Library > Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting

If you are experiencing any issues with Library systems or accessing resources, the information here may be able to help.

Search the known issues to see if what you're experiencing is listed. If it is not listed or the solution provided does not resolve your issue, report it to the Library.

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Software applications

These issues relate to software applications that are used for viewing or referencing Library resources.

If you are using Adobe Acrobat Reader to view a PDF and it is showing a blank screen or incomplete document, try the following steps.

  • In Acrobat Reader, select the Edit menu and then Preferences.

  • Go to the Internet category and make sure the option 'Display PDF in browser' is checked. Then select OK.

  • Close Acrobat Reader and then open the PDF again.

If these steps haven't resolved the issue, try right-clicking the file (if you have it downloaded) and select Open with, and then select a web browser (e.g. Edge or Chrome).

If the file still isn't displaying correctly, it may be corrupt. Please report the issue to the Library and a member of staff will assist you.

If you are using Adobe Acrobat Reader to view a PDF and it is not printing correctly, try the following steps.

  • If you are viewing the PDF in a web browser, make sure to select the print option (e.g. a printer icon) within the PDF viewer rather than the web browser's menu.

  • Check that you have the correct paper size (e.g. A4) selected in the print options.

  • In the print options, make sure the 'Shrink oversized pages' option is selected. This will shrink the content so that it fits on the page.

If the file still isn't printing correctly, please contact the Library for assistance.

If you are using Adobe Acrobat Reader to open a PDF and are getting an error message saying the file is damaged, try the following steps.

  • If you are viewing the PDF in a web browser, refresh the page.

  • If you accessed the PDF from a link on a web page, return to that page and select the link again.

If the error is still shown when you open the file, it may be corrupt. Please report the issue to the Library and a member of staff will assist you.

If changes to references in your EndNote library aren't being shown in your Word document, select the 'Update Citations and Bibliography' button in the EndNote tab in Word.

If selecting that button doesn't resolve the issue, try performing the following steps:

  • Make a back-up of your document (by duplicating the file or saving it with a different name).

  • With your document open, select 'EndNote 21' from the top menu to display the EndNote tab.

  • In the EndNote tab, select the 'Convert Citations and Bibliography' drop-down and then select 'Convert to Unformatted Citations'.
    Note: This will unformat all the references in your document.

  • Select 'Update Citations and Bibliography' in the EndNote tab, which should reformat all the references.

If you are still experiencing issues with EndNote references in Word, you can book a consultation with a Research Librarian to get some assistance.

You should not be making manual text changes to citations and bibliographies in a Word document if they are linked to EndNote. You should use the 'Edit Citation(s)' tool so that any changes are applied to EndNote.

To update a citation in a Word document, follow these steps:

  • Right-click the citation in the document and select 'Edit Citation(s)' to view the citation context menu.

  • In the context menu, you can select a different format to change the way the citation is displayed.

  • Select 'More...' to add a prefix, suffix or page numbers. It will also give you an option to 'Edit reference', which will allow you to add details in EndNote for the linked reference.

  • If the edits you need to make are not possible through the 'Edit Citation(s)' tool, you may need to unlink the citation from EndNote and convert it to plain text. To do this, highlight the field and press 'Ctrl+Shift+F9' (on a PC) or 'Cmd+6' (on a Mac).
    Note: If you want to unlink all fields in a document, do a 'Select all' action ('Ctrl+A' on a PC, 'Cmd+A' on a Mac) rather than selecting an individual link. Just be aware that this will also convert any hyperlinks to plain text.

If you are still experiencing issues with EndNote references in Word, you can book a consultation with a Research Librarian to get some assistance.

To ensure spacing of your in-text citation is correct, you must manually input a space after the content in the prefix box and before the content in the suffix box.

When adding page numbers, ensure only numerical values or a range (e.g. 12-14) are entered – do not type 'p' or use commas within numbers.

The referencing style is determined by the Word document, so it will overrule the output style that is set in EndNote. This is because you can be working on multiple documents, which each may require different formats for citations and bibliographies.

To change the referencing style in a document, follow these steps:

  • With your document open, select 'EndNote 21' from the top menu to display the EndNote tab.

  • In the EndNote tab, select the required format from the 'Style' drop-down.

  • Select 'Update Citations and Bibliography'.

If you are still experiencing issues with EndNote references in Word, you can book a consultation with a Research Librarian to get some assistance.

If you are importing a reference into EndNote and get an error saying 'someone else is using your library', try the following steps.

  • In EndNote, select 'File' from the top menu and then select 'Close Library'.

  • Open the reference file with EndNote and it will be imported into your library.

If you are still experiencing issues with importing references in EndNote, you can book a consultation with a Research Librarian to get some assistance.

Related links

  • Library FAQs
    Frequently asked questions related to Library services and facilities.