Finding References to Add to RefWorks

• If you have references in files (PDFs, Word Documents, videos, etc.), you can upload them to RefWorks (see Uploading Files as References).
• Add references to RefWorks directly from websites using direct export (where supported) or use the Save to RefWorks bookmarklet. See Save to RefWorks.
• From within RefWorks, you can search an external database for references, if enabled by your institution. See Search Databases below.
• You can add references from folders that are shared with you by other users. See Working with Shared Folders of References, below.
• When configured by your institution, you can search for references in your local library catalog. When you find an item in your library's catalog that you want to add to RefWorks, select Send to > RefWorks on the item page, or download the reference and upload it to RefWorks. To open your library's catalog from within RefWorks, select Add > Create New Reference and in the Reference Details, select Find full-text using link resolver (your institution may have renamed this link).
• When configured by your institution, you can search for reference information at Unpaywall.org. Unpaywall link appears for references where DOI is present and located in the Unpaywall database. Depending on reference in Unpaywall, link will offer a new webpage with information or start PDF download.

1. Select Search Databases in the Reference Actions area. RefWorks replaces the Reference Actions area with a search bar.

   

   Search Databases
2. Select the database from drop down. You may search for database if not automatically listed. This field uses auto-complete.
3. Use the basic search to search all fields, or select Advanced to search in specific fields.
4. Select anywhere in a result to view details about the reference in the Reference Details. To add results as references, select one or more results and click Import. If you have multiple projects, references will be added to your current project. References are added to the Last Imported tab. To add the selected references directly to a specific folder, select the folder icon and the folder name.

Manually Adding References

1. Select Add > Create New Reference. The Reference Editor appears.

   

   Reference Editor
   To add a reference directly to a folder, select the folder in the Navigation area and then select Add > Create New Reference.
2. Select the reference type. The remaining fields on the sidebar change depending on the type you select.
3. Enter a title or as much of the title as you can. You can optionally select the button in the Title field to have RefWorks match the title with an item in the library. This button is also available after you enter a value in the DOI field, which appears for most reference types (select Add more fields to see this field, if it is available), as well as for the ISSN/ISBN fields. RefWorks shows possible matches at the bottom of the Reference Editor. If you select one, RefWorks completes the title and fills the fields with information from the library. If no suitable match is found, you can enter the rest of the metadata manually.

4. If your reference is a file on your computer, or you have any other associated information in a file, drag and drop the file to the Reference Editor or select Add an attachment to upload the file. For a list of supported file types, see Valid Attachment File Formats.
5. Enter any required tags for this reference. If any tags currently exist for other references, you can select them. Tags are used for filtering references on the Tags tab in the Navigation area; see Organizing References by Tags.
6. Fill in as many of the remaining fields that you can.
   • For more information, see Editing References.
   • If you have defined any custom fields (see Configuring Basic Information), you can select Add more fields to add them to the reference and then enter values for them.
   • You can also create and add custom fields while creating or editing the reference. Enter the custom field name in Add more fields and select Add "..." as a custom field.

     

     Add Custom Field

     The custom field is saved and added to the reference. The custom field is now available to be added to all references.

     

     New Custom Field
7. When you are finished, select Save.

Uploading Files as References

Either drag and drop a file into the Main area or select Add > Upload Document and select the file. The file can be in any format.

The file uploads as a reference with type Generic. RefWorks attempts to automatically extract as much information as it can from the uploaded file. Edit the reference to correct and complete the information.

If you drag and drop multiple files at one time, a reference is created for each file.

Importing References

Users can import references from any reference management service. You can import directly from Mendeley. For other services, such as Zotero, you can import a file that you have exported from that service. 

1. Select Add > Import references. The Import references page appears.

1. Select the Import from Mendeley button and Authorize on the following page.

2. Sign into your Mendeley account and the import process will be initiated.

3. The "Import Process Complete" message will inform you how many references were copied. Your Mendeley library will not be altered.

   

4. Select Go to Last Imported to view imported references.

1. Export a file from that service to one of the following formats: NLM PubMed, RefWorks Tagged, RefWorks XML, RIS or Web of Science. For example:

   • Zotero: Select references and select Export Library from File menu or Export Items… from the right-click menu. Select the RIS format and save the file. Import the file into RefWorks.

   • EndNote:

     • Select Edit > Output Styles > Open Style Manager and select RefMan (RIS) Export.

     • In your library, select the references, select File > Export, and save the file as RefMan (RIS) Export.

   • ReadCube: From the library view, select the article or articles, select Export to RefMan (RIS) file from the right-click menu, and save the file.

   • Papers: In your library, highlight the references, select File > Export ..., select Refman RIS, and save the file.

   • PubMed: Do one of the following:

     • Select the references that you want to export
       
       OR

     • Select to export all references. Select Save. Select the RIS format and then select Create File. Save the file to your computer.

2. Drag and drop a file from your computer or select the select a file from your computer option and choose a file to open.

3. On the Import References modal, RefWorks will recognize your file format and ask how you would like your file imported.

