You have now been introduced to all of the basic things that RefWorks does.  However, there is much, much more to it and it offers lots of different functions that you may find useful.  You could happily use it as we’ve outlined already and you would be at no disadvantage compared to others.  If there is something else you wish it could do though, it’s worth looking at the software in more depth, as it may well do so already!  Here are just a few examples:

Drag and drop: To add an attachment (e.g. PDF of article) you can drag and drop a file into the article record.  You can also use the’ Upload document’ feature to upload documents.  A record with pre-populated fields will be created for each uploaded document:

Save to Refworks: This is a tool that allows you to transfer information from websites in to RefWorks, including book details from sites such as Amazon. Available in the ‘Tools’ menu:

Share folders with other RefWorks users: You can nominate people with whom you can share parts of your RefWorks library:

Duplicates: Check for duplicate records and remove them if you wish.

Add notes to records: You can add personal notes to any reference record.

If you want to investigate any of these further, but want some advice, or if you just want to find out more about any of the functions already covered, your Academic Liaison Librarian would be happy to help.

Remember, RefWorks will be available to you for as long as YSJ retains its subscription (which we plan to do for some time to come!), even once you have graduated.  So, if you start using it now, you could build up a valuable resource for years to come.

As you write your research projects up, you will want to insert citations as you go along, especially after quoting the work of someone.

Word:

If the work to which you are referring is already in your RefWorks library, you can insert it straight into Word.  Once you click on the RefWorks tab, you will get this menu:

If parts of this menu are greyed out, it means the tab has not logged in to your RefWorks account.  There is a reminder of how to do this in the Day 8 section of this guide. Try to make sure that the style matches the one you need (i.e. York St John Harvard) – use the drop down menu to choose this.

To insert a citation, click on the ‘Insert Citation’ menu and you can then pick the reference you want from your library:

The preview will show you how the citation will look.  If you want to change it, use the options given to help you do this.  For example, to change the page numbers, use the ‘suppress pages’ option and then use the suffix option to type in what you would prefer.  It can take a bit of time to get used to these options, but it is worth persevering in the long run.

When you have finished your assignment, move the cursor in Word to the point at which you would like to enter the reference list or bibliography.  Then, click on ‘Bibliography Options’ and ‘Insert Bibliography’.  A full list of the references you have cited will appear, in the referencing style you have picked.

Accompanying video: https://youtu.be/fkC5uBt4tnI

You can also insert citations from your RefWorks library into a Google Doc.  Go to Add-ons and select Proquest RefWorks > Manage citations.  To insert a citation, move the cursor to the appropriate reference and select ‘Edit and Cite’:

The preview will show you how the citation will look:

Check the citation style is correct.  If you want to change the citation, use the options given to help you do this.  For example, to change the page numbers, type in the Page(s): box.  When you are happy with the citation click ‘Insert’.  Your reference list will build at the bottom of your document as you insert citations.

If you delete an in-text citation then you will need to update the reference list by selecting the options icon and clicking ‘Update document’:

Accompanying video: https://youtu.be/SFbOdKjkkOc

Once you have built up your RefWorks library, you can link it to Word to allow the automatic insertion of citations and a bibliography.  This is an add-on feature to RefWorks called ‘Write N Cite’ and is completely optional.

Word:

In Word, you can see a number of ‘tabs’ across the top of the screen, each containing a menu.

RefWorks offers you the opportunity to add its own tab to this.  On University computers, the RefWorks tab will have been downloaded to Word for you and all you need to do is link it to your account.  To download to your own device:

• Log in to RefWorks
• Click on the drop-down menu under your name and click ‘Tools’
• Scroll down to ‘Cite in Microsoft Word’ and click on ‘Download & Install’ (if you require a different version then Office 32-bit then click ‘Other Windows and Mac Versions’.
• Follow the on-screen instructions for installation and the RefWorks tab will appear in Word (NB You may have to restart your computer for this to take effect)

You now have the tab installed in Word. It will be labelled as ‘RefWorks’ or ‘ProQuest’:

Now you need to link Word to your own RefWorks library.  Go to the RefWorks or Proquest tab and click ‘Log in’.  Enter your email and password to link your account.  You can now use RefWorks to cite and create bibliographies in Word.

