RefWorks is a Web-based bibliography and database manager that allows users to create their own personal database of citations and notes. Citations can be imported from text files or online databases which support RefWorks (most of ECU's databases do). Users can have RefWorks insert citations and format the bibliographies for their papers. Many types of sources may be used for the citations, and a large number of citation styles are supported.
RefWorks Help website: http://www.refworks.com/Refworks/help/Refworks.htm#
RefWorks About website: http://www.ecu.edu/cs-lib/reference/erdbs_description.cfm?id=384
Login:
From Joyner Library’s homepage, select the Databases tab.
Click on the letter R.
Select RefWorks, then set up an individual account. You will be sent an email confirming your registration.
Creating a Database:
Importing Data Directly from a Database
1. To export a citation from a database, click on the save or export function and then select RefWorks.
2. If you have RefWorks already open, the import will automatically begin. Otherwise, you will be prompted to the RefWorks login page.
3. Once you login, the import will automatically begin.
4. When the import is complete, select View Last Imported Folder to review the imported records.
Special Instructions for moving citations from EBSCOhost:
1. Click on the Add Folder icon to the right of the desired citations.
2. Click on the Folder has items link at the top right side of the screen.
3. Click on the Save to disk button.
4. Click on the Bibliographic Manager tab at the top of the screen.
5. Click on the radio button to the left of Direct Export to RefWorks.
6. Click on Save.
NOTE: If you get a blank screen instead of having RefWorks pop up when you download citations in an EBSCO or other database, the problem is likely that you have a pop-up blocker operating on your computer. A lot of computers are equipped with pop up blockers (e.g., Google toolbar), and the browser sees the opening RefWorks window as a popup and prevents it from opening. The workaround is simple – Hold the CTRL key down while you click on Save to save citations to RefWorks. This tells the popup blocker that a popup is being allowed.
Manually Entering Records
1. Go into RefWorks and click on References.
2. Select Add a New Reference.
3. Enter the information in the boxes provided and click on Save.
Importing Data From Saved Files
1. Retrieve the results you want to export from the database or another bibliographic citation manager and save them to a text file. You may need to email it to yourself, then copy and paste it into a Word file. Save it as a text file (.txt instead of .doc)
2. Access your RefWorks account and click on Import.
3. On the subsequent menu, access the drop-down menu next to Import Filter/Data Source and click on the source of the data.
4. Click on the Database drop-down menu and select the source database. You may need to elect multiple databases, particularly for Gale’s InfoTrac.
5. Click on the Import Reference into menu and designate the folder where you want the imported references to be filed.
6. Enter result file name into Import Data from the following Text File by browsing and selecting or
manually entering the file name.
7. Click on Import at the bottom of the screen.
8. When the import is completed select View Last Imported Folder to review or customize the imported records.
Note: If an SFX button appears with a citation that you wish to add to your RefWorks records, click on the button, then select RefWorks Direct Export Tool in the SFX window. If you are not already logged in to RefWorks, the RefWorks login screen will appear behind the SFX window. Simply login, and the selected citation will be added to your "Last Imported" folder.
Importing Information from a Horizon Search
1. First, search Horizon’s web-based catalog. When you find sources you want to keep, follow these steps:
a. When searching, set the number of records to display to 50 records per page.
b. Check the Add to My List next to the titles you want to save.
c. Click Email to send the records to yourself
d. Save the resulting document as a text file OR copy its contents to the clipboard (Ctrl-C on most computers). There is a significant amount of cleanup that must be done before you can save the records. Convert the tables to text, using the Convert button under Tables. Delete extraneous information such as location and status.
e. Import the saved records clicking on Import in RefWorks. Select Dynix Horizon from the list of filters. Select East Carolina University from the list of databases. Select the text file containing the saved search results OR copy and paste directly from the web-based form. Click Import. Check the last imported folder to see the results. For a cleaner view, click on Online/Cite View.
Note: Call number information is currently stored in the “Notes” field.
Importing Information from Other Bibliographic Software Packages
RefWorks can import lists of references generated by EndNote, ProCite, and other citation manager software. Moreover, the file format used by EndNote is also used by other bibliographic packages, making it a kind of "common tongue."
1. In RefWorks, click Import.
2. Select Desktop Biblio Mgt Software from the list of filters.
3. Select EndNote 5.0 from the list of databases.
4. Select the text file containing the saved search results.
5. Click Import (below form)
Organizing Your References:
Note: All references have a unique Ref ID that is never repeated (even if the reference is deleted). Users can create folders to create separate, searchable sub-collections of their references. In addition, users can create their own descriptors to group sources in other ways. RefWorks also has built-in search and sort tools that can be used to examine a collection of references. This is useful, especially when working with dozens or hundreds of references.
Folders
Refworks uses folders to sort references and divide them into categories. Folders are completely under the control of the user except for the two default "views": View All and View Last Imported.
Note: There is no limit to the number of folders you can create within your account.
Managing Folders
1. To create a folder, select Organize Folders.
2. Click on Create New Folders.
3. Enter new folder name and click on OK.
To rename a folder, click the link Rename.
To delete a folder, click the link Delete.
Note that you won't actually delete the references in that folder. They will be returned to the general collection
To move all references out of a folder, click Clear Folder.
Adding References to a Folder
When viewing a list of references, check the box next to each reference you want to move. Using the form at the top of the frame, select the folder from the dropdown menu Put in Folder... RefWorks will ask you to confirm that you are moving the references.
Note: References can be added to more than one folder.
Viewing Your Entire Collection of References
Clicking View All will show you your entire list of references. There is currently no way to view references that are not assigned to any particular folder. For this reason, it is sometimes helpful to sort the collection by RefID or by creation date so that the most recent sources are displayed at the top of the list.