   1. If you would like to change the format, select the search for the format option.
      
      
      
      

   2. Choose your format from the dropdown.
      
      

   3. Select Import.

   4. You can assign references to a folder, or create a new Folder, by selecting the drop-down arrow next to Not in folder. Select if tags should be imported and whether duplicate references should be ignored. Deduplication during import is based on Exact Match for: Author, Title and Year. It is based on the same algorithm as Finding Duplicate References.
      
      

   5. Select Import.

   6. If you are importing a large file, you may see the Importing page.
      
      

   7. The Import Process Complete page will appear when the process has completed.
      
      

Adding References via My Research

Viewing Your References

You can view a list of your references, a subset of your references, folders of shared references, or deleted references by searching, or by selecting the relevant tab in the Reference Organization area (see RefWorks User Interface). Each reference includes a unique reference ID (Ref ID).

Your options for viewing references include the following:

Reference View Options

View	Description	Sortable
All References	All records available in your RefWorks library except those placed in the Trash folder.	Yes
Search Databases	Search area to discover items in external databases. Visible if enabled by Institutional Administrator.	No
Last Imported	References added within the last 30 days. Select Delete to remove references. They are still available in My Folders (if they were previously placed there).	Yes
Duplicates	Find and/or remove duplicate references. See Finding Duplicate References. See last results of your most recent duplicates search.	No
Sharing	References shared with you. See Working with Shared Folders of References.	Yes
My Folders	References in a specific folder or subfolder, or Not in folder. Subfolders can be nested up to three levels, for example: main > sub1 > sub2 > sub3.	Yes
Tags	Search for tags in this area. After selecting a tag, the encoded query string that matches references associated with that tag displays in the basic search box.	Yes
Trash	Deleted references are moved to the Trash folder. You can restore references using the Undo action. To permanently remove a set of references, select the relevant references and select Delete > Delete selected, and then select Yes in the confirmation dialog box. To remove all references, select Delete > Delete all.	Yes
Search	Use the basic search to search all fields, including text in an attached PDF (provided the PDF is properly OCRed). In the basic search, enter a tag name or any search string. After entering your search criteria, your search appears as an encoded query string in the basic search box and the matching references display in the center pane. Use Advanced for a more customized search such as searching in specific fields, or folders, or by entering an encoded query string. If advanced queries are enabled, the search text appears in blue.   Enable Advanced Queries You can enter an encoded query string directly in the basic search field. For example, to search for a reference that is not in a folder and that contains the author "Rowling" and the tag "mandatory", the search string is _missing_:collectionIds (authors:(rowling) reference.tags:(mandatory)). For a list of how to format an advanced query, see RefWorks Reference Fields and Types.	Yes

The number of references which appear on the page is displayed at the top of the page. You can change the number of references displayed per page, and switch between view options. Select Customize for Normal and Full views to display the Folders and Tags checkboxes. Clearing the checkboxes hides the folders and tags from the list of references. Pagination on the bottom of the page enables you to move between reference pages.

• Normal view – A minimalist view. Each reference's associated folders and tags display, whether the reference was added by another user, as well as an icon if access to the full text is available. Users can see when the reference was Added or last Modified, depending on which view criterion is applied: Date added, or Date modified.

  

  References Normal View
• Table view – Another minimalist view. References display in a table for easy sorting. Table View does not allow for sorting by Date added. When switching to Table view from any other view which displays Date added, references will be resorted by Date. All visible columns, except for Issue and Pages enable sorting in the table header row.

  

  Table View
• Full view – An expanded view with details, displaying Date Published, Date Added and Date Modified, regardless of which criterion is applied. Select a tag to refresh the page with all references associated with the tag. Select the text link to view the full text, if available. Select any other field to open the Reference Editor and edit that field.

  

  Full View
• Citation view – A bibliographic view. References are displayed in chosen citation style. Select the gear icon  in the view options menu to select your preferred style.

  RefWorks highlights missing fields that are required or recommended by the selected citation style. Select the highlighted area to open the Reference Editor and edit that field.

  

  Citation View

Organizing References by Folders

Select the references and select Assign. You can assign the selected references to an existing or new folder or remove them from a folder. You can also copy selected references to another Project.

Folders appear in the My Folders tab in the Navigation area. The number of references in a folder appears after each folder name.

When the My Folders tab is expanded, you can drag and drop references to a folder. In addition, you can use this area to add a folder or a subfolder, or rename, delete, or share a folder. You may also Move or Copy the folder to another Project or Find Duplicates in the folder. Subfolders can be up to three levels deep, for example main > sub1 > sub2 > sub3. Some of these actions are available in the folder's action menu.

Organizing References by Tags

Select the references and select Add Tags. You can associate the selected references with an existing or new tag or remove their association with a tag.

When the Tags tab in the Navigation area is expanded, you can drag and drop references onto a tag to associate them with that tag.

You can also manage tags when editing a reference in the Reference Editor.

Editing References

• To edit a single reference - normal view: Select the reference in the Main area. This opens the reference details in the Reference Editor. Select the edit icon , edit the reference, and select Save. If you have defined any custom fields (see Configuring Basic Information), you can add or edit them as well. For more information, see Manually Adding References.