Accompanying video: https://youtu.be/qbuTev26cZw

NB/ If you have Word 2016 on a Mac you will need install Reference Citation Manager for Word as oppose to Write-N-Cite.  The following video shows you how to do this: https://youtu.be/sWkyR8xiYwI

Google Docs:

You can also link your RefWorks library to Google Docs.  To download the add-on to Google Docs:

• Go to Google Docs
• Click on ‘Add-ons’ and the ‘Get add-ons’
• Type RefWorks in the search box and click on the + FREE button
• You’ll need to grant RefWorks some permissions to continue

To link Google Docs to your RefWorks library go to Add-ons and select Proquest RefWorks > Manage citations.  Enter your email and password to link your account.  You can now use RefWorks to cite and create bibliographies in Google Docs.

One of the key things you are likely to use your RefWorks account for is to create a reference list or bibliography.  As has already been discussed, a major part of avoiding plagiarism is providing a reference with the necessary information to allow the reader to recognise and find the work of anyone else that you have used.  Therefore, it is very important, before creating a bibliography in RefWorks, that you have filed resources under the correct item type, that you understand the key fields required for each type of resource and that the records are populated accordingly.

You will need to select the resources you wish to include in your bibliography.  The easiest way to do this is to copy all of the relevant references into a folder.  Alternatively, you can just select the ones you want from a longer list.

• Select the folder from which you wish to make the bibliography
• Click the following button:

• Select ‘Create bibliography’
• Check that RefWorks is picking up the relevant folder and that it is including the references you need
• Check that the correct referencing style is picked (this will usually be York St John Harvard)
• Click on ‘Copy to clipboard’ to copy bibliography
• Paste this bibliography in to any document.

Please make sure that it matches the guidelines of whichever referencing style you are using before you submit a bibliography in an assignment.  It is your responsibility to ensure the outcome adheres to the relevant standard.

Accompanying video: https://youtu.be/iNAqCXsSg_4

Over time, your RefWorks library will build.  Rather than searching through hundreds of records to find the one you want, you can set up folders.  It’s up to you how you organise your references, but one popular way is to do so by assignment, so that your reference list for it is already built when you come to hand in time.

Think of the title of an assignment or module you have coming up.  You can now create a folder within RefWorks and store any references you want to use in that in one place.

To create a folder:

• Select ‘My Folders’ and then ‘Add a folder’
• Enter the name of the folder you want to create in the box
• Click ‘Save’
• The folder will now appear your My Folders list

You can create as many folders as you like.  You can then populate them by simply dragging a record across to the relevant folder, or by selecting records and using the Folder menu to transfer them:

You will always have your core list of references.  They do not change.  Putting a reference in a folder does not transfer it; it’s more like a copy is put in there.  You can therefore have the same reference showing in a number of different folders, as it may well be useful in multiple assignments or be relevant to more than one subject area.

You can always return to your core list of references by using the ‘All Documents’ link in the top left hand corner:

Accompanying video: https://youtu.be/fw-0ixhXFq0

You may find that you need to edit a RefWorks record.  Sometimes, you may have entered some details incorrectly.  More importantly, it is very common for information to be entered into the wrong field when records are transferred from other search tools and you need to check if this has happened with yours.  When two systems try to talk to each other, they can sometimes get mixed up!

You can edit any record by selecting it and clicking on the pencil image in the top right hand corner:

Common errors encountered whilst transferring records include:

• all of the publication information (i.e. place, date and publisher) going into the publisher field, instead of the individual ones
• author information getting replicated in the title field, as well as the author one
• journal articles getting imported with a resource type of ‘Generic’ as oppose to ‘Journal Article’

Once you have finished editing the resource record, click ‘Save’.

A lot of search tools offer you the chance to transfer resource information in to RefWorks.  This means you often won’t have to enter records manually (although you can still do so if you prefer).  This example will show you how to transfer from an EBSCOHost database, but the same principles will transfer to other search tools too.  Watch the video below to see how to import references from a Proquest databases.  Before you import any references, it is a good idea to log in to your RefWorks account.

