RefWorks

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LOGIN: RefWorks

Create an Account

  1. Login to RefWorks using the button in upper right corner of this page.
  2. Click on Sign Up for an Individual Account.
  3. Enter the required information on the left hand side of the menu, including a Login Name and Password.
  4. Click on Register.

Add Citations

Many databases feature direct import to RefWorks. Others require saving to a text file before importing. Click on the Import Citations tab for complete instructions.

Manually creating a new reference

  1. Select Add New Reference from the References drop-down menu.
    (Optional) Select desired citation style from View fields used by: drop down menu.
    Fields required for that citation style will be indicated with a checkmark
  2. Select desired folder from the In Folder(s) drop-down menu
  3. Select appropriate reference type from the Ref Type drop-down menu.
  4. Enter the information from your reference in the appropriate fields.
  5. Click on Save.

Organize with Folders

Creating folders in RefWorks

  1. Select Create New Folder from the Folders drop-down menu at top of screen.
  2. Name your folder(s) and click ok.

Putting references in folders

When records are imported into RefWorks they are placed in the Last Imported folder by default.

  1. Select Folders from the View drop-down menu.
  2. Select the desired folder from the Folders drop-down menu.
  3. You may move selected records, all records on a page, or all records in a folder by clicking in the appropriate radio button at the top of the screen. Select records by clicking in the box to the left of desired records.
  4. Select the desired folder from the Put in Folder drop-down menu.
  5. Click OK to confirm.

View/Edit Records

Viewing records

If desired you may change the display screen by doing one of the following:

  1. Click on One line/Cite View or Standard View to toggle between these formats.
  2. Select Folders from the View drop down menu at the top of the screen.
  3. Select All References or a specific folder from the Folders drop down menu.

Editing records

You can edit any field in an individual reference by clicking the Edit link at the top corner of the reference. You can also edit records globally.

Performing a global edit

  1. Click on Global Edit at the top of the screen.
  2. Click in the radio button next to your desired choice at References to Edit:
  3. Select the field to edit from the Field to Edit: drop-down menu.
  4. Type a word or phrase in the Change Field to: box.
    If entering multiple author names or descriptors separate with a semi-colon, e.g. Brown, Susan ; Jones, John.
  5. Click in the desired radio button at If Field Already Contains Data.
  6. Click on OK

Link to Full Text

Use Find It

Use the FindIt button in a RefWorks record to find the full text of a resource. Click on the online links to the article when available or check for print in MadCat library catalog. You can also link directly to a Web site or attach a file to a record in your Refworks account.

Link to a Web site

  1. Type the full URL for a web site in the URL or DOI field.
    You may have multiple links in each record. Separate the links with semi-colons.
  2. Click on the URL to open the link.

PDFs or Other Files

Attaching a pdf or other file to a record New

Default storage space setting is 100MB, per account. A maximum of 20MB limit per attachment is set. We recommend using FindIt in a RefWorks record to link to full-text options of a resource when available.

  1. Click on Edit next to the desired record.
  2. Click on Browse next to the Attachments field within your record to locate the desired pdf/file.
  3. Click on Add Attachment A thumbnail icon will appear when the pdf/file is attached.
  4. Click on Save Reference.

Linking to a pdf or other file stored on a computer

Note: This method works best using Internet Explorer. We recommend not using spaces or underscores in filenames.

  1. Click on Edit next to a record and enter the file name and path in the links or url field.
  2. Precede the path and file name with the text file:///
    Example: file:///E:\reflinks\sample.pdf
  3. The file or path name may not contain spaces. To compensate for spaces you must enter a %20 to replace the space.
    Example: file:///E:\Reflinks\sample%20document.pdf

    4. An easy way to get the path to your pdf is to use your web browser.
    • Open your web browser and click on File and Open.
    • Browse to where your file is located. In the location or address bar of your browser you will see the path to your filename, similar to the example above. Copy the complete pathway to your file.
    • In Refworks click on Edit next to your desired record.
    • Scroll to the url or links field and paste the pathway information.
  4. Click on Save Record.
  5. Click on View to display your record with the linked file pathway. Simply click on that link to open and view the pdf or file.
    The link will only open the document on the computer where the pdf resides.

    6. You may have problems linking to documents in your C:\drive. The inability to link from web pages to files on C:\ is a security feature that was introduced in Windows XP Service Pack 2.