Viewing Only One Folder’s References
Select the folder you want to view from the View Folder... drop down menu. The name of the folder will appear at the top of the frame. As with View All, checking multiple boxes lets you move, delete, or annotate multiple references.
Working with the Last Imported Folder
When importing references, RefWorks stores these references in the folder Last Imported. This is convenient for sorting your latest acquisitions. However, note that importing more sources will remove the previously imported sources (they are not deleted, and can be viewed using View All.)
Descriptors
Descriptors are terms that can be used to search and sort a collection of sources. Some descriptors are defined when a reference is imported; for example, Library of Congress subject headings are provided for Horizon references.
Users can also define their own descriptors:
1. When viewing a list of references, check the box next to each reference for which you want to add a descriptor.
2. Click on Global Edit.
3. Select Descriptors from the Fields to Edit drop-down menu.
4. Type a descriptor in the text field and click OK. You can also type in multiple descriptors as long as they are separated by a semi-colon.
Backing Up Your References:
Exporting information allows you to save RefWorks information in a neutral format that can be manipulated by spreadsheets, databases, etc.
In RefWorks, click Export (see example)
1. Select the appropriate format
o RefWorks Tagged Format for saving a copy of your work.
o Bibliographic Management Software for sharing with EndNote, et al.
o Tab Delimited for inserting into spreadsheets and databases.
o Citation List for a simple, stripped-down, text file that gives only
the basic information about your references.
2. Click Export to Text File.
Retrieving Records from Your Database:
Quick Search
Use the Quick Search feature as a search of all fields. To produce maximum results,all search terms entered are connected with “OR.” In addition, searches retrieve embedded terms. For example, a search for art will produce references with heart and part, etc. The results are always ranked by relevancy.
1. Enter search terms in the box under Quick Search for.
2. Click on Search. Results are displayed along with the search terms highlighted.
Advanced Search
Use the Advanced Search feature to execute a very specific search of your database, choosing the field in which you want to search: author, title, periodical, descriptor, abstract, pub year, volume or Ref ID. Connect terms with Boolean operators (and, or.) The results are always displayed alphabetically by author.
1. Click on Advanced Search.
2. Enter search terms and corresponding fields into the menu.
3. Select which folder or sets of records to search.
4. Click on Search.
Lookup by Author, Periodical, or Descriptor
Under the Search tab, you may select from Lookup by Author, Lookup by Periodical, and Lookup by Descriptor. Use the alphabetical list to find the name/term/title you are looking for.
Searching Online Databases or Catalogs:
You can use RefWorks as a search interface for a number of online resources. RefWorks provides access to a number of publicly-available services such as PubMed. Other than PubMed, OCLC WorldCat is about the only database – the rest of the choices are university and college library catalogs.
1. Click on Search and select Online Catalog or Database.
2. Select the source you wish to search from the drop-down menu.
3. You may search by descriptors, primary titles, authors, or keyword. The default is an advanced search.
4. Click on Search. A new window will open with the results.
5. Import your references into RefWorks.
Creating Your Paper and Bibliography:
Write-N-Cite Manuscript
Write-N-Cite is a utility that allows users to run an abbreviated version of RefWorks in their word processor. This version of RefWorks displays Author, Title, and Year Only, with a full view option available if needed.
With Write-N-Cite, you can cite references in a manuscript with the click of a button. The abbreviated version can be set to Always on Top so that it stays in place as you are typing your manuscript and generating your bibliography. The utility installs a Write-N-Cite button on your desktop as well as an Add-in to your Word toolbar and a menu option in Word, under Tools for launching Write-N-Cite.
1. Click on this address: http://www.refworks.com/Refworks/WNCDownload.asp or go to Tools and select Write-N-Cite.
2. When the login dialog box appears, enter your user name and password and click Login.
3. Click the box next to Always on Top to keep Write-N-Cite on top of all other programs including Word. Also, notice that the name of the Word document that is active in RefWorks is written next to MS Word Status.
4. From your Word Processor, click the insertion point (the point where you want the reference inserted.)
5. Switch to Write-N-Cite and click the Cite link next to the correct reference.
Note: Write-N-Cite automatically inserts the opening and closing curly brackets as well as the Ref ID, Author, Last Name and Year. This is called a Citation Placeholder and it is what RefWorks reads when formatting your paper. It is not what your final citation will look like. If you want to modify or remove information that will appear in the formatted citation, click on the Edit Citation link in the upper right-hand corner of the Write-N-Cite window. To cite a second reference in the same location, click the Cite link for the second reference. The reference information is automatically inserted in the same set of curly brackets.
Creating a Bibliography
SAVE THE WORD DOCUMENT BEFORE YOU CREATE THE BIBLIOGRAPHY!!
1. Click Bibliography to generate the formatted paper.
2. Select the appropriate output style.
3. Click Format a Bibliography from a List of Resources.
4. Under File Type, select the format you want to use.
5. Under Include, select All References, My List, or References From (folder name.)
6. Click Create Bibliography.
Note: You do not need to select the file since Write-N-Cite is already linked to the current document. The program creates the formatted paper as a new document with the document name preceded by the word "Final". For example, a document named Text.doc would be formatted with the name Final-Text.doc. Remember, if you need to make edits to the document, be sure to edit the original document and re-create the formatted document by running the bibliography process again.
Email it: After the bibliography is created you may also email the list. The email address in your RefWorks account is automatically entered, but you can overwrite it with another address. Only one email address can be entered.
You should check for missing data in the output. If, for example, the year is missing from a reference, check your database to be sure the year is in the data. If not, add it to the data and reformat the paper.
Troubleshooting your Bibliography:
http://www.refworks.com/tutorial/RefWorks%20Basics%20Quick%20Bibliography.pdf
