So, I now have to change hundreds of reference entries so that they will correctly display bibliographic information. With the changes in EndNote X1, my references for words are no longer displaying correctly because the Webpage reference type has changed. The Dictionary standard reference type in EndNote X1 is not the correct choice for a specific word. In EndNote 9, I used the webpage reference type and entered * The Oxford English Dictionary * in the author field and inserted the word in the title field. (I’m running OSX 10.3.9 on a Powerbook G4, and I’m using EndNote X1 with Word 2004 for Mac.) Base what you put in the short title field on the specifications in the required style manual.“Word Definition” is a standard reference type in EndNote X1 for Mac. If you are going through the work of preparing a document with formal references using Endnote, it is likely that the document will need to meet the specifications in some prescribed style manual. Even Microsoft and the US Government Printing Office have their own style manuals.

The Chicago Manual of Style (University of Chicago Press), is a popular one. The peer-reviewed journals of the major professional societies, like AMA and APA, have their own style manuals. Publishers and universities specify the particular standard they want followed. Like the word processor, it just provides the capability to create a document following any style standard. Endnote, itself, does not define what goes in that field. There are numerous specifications for what a short title is supposed to contain and how it should be formatted. It serves as a 'nickname' in subsequent citations of the same document, providing better readability. A short title is an abbreviated reference that is used when a lengthy reference citation must be repeated.

Endnote definition example