Note: In order to link to a file on your computer you may need to specify RefWorks as a trusted site within your browser. If you are using Internet Explorer you would do the following:

  1. Go to Tools and Internet Options.
  2. Click on the Security tab and click on Trusted Site.
  3. Click on Sites and type in https://www.refworks.com

Search RefWorks

Browse references by Author, Descriptor, or Periodical using the Lookup function

  1. Select your desired Lookup choice from the Search drop down menu.
  2. Scroll through the list and click on the desired author, descriptor, or periodical.
  3. The reference(s) associated with that author, descriptor, or periodical will be displayed.

Search for terms directly using Search RefWorks or Advanced Search

Search RefWorks searches all fields and all search terms are connected by the Boolean connector OR. Enter a single term or phrase in the Search Refworks box and click on Go.

In Advanced Search you may choose a particular field to search, such as: Author, Title, Periodical, Descriptor, Abstract, etc. Select Advanced Search from the Search drop down menu.

  1. Type a word or phrase in the search box and select the desired field from the drop-down menu.
  2. Type a second term or phrase in the second search box if needed and select the desired field from the drop-down menu.
  3. Connect multiple search boxes with And, Or, or Not from the drop-down menu.
  4. Click in the radio button at the right of the screen next to the folder to be searched.
  5. Click on Search.

Create a Bibliography

Creating a Bibliography from Records in RefWork

  1. Click on Bibliography at the top of the screen.
  2. Select desired style from the Output Format drop-down menu.
    You can also customize or create a new output style. See Create a Bibliography tab.
  3. Click in the radio button to the left of Format Bibliography from a List of References.
  4. Select desired format from the File Type to Create drop-down menu.
  5. Click in the radio button next to All References or References From: and click on the desired folder from the drop-down menu.
  6. Click Create Bibliography.
    Note: If you choose HTML format the bibliography will display in a new browser window. You may then use your browsers File->Print or File->Save As functions.
    If you selected any other format you will be prompted to save the bibliography with a file name.

Click on the Write and Cite tab and Cite references in a paper in table of contents for complete instructions on creating a bibliography from sources cited in a paper.

Share/Export Your Citations

You can share your citations in a numbers of ways:

(1) Create a separate group account.

(2) Allow read-only access to your individual account.

(3) Export RefWorks citations to another RefWorks user or other citation manager.

(4) Publish a link to your RefWorks account or specific folder using RefShare.

(1) Create a Separate Account

If you would like your group to have equal access to all citations, create a group account. Accounts can have “group” names (e.g., Wendt Research Group). Simply tell group members the login and password. Email from RefWorks regarding the account will need to be sent to the individual who establishes the account. Group members can add individual notes or commentary in the user fields of each record as well as add new records.

(2) Read-only Access

With your login name and a read-only password, other UW-Madison users can access your citations in read-only mode. They will be able to search your database, export data, and create bibliographies. They will not be able to edit references, import references, or change folders.

To set up a Read-only Password:

  1. Login to RefWorks
  2. Under Tools, click on Update User Info.
  3. Enter a Read-only Password. This password must be different from your original password.

(3) Export RefWorks Citations

To send citations to another RefWorks user:

  1. Login to RefWorks.
  2. Click Export.
  3. Choose All References or a specific folder.
  4. Choose RefWorks Tagged Format.
  5. Click Export to Text File.
  6. Save the file. Email or otherwise send the file to your fellow RefWorks user.

To import RefWorks tagged records:

  1. Login to RefWorks.
  2. Click on Import.
  3. Choose RefWorks Tagged Format from Import Filter/Data Source.
  4. Choose Import Data from the following Text File and browse for the file.
  5. Click Import.

To send citations to another citation manager, like EndNote.

  1. Login to RefWorks.
  2. Click on Export.
  3. Choose All References or a specific folder.
  4. Choose Bibliographic Software (EndNote,Reference Manager,ProCite).
  5. Click Export to Text File.
  6. Save the file. Email or otherwise send the file to your intended user. Follow the specific software directions for importing the records.
    RefWorks records will not be saved in folders but in one merged file unless you export each folder separately.

(4) Publish a link to your RefWorks account or specific folder using RefShare

RefShare allows you to share your entire account or an individual folder with colleagues around the world. Users of your RefShared account may export, print, generate a list of references, and use custom output styles at the folder or database level. They cannot edit or add new records. RefShare has a 30,000 record limit per database shared and a maximum of 1,000 hits per month per shared database or folder.

NOTE: When sharing citations through RefShare, please be sure to first verify that sharing of the information is not prohibited by any licensing and/or copyright restrictions. Such restrictions could include abstracts, descriptors, or attachments.