  When configured by your institution, you can add full text to a reference by searching for the reference in your local library catalog. When you find an item you want to add to RefWorks, select Send to > RefWorks on the item page, or download the text and upload it to the reference. To open your library's catalog from within RefWorks, when editing the reference select Full Text Search (your institution may have renamed this link).

• To edit a single reference - full or citation view: Select any field in the reference to open the Reference Editor directly in edit mode (you do not have to select the edit icon).

A rich-text edit bar is available when you select contents within certain text fields (including Title, Alternate Title, Abstract, Notes, and any custom fields that you added to RefWorks).

• To edit references in bulk:

1. Select one or more references and then select Tools > Bulk Edit. The Bulk Edit page appears.

   

   Bulk Edit
2. Optionally, select to edit all references and not only the references you selected in step 1.
3. Select whether to add a field, delete a field, or replace part of a value in a field.
   • Add: either add a field or add to the electronic source fields.
     • Add a field: select Add, select the field name, enter the value, and select what to do if the field already contains a value: leave the value alone, overwrite the value, or append the new value to the existing value. You cannot append a date field. Select Add Data and select Yes in the confirmation dialog box.
     • Add to the electronic source fields: select Add, select Add to electronic source fields, enter values for Source Name, Source DB, URL, and/or Date Retrieved. Select what to do if the field already contains a value: leave the value alone, overwrite the value, or append the new value to the existing value. Select Add Data and select Yes in the confirmation dialog box.
   • Delete: select Delete, select the field, select Delete Data, and select Yes in the confirmation dialog box.
   • Replace: select Replace, select the field, enter the string to replace - you can select whether to match case and/or match a whole word only - and the new string, select Replace Data, and select Yes in the confirmation dialog box.

Duplicating References

If you are working on several sections is the same source material, it is helpful to be able to duplicate a reference to save time and only have to change a few fields.

Finding Duplicate References

If you have many references or you have added references in bulk from several sources, it can be helpful to have RefWorks find any duplicates in your collection..

Restoring Deleted References

If you deleted a reference from any folder or tab other than the Deleted tab, you can restore it. To restore a reference go to the Deleted tab, select the references to restore, and select Undo.

Sharing Folders of References

1. Select Share > Share folder

   OR in the Sharing area of the Reference Organization, select Share a folder;

   OR in the My Folders area select Share folder in the row action list.

   The Sharing Settings dialog box appears.

   
   Sharing Settings
2. In the Settings for area, select the folder to share.
3. In the Settings for area, select whether to share the folder only with the email addresses you enter in the Shared with area, or with all users at your institution. You can change this at a later time.
4. In the Public URL area, select Create Public URL to create a URL that you can use to share the contents of folders and sub-folders with others who do not have a RefWorks account.
   Users who view publicly shared folders with the URL have limited access:

   • Access is read-only – references cannot be edited, added, or deleted.
   • References may be exported to a file.
   • Bibliographies can be created from any citation style available, except user custom styles or Institutional styles.
5. Select Remove URL to delete the URL and remove public access to the folder.
6. In the Shared with area, enter the email addresses with which you want to share the folder. For each address, select whether the user:
   • Can read – Read references only.
   • Can annotate – Read and add comments and highlights to references.
   • Can modify – Add and remove references, add notes to references, and read and annotate attached supported PDF files.

   You can optionally enter a message to the user. The user receives an email notifying them about the invitation.

   You can view users with whom you have already shared the folder, and can change or remove their access.

7. When you are done, select Done.

To unshare the folder at any time, select Unshare Folder on the Sharing Settings dialog box and select Yes in the confirmation dialog box.

Working with Shared Folders of References

When a folder is shared with you, you receive an email indicating this. You can view the folder in the Sharing tab in RefWorks. All folders shared with you from a single institution are grouped together.

To view the references in a shared folder, you must accept the invitation: select Join in the folder's row.

The folder appears in your Reference Organization in the Sharing area. All tags for references in this folder are added to your list of current tags.

• You can view the references and citations of shared folders. When enabled by the person who shared the folder, you can also add comments and notes to the citations or even remove or add citations to the references.
• To export these references or to synchronize shared citations with Dropbox (when enabled by your institution, see Configuring Site Settings), you must copy the references to your own list of references: drag and drop the references to a folder or select Assign to Folder.
• You can remove your own access to a shared folder using the action menu in the folder's row. If you remove your own access to a shared folder, any tags that are associated only with references in that folder are removed from your list of tags.

Exporting References to a File

You can export your references so that another user can import them without logging in to your account, or in order to import them to another citation manager. Also see Importing References.

1. Navigate to the folder you want to export, or from All References, or from any search results, select Share > Export references. The Export references dialog box appears.
   
   
2. Export References
3. Select whether to export all references in the current folder / search results or only selected references.
4. Select the output format: BibTeX, RIS, tab-delimited, or XML.
5. Select the output ID: default, authoryeartitle string, or Ref ID only
6. Select Export. The references are exported, including their field names and Ref ID. In a tab-delimited file, the first row contains the field names.

Managing Projects

Sharing Projects