Home » EndNote » Acronyms in In-Text Citations

    If you are citing a publication by a corporate body, it is common practice to use an acronym in the in-text citation. For example, the APA style manual recommends that a citation such as (World Health Organization, 2003) could be abbreviated when subsequently cited, e.g. (WHO, 2003).

    How do you do this with EndNote?

    There is a simple workaround. When you have inserted the reference in your document, highlight the reference and select the Edit Citations command.

    When the Edit Citations dialog box opens, check the Exclude author box. Then go to the Prefix box, and type the acronym. If you are using a style like APA which requires a comma after the author's name, type a comma after the acronym, e.g. WHO,

    Now click on the OK button to close the Edit Citations dialog box. You should find that the citation in your document now looks like (WHO, 2003).

    What about the reference list at the end of the document?

    Style manuals which allow acronyms in the text normally require that the reference appear in the reference list under the full name of the body. If you have used acronyms in the text, you need a cross-reference in the reference list.

    You can wait until you have finished writing, and then remove the EndNote field codes and type in the cross-reference in the reference list.

    Alternatively, you can create the cross-reference with EndNote. To do this, go to your EndNote library and select the New Reference command. When the window opens, go to the Author field, and type the cross reference, e.g.
    WHO See: World Health Organization,
    As with every corporate author in your EndNote library, you must have a comma at the end of the field.

    Go to any point in your document and insert this new reference. Highlight it and select the Edit Citations command. When the dialog box opens, check the Exclude author and the Exclude year boxes. Then click on the OK button.

    You should find that the cross-reference does not appear in the text of your document, but only in the reference list at the end.