Smart Groups

Smart Groups allow you to create an automatically updating internal library search. You define the criteria for the search, and EndNote will pull records from your library that match. As you import new records into your library, your Smart Groups will add any records that match the search criteria. This can be very helpful to find connections between old and new projects.

• From the Groups menu, select Create Smart Group.
• The Smart Group selection menu will pop up (screenshot above). In this box, you can define your search terms in the same way you would search in a library database. Any search techniques will work here, including wildcards and truncation. Remember that the more criteria you include, the fewer results you are likely to get.
• The first dropdown menu defaults to an Author field search, but try opening that dropdown menu and scrolling up. These options allow you to search more of the record at once.
  
  • Any Field + PDF with Notes is the broadest search option. It will search for matching terms in every field of the record, in the full text of the PDF (if a searchable PDF is attached to the record), and in any annotated notes you have added to the PDF.
• Smart Groups cannot be shared with other EndNote users.
• The icon for Smart Groups is a magnifying glass or search icon, indicating that this type of Group is always working in the background to find new matches to be added.