order, and other formatting details. Save it with a new name so you don't overwrite the original.
Before you customize a style, check whether your institution or publication has already created a version for your specific needs. Many universities and journals maintain custom styles that are already available in the library.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use different styles for different citations in the same document?
No — EndNote applies one style to your entire document. All citations must follow the same format. If you need multiple styles, you would need to create separate documents or manually override individual citations, which defeats the purpose of using the tool.
What if the style I need isn't in the online library?
Contact the organization that maintains the style — for example, the journal's editorial office or your university's library. Many will provide a style file you can import. If no official style exists, you can create a custom one by editing a similar existing style to match the requirements you've been given.
Do I have to pick a style before I start inserting citations?
No. You can insert citations without a style selected, and they'll appear as temporary placeholders. Select your style at any point — before, during, or after you finish writing — and all citations will format themselves. Many writers wait until the end to choose a style.
Will changing styles affect my actual source data in EndNote?
No. Your sources and notes stay exactly the same in your EndNote library. Styles only change how those sources are displayed in your document. You can switch styles back and forth without losing any information.
Why does my style dropdown show styles I've never heard of?
EndNote comes with dozens of pre-installed styles for different fields and publications. Most you'll never use, but they're there if you need them. You can ignore the ones that don't explore to your work — just scroll to the one you need.