EndNote 2025 is here (with an AI key takeaway tool)

 EndNote 2025 was released at the end of April, and, like so many tools nowadays, it comes with a new artificial intelligence tool (it seems AI is everywhere, for better or worse).

I managed to install EndNote 2025 a few weeks ago, and have had some time to play with the system. 

As you can see, the interface isn't too different from EndNote 21. Though the appearance has been tweaked a bit, it still has a lot of the same features. For a full list of EndNote 2025's new features, you can check out Clarivate's site (I particularly enjoy the Web of Science citing articles feature, which shows you which articles in Web of Science have cited your reference!).

 

One key difference is the introduction of its new AI powered summarizing tool for PDFs (i.e., key takeaway tool). This large language model (LLM) tool scans the full text of attached PDFs and generates summaries of their content. According to Clarivate, "Neither your input nor the licensed content are stored by the large language model or used for any other purpose than the immediate interaction session. Clarivate does not use your data to directly or indirectly train LLMs."

The tool is only capable of generating summaries for machine readable PDFs (specifically those with OCR optimization), and may sometimes have trouble interpreting PDFs with unexpected formatting quirks. 

 

In cases where a PDF isn't machine readable, or where the formatting can't be interpreted by the tool, the AI will output summaries based on the abstract field of a reference. This can be quite fun to play with, as evinced in the below screenshot.

 

While EndNote 2025's AI key takeaway tool can only generate basic summaries at this time, it sounds like more AI features are in the works, so stay tuned!

ERIC Will Continue, Although Reduced

On April 23, 2025, I posted RIP ERIC.    There has since been an update to the story.  It looks like ERIC will continue with a reduced budget.

Johanna Jacobsen Kiciman of The UW Tacoma Library recently posted this article to their blog:

Changes to the ERIC Database

Posted on April 23, 2025 by Johanna Jacobsen Kiciman

Beginning April 24th, 2025, ERIC (Education Resources Information Center) – a key indexing database for education and the social sciences that is government hosted – will see a significant reduction in its content moving forward. Information about this reduction is hard to come by and communication around what will happen has been opaque; this post reflects knowledge available the day of publication.

How does this impact you?

• Starting 4/24/25, there will be less new content added to ERIC.
• If ERIC remains unstaffed, current content may degrade because it will no longer be maintained (think: broken links, keyword issues, etc.) 
• You will have less access to grey literature ...

• 4/28 update: An article in The Hechinger Report notes a contract has been signed which slashes the ERIC budget in half but keeps it running for now.

Read more ...

See Also:  New Guidance on ERIC Database Availability (from IL State University)

"While we do not currently believe that ERIC will go offline, a team engaged in government information rescue initiatives has created ERICA, a backup catalog of 500,000 files from ERIC uploaded as open-access PDFs to the Wayback Machine. "

Substack and Other Sources for Following Health Policy and News

by WHSLA Member, Diane Giebink-Skoglind

Being an informed citizen requires work to find quality information and identify misinformation
and disinformation. Librarians are well-qualified to do this work. We in this field know that the
quality of healthcare information is critical to the work medical librarians do. In today’s
environment some of the sources we have relied on have been impacted in numerous ways
which necessitates looking for experts who can explain, refute, elaborate or otherwise
determine impacts in this chaotic situation which now exists following the monumental
changes to federal resources.

Personally, I've been watching what is happening with HHS, CDC, FDA, NIH, etc. And have
searched for sources of information that can help shed light on what is happening. In the
process I have found commendable people and organizations working diligently to fill in gaps
and illuminate concerns.

Because some legacy news sources have been compromised for a variety of reasons, 

they have been skirting or ignoring some healthcare issues or tempering their comments. 

As an end-around this deficit, I have been using several tools and resources to search for more information.

Here is a far-from-complete synopsis of what I have found. These are resources I use and can
comment on. I am interested in hearing what others use too. Previous WHSLA blog entries
have listed some of these options, so please excuse any duplication.

Substack

My favorite tool is the Substack app which contains experts that are using this resource to
disseminate information that may not be covered in the legacy press and to elaborate on
information that other resources either can’t or won’t provide adequate ink space to. A lot of
the influencers on this resource have multiple accounts on other platforms such as, 

“X”, TikTok, Spotify, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.). I won’t speak to these 

platforms and their content other than to say, “you do you,” and choose 

your resource per your preference!

Caveat emptor: Concerning Substack, as anyone can use and create on this resource, 

there is a lot of questionable posting on this platform to be aware of. 

Some of it makes for interesting reading, but it’s always good to know what other groups 

disseminate so to fact check and formulate a response.

This knowledge came into good use sooner than I expected. Recently at my local pharmacy, I
had an interesting conversation with a former co-worker that is very conservative and was
repeating some misinformation relating to NIH cuts. I simply asked him where he thought the
Keytruda that is prolonging his life came from, and how cuts to research impact the drugs we
benefit from now and impact future formulations. He considered my example and
acknowledged he hadn’t thought of that.

Health Specific Substack Examples (a limited list)

• Inside Medicine Substack

• McCormick MD Substack

• Paul Offitt Substack

• Your Local Epidemiologist Substack

• Dr Rubin Substack

MORE:

• Top Health & Wellness Substacks

Below, is a screenshot of different payment options and subscription plans using Dr. Rubin’s
site as an example:

When one is in a Substack account, the option, below, is very helpful and the links lead to past
postings and other resources. You can also set up alerts.





Independent News Resources on the Substack App

Following are a couple of independent news resources. Personally, I watch MEIDAS+ and Jim
Acosta which can lead to more shows and recommendations. Of note, a recent addition to the
Meidas+ list of options is Meidas Health which is hosted by Dr. Vin Gupta.



Beyond Substack

In addition to Substack, I monitor/watch/scan various websites of news organizations. 

Note:  Some of these are only accessible via a subscription.  

Some subscribed content may be available through Badgerlink.  

Some are more censored than others.

My Favorites:

• STAT
• Politico /     Politico Health Care 
• Axios   /    Axios Health
• Vox
• The Associated Press
• The Guardian
• NPR
• PBS News Hour
• The New Republic
• WIRED
• NBC
• MSNBC
• CBS
• CBS Healthwatch 
• ABC
• Slate
• ProPublica
• The New York Times
• The Atlantic

One of the features I appreciate the most with these sites is the ability to sign up for free alerts
to key you into something that may be of interest. In addition, daily newsletters, provide a
synopsis of the news either early in the day or after hours, both aids are helpful and lead to
more information and other resources. Moreover, just exploring a site’s menu and clicking on
various features provide a plethora of options. Serendipity works!

I pay for full access subscriptions for the NYT and The Atlantic.  

Everything else and Substack, I use the unpaid option. In Substack this option allows some access, 

but limits some interactions and access to some features, so I can't comment virtually on the articles displayed; 

however, I can read and 'like' and download or forward. Some websites allow free access, 

with or without sign up for a free account, depending on the resource; others, are behind a firewall, 

but can provide hints of where else to look.

Also, check your public library; through my local public library and the Libby app I can
access WIRED, the Guardian Weekly, and The New Yorker.

It is impossible to watch and/or take it all in (nor is it good for mental health) so I pick and
choose and try to be that informed citizen and take solace in resources I find in my wandering
like this.