When you search an EBSCOHost database, you have an option to save items to a folder.  This is a bit like putting your items in a shopping basket when you are purchasing things online.  This is the icon you need to look for:

You will find it at the top right hand corner of each record.  It will turn yellow once it has been clicked.  When you have decided upon all of the records you want to transfer, you need to access your folder.  You can do this by clicking on the ‘Folder view’ link on the right of the screen:

• Click the tick box to select all of the records and then click ‘Export’ from the menu on the right hand side of the screen
• Select ‘Direct Export to RefWorks’ and then click ‘Save’
• If you are asked which version of RefWorks you would like to export to then select ‘Export to new RefWorks’
• The records will transfer in to your RefWorks library

Once you feel confident doing this, you can try it with any other library search tools you may use.  Here is a video with demonstrates direct import from a Proquest database: https://youtu.be/sEsjR6vdY8M

It is also possible to set up Google Scholar so that you can directly import results into RefWorks.  From the Google Scholar homepage:

• Select ‘Settings’
• Select ‘Show links to import citations into’
• Select ‘RefWorks’ from the drop-down menu
• Click ‘Save’:

Now when you search Google Scholar you will find an ‘Import into RefWorks’ link under each result.  When you click on this link, if you are asked which version of RefWorks you would like to export to then select ‘Export to new RefWorks’.  It is a good idea to log in to your RefWorks account before exporting records to it.

Most library search tools offer you the chance to transfer resource information in to RefWorks.  This means you often won’t have to enter records manually (although you can still do so if you prefer).  It is a good idea to log in to your RefWorks account before exporting records to it.

You can export records from the library catalogue by clicking on:

And selecting ‘RefWorks’:

If you wish to keep the library catalogue window open then right click on ‘RefWorks’ and select ‘Open link in new tab’.  If you are asked which version of RefWorks you would like to export to then select ‘Export to new RefWorks’.

The records will transfer in to your RefWorks library.

Each reference is made up of information from the original source.  These bits of information are then put in a set order, so that the reader knows which are which and can tell from the overall reference what type of resource has been used.

Common resource types are books, journal articles and websites.  An important thing to remember is that you reference first and foremost by resource type, rather than how it was accessed.  So, a journal article is referenced as a journal article, whether it was found online or in a paper version.  You can then add the fact that you found it online to that reference if you wish.  Finding the online version of a resource does not automatically make it a website.  If you find a resource online, try to discern what type of resource it is and then choose the reference type which links to that.  You will get used to the format types as you get more experienced with academic research.  If you are unsure about what type of resource you have found, you can ask your Academic Liaison Librarian.

Book references:

A basic book reference is made up of the following parts:

These are the bits of information you will need to enter in RefWorks.  If you need more help on locating these in a book, this presentation may help: http://prezi.com/hhvluu3f9ld2/utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share

To add a book record to RefWorks:

• Make sure you are logged in
• Click on the following button:

• Select ‘Create new reference’
• Choose ‘Book’ from drop-down menu
• Enter the details from the book in the appropriate boxes (you should have the fields detailed in the diagram above as a minimum). As you enter a title you may see a ‘Did you mean one of these?’ list appear at the bottom of the screen.  If the correct title is listed then you can select to automatically populate the other fields.
• Click ‘Save’

Accompanying video: https://youtu.be/lX0OfKtbg18

What is RefWorks?

RefWorks is a tool to help you collate the references of the resources you read and then put them in to the format required for your assignments.

Why reference?

Referencing is an important part of academic work.  If you use someone else’s work without giving them due credit, you are committing plagiarism.  Imagine if someone used a photograph or a piece of writing of yours, without saying where they got it from.  This wouldn’t be fair to you.  Referencing allows the author of a work to receive the recognition they deserve.

There are lots of conventions surrounding referencing, but the most important thing is to have the different bits of information any reader requires to find the original work.  If you reference something in an accepted format, any reader familiar with that format can tell what type of resource you have used straight away and then find it if they wish.

Create an account

By creating a RefWorks account at the beginning of your course, you can ensure you keep records of everything you read and then have the reference to hand whenever you need it.  You will need to use your university email address to create your account, so it knows you are a member of our community.

• Go to http://refworks.proquest.com
• Click ‘Create account’
• Enter your university email address and click ‘Check’
• Enter your chosen password and click ‘Sign Up’
• You will receive an email to your university email account. Click on the link in the email to authenticate your RefWorks account

Accompanying video: https://youtu.be/CG5Dm1zV6b8