  1. Click on Folders/Share Folders or Tools/Share References.
  2. Click on the appropriate Share Folder or Share Entire Databasebutton. This opens the Shared Folder Options page which contains the URL for your shared folder/database and permission options for your RefShare recipients.
  3. Send or post this URL to recipients.
  4. Set permission options.

Back Up/Restore your Citations

Note: Although RefWorks backs up all databases on a regular basis, we recommend users do this as well. Backing Up your RefWorks records will include RefID numbers and folders, custom output styles, and custom settings .

  1. Select Backup/Restore from the Tools menu.
  2. By deafult Include References, Include RSS Feeds, and Include Styles are selected. Deselect if desired.
  3. Click on Perform Backup.
  4. Save the file.
    The file will be saved as a .zip or .rwb file. Please do not change this extension.
  5. To open this file you must use the Restore command.

Restoring your backed up citations
Important! Restoring will overwrite all of the references in your database. When restoring do so in either an empty database or to an account that does not have any data you want to save.

  1. Select Backup/Restore from the Tools menu.
  2. Select Restore.
  3. Click Browse to open the desired backup file.
  4. By deafult Include References, Include RSS Feeds, and Include Styles are selected. Deselect if desired.
  5. Click on Perform Restore.

Retain Access to your Citations

UW-Madison provides access to RefWorks for all campus users. If you are leaving this campus there are several ways you can retain access to your citations.

Alumni now have access to RefWorks as long as their institution subscribes to RefWorks. See Alumni Program for details.

If you are going to continue using RefWorks at another institution or through a personal subscription you should use the Backup/Restore feature of RefWorks.

  1. Backup your citations in your current RefWorks account.
  2. Open your future RefWorks account when available and Restore your backup citations.
    Remember that your RefWorks account should be empty when using the Restore command.

If you will not continue to have access to RefWorks or will be switching to another citation manager such as EndNote, Reference Manager, Zotero, etc., use the Export feature of RefWorks.

  1. Login to RefWorks.
  2. Under References, click Export.
  3. Choose All References or a specific folder.
  4. Select Bibliographic Software (EndNote,Reference Manager,ProCite)
  5. Click Export to Text File.
  6. Save the file.
    Citations will not be saved in folders but in one merged file unless you export each folder separately .
  7. Follow your specific software directions to Import these citations.
    For example, see Import RefWorks Citations into Endnote.

If you need access to your current references BUT you will not continue to have access to RefWorks, create a RefShare of your account. RefShare preserves access to your current records. You can create bibliographies but cannot format manuscripts with in-text citations. See Share/Export Your Citations (4) Publish a link to your RefWorks account or specific folder using RefShare above.

  • If your sytem is compatible, you may also want to use Write-N-Cite III for Windows Offline. Write-N-Cite III allows you to download your references to a computer and access those references to use while writing your paper.  You can view your references, insert temporary citation placeholders, and format a bibliography while working offline. You cannot add, edit or delete references in your account.  See Refworks Write-N-Cite III for Windows Offline for details.

RefMobile

New RefMobile is a version of RefWorks for mobile and smart phones, as well as PDAs, that allows you to access and view your references, manage folders and even add information to the Notes field of your references. With RefMobile, you can:

  • Search your account
  • View all references andfile attachments (if the attachment type is supported by your mobile device)
  • View references by folder
  • Add/Remove references
  • Create new folders
  • Add references using the SmartAdd option
  • Add comments to the Notes field

RefMobile is accessible using the institution's Group Code and login information. For the UW-Madison Group Code information, please visit our RefMobile page (UW-Madison authentication required). You may also contact askrefworks or one of our RefWorks consultants.

For more information about RefMobile, see RefWorks' Working with RefMobile.

Group Code

UW-Madison Libraries proxies RefWorks so that you should not have to use the UW-Madison Libraries' Group Code to access your account or use Write-N-Cite from off campus. The two main reasons you could be asked for the Group Code are not logging in from our library web pages and not configuring Write-N-Cite for off-campus use.

  1. The login page should always say "RefWorks User Login for University of Wisconsin, Madison". Always log into RefWorks from a library page such as http://www.library.wisc.edu/citation-managers or http://www.library.wisc.edu/refworks/.
  2. In order to use Write-N-Cite from off-campus, you must configure the utility. See our configuration instructions.
  3. Google Scholar users need to access Google Scholar through our proxied link: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.web/googlescholar.
  4. UW-Madison RefMobile users should see RefMobile above for UW-Madison Group Code information.

If you are still unable to log into RefWorks or use Write-N-Cite after confirming the above actions, contact our AskRefWorks. Please provide us with your operating system, browser, and IP address (use http://ipchicken.com).