Endnote - Gb7714-87

The GB7714-87 standard stipulates the basic elements to be included in citations and references, as well as their formats. This includes:

After 1,500 words, we must address the elephant in the room: EndNote is terrible at supporting GB7714-87. If you are still reading because you cannot fix the author sorting or the punctuation, consider switching to Zotero.

Zotero has a community-maintained, highly accurate GB/T 7714-1987 style file (available via the Zotero Style Repository). Why?

If you are forced to use EndNote by your institution, export your library to Zotero just for final formatting, then copy-paste the bibliography back.

Writing about GB/T 7714-1987 is like discussing a classic vintage car in the world of academic citations; it’s the original standard that paved the way for modern Chinese bibliography styles.

While researchers now largely use the updated GB/T 7714-2015, many legacy systems and specific archival projects still lean on the '87 "numeric" foundations. Here is an interesting take on using this style in EndNote.

📜 The "Vintage" Standard: Mastering GB/T 7714-1987 in EndNote

In the academic world, styles come and go, but the GB/T 7714-1987 standard remains a fascinating piece of history. It was the first time China unified its bibliographic rules, bringing a "numeric" order to the chaos of scientific papers. If you find yourself needing to replicate this specific look for a historical archive or a very traditional journal, EndNote is your best friend—with a few "retro" tweaks. 1. The Soul of the Style: Numeric Order gb7714-87 endnote

The '87 standard is famous for its strict [1], [2], [3] sequence. Unlike modern styles that might get fancy with author-year layouts, the 1987 version focuses on the order of appearance.

Pro Tip: In EndNote, ensure your Bibliography Sort Order is set to "Order of Appearance" to stay true to the original intent. 2. The "Et Al." Dilemma

In the '87 standard, the handling of multiple authors was groundbreaking for its time. If a paper had more than three authors, you listed the first three and then added ", 等" (or ", et al.").

EndNote Trick: You can download the Numeric GBT 7714 Style from the official EndNote site. If the defaults don't match your specific journal's '87 flavor, go to Edit > Output Styles and check the "Author Lists" section to ensure the "1 to 3" rule is active. 3. Why Bother with a 30+ Year Old Style?

Consistency for Archives: When updating a massive historical database, switching styles mid-way is a cardinal sin.

The "Clean" Look: Many researchers still prefer the minimalist, square-bracketed numeric look of the late 80s over the bulkier parenthetical styles used today. 🚀 Quick Start Guide for EndNote Users:

Download: Grab the style file from the EndNote Style Gallery. The GB7714-87 standard stipulates the basic elements to

Install: Drop the .ens file into your EndNote Styles folder.

Select: Within Word, go to the EndNote tab and select "Chinese Std GBT7714 (numeric)" from the style dropdown.

Fun Fact: The 1987 version didn't have specific rules for citing "electronic sources" like websites—because, well, the web barely existed for the general public then! If you're citing a URL in an '87-style paper, you're officially a time-traveler.

| Setting | GB/T 7714 (2005/2015) | GB/T 7714-87 Required | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Templates > Journal Article | Author. Title[J]. Journal. Year, Vol(Issue): Pages. | Author. Title[J]. Journal. Year, Volume(Issue): Pages. (Note: No period after journal name, a space before year) | | Author Lists | All authors listed up to 3, then "et al." | All authors listed up to 3, then "等" (Chinese) or "et al." (Western) | | Punctuation after Title | Period | Period + space | | Online Citations | [J/OL] with access date | [J] only, no access date | | Book Chapter | Author. Title[M]//Book Editor. Book Title. | Author. Title. In: Editor Name. Book Title[M]. |

The GB/T 7714-87 has been succeeded by more updated versions, such as GB/T 7714-2015, which aligns more closely with international citation standards like APA, MLA, and IEEE. The newer versions often incorporate changes that reflect evolving information technologies, the internet, and global standards for citation.

Whether you need the 2015 or 2005 version, here’s how to get and use GB/T 7714 style files in EndNote.

The biggest pain point: GB7714-87 places the year after the journal name, but before the volume. EndNote's default places year after volume. If you are forced to use EndNote by

Inside Templates for Journal Article, you must manually position the Year field between Journal and Volume. So: Journal. Year, Volume: Pages

If EndNote auto-formats as Journal. 2024, 12: 45-50 – that is correct for 87. If you see Journal. 12(2024) 45-50 – you are using the wrong template.

Here is the harsh truth: Clarivate (the makers of EndNote) does not officially provide a GB/T 7714-87 output style.

The official EndNote style repository currently offers:

Why? Because EndNote's style development historically prioritized international standards. The 1987 version is considered outdated, and maintaining it would require a separate code branch due to conflicting logic in author parsing and date sequencing.

However, absence does not mean impossibility. There are three ways to achieve GB7714-87 compliance in EndNote: