Upgrading to the (New) RefWorks (User)

Overview

The latest version of RefWorks (simply referred to as RefWorks) offers an efficient and intuitive way to collect, share, and cite references.

After your institution enables an upgrade to RefWorks, both legacy RefWorks and RefWorks remain available to you as long as the institution maintains its subscription. You see a button in the legacy UI enabling you to upgrade.

Legacy RefWorks Compared to RefWorks

RefWorks allows you to:

Find, access, and capture research materials from virtually any source, in PDF, PowerPoint, Word, Excel, or HTML format, and store in a central workspace that is accessible from anywhere and requires no syncing
Automatically generate bibliographies and authoritative citations in any of thousands of available citation styles, or using customized or institutional styles
Take advantage of powerful tools such as tags, folders, full-text searching, and deduplication to access and organize references
Collaborate on group projects, and edit as a team online and in real-time
Use Google Docs and Microsoft Word add-ins

Legacy RefWorks Compared to RefWorks
Feature	Legacy RefWorks	RefWorks
Supported in both Legacy RefWorks and RefWorks
Import citation information and enrich the information with Ex Libris discovery services	Y	Y
Use institution-wide citation styles	Y	Y
Custom-defined metadata fields	Y	Y
Stay organized by adding citations into folders	Y	Y
Read and add comments or notes to the citations	Y	Y
Share folders with colleagues who are using RefWorks	Y	Y
Share folders with colleagues who are not using RefWorks, via public URL	Y	Y
Deduplicate large amounts of references	Y	Y (Up to 2,000 references simultaneously)
Find references within the library database as well as on the Web	Y	Y
Find citation full text and attach it to the reference or confirm the URL link to the full text	Y	Y
Create a reference list	Y	Y
Write the paper	Y	Y
Manage separate reference collections	Y (multiple account usernames)	Y (projects)
Cloud-based, meaning no syncing required, and unlimited storage.	Y	Y
Search documents and import to folders from PubMed, the Library of Congress, and hundreds of library catalogs, including your institution's IR.	Y	Y
One-click save pages from the web and from popular research websites to your document library.	Y	Y
Automated metadata recognition of uploaded documents.	Y	Y
Share folders or references privately with members within your institution or with specific RefWorks users.	Y	Y
Bulk edit for reference information (named 'Global Edit' in legacy)	Y	Y
Supported only in RefWorks
Modern easy-to-use interface.		Y
Integrate with Ex Libris discovery services to ensure auto-completion of references and suggestions from Ex Libris discovery platforms.		Y
Share documents with collaborative annotation (ability to highlight and add notes) as well as various levels of sharing (read-only, annotate, modify).		Y
Built-in document reading, with zoom capability and support for PDF and image files. RefWorks automatically extracts metadata when you drag-and-drop PDF files into RefWorks.		Y
Style-view highlights missing elements of citations, based on the requirements of over 4,500 citation styles to ensure high compliance with citation-style requirements.		Y
Review deduplication by folder.		Y
Easy integration with today's writing tools: Word (Windows and Mac), Google Docs; simple to access and write work on any device.		Y
Rich text support for metadata.		Y
Currently unsupported or partially supported in RefWorks
One Line/Cite View	Y	Partial – Quick Cite replaces One Line/Cite View. Quick Cite works well with alphabetical styles, but not with numbered styles.

Before Upgrading

Familiarize yourself with RefWorks by reading the RefWorks User Guide.
Documents created in legacy RefWorks can be upgraded to become compatible with RefWorks. Always save a copy of your documents before upgrading them.
While the upgrade process is simple, we recommend that you do not perform the upgrade if you are actively working toward a close deadline. Perform the upgrade when you have ample time to learn the new interface before your next project is due.

Before upgrading, refer to our documentation on reference types and fields. Some data may need to be transferred to a User field before an upgrade to avoid data loss. See Reference Fields - Exceptions for more details.

After upgrading, one reference that contains multiple attachment files becomes many copies of the reference, with each copy containing a different attachment file.

Upgrading to (New) RefWorks

Once your institution subscribes to RefWorks, there are several ways to upgrade your account:

If you have multiple legacy RefWorks accounts, perform the upgrade process for each legacy RefWorks account separately. You can upgrade multiple legacy RefWorks accounts to different projects in the same (new) RefWorks account.

If your institution enabled upgrade, an upgrade button appears in the legacy UI at the top of the page (when logged in). Follow the steps described in Upgrade to RefWorks Button.
If your institution did not enable upgrade, create a RefWorks account as described in Creating an Account. You can then import your legacy RefWorks references from within RefWorks, as described in Importing Legacy References from within RefWorks.

The above two methods upgrade references (excluding references in Deleted References), attachments, folders, and custom citation styles.

If your institution did not enable upgrade, create a RefWorks account as described in Creating an Account. You can then export your references from legacy RefWorks to a reference file and upload the reference file to RefWorks as described in Importing Legacy References from a Reference File.

This method only upgrades references (excluding references in Deleted References) and does not upgrade attachments, folders, or custom citation styles.

Regardless of upgrade method, any folders that were publicly shared in legacy RefWorks should be shared again in RefWorks after upgrading.

Upgrade to RefWorks Button

After your institution enables upgrading to RefWorks, a button to upgrade your account appears at the top of the page when you are logged into legacy RefWorks.

Upgrade to RefWorks Button

Select this button and follow any on-screen instructions. Your account is upgraded automatically, and your references, attachments, folders, and custom citation styles are copied to your (new) RefWorks account. You can choose to import the references into an existing project or into a new project. (For more information on Projects, refer to Working with Projects).

Importing Legacy References from within RefWorks

After creating an account, you can import legacy references from within RefWorks.

To import legacy RefWorks references directly from RefWorks.

Sign in to your (new) RefWorks account.
Select Add > Import references. The Import from another reference manager page appears.

Import from another reference manager
Click Legacy RefWorks and select Authorize. The legacy RefWorks login page appears.
Enter the login details for your legacy RefWorks account. The upgrade process begins and when it is completed RefWorks shows the Last Imported page, detailing the number of references and custom output styles that were successfully imported.

Importing Legacy References from a RefWorks File

After creating an account, you can export your references to a reference file in Legacy RefWorks, and then import the file to RefWorks:

To export references to a reference file in Legacy RefWorks and import to RefWorks:

Log into your Legacy RefWorks account and if you don't want to export all references, select those you want to export.
From the Navigation Menu at the top of the page, select References > Export References. The Export References dialog appears.
Choose the RefWorks Tagged Format and select the Export References button.

This format is similar to the Bibliographic Software (RIS) format, i.e., it is also a tagged format. The data layout however corresponds to the RefWorks database structure. Use this format for backup purposes, for sharing references with other RefWorks users, and for importing references from legacy RefWorks to RefWorks.

Export References
Right click on the list of exported references and Save As a text file.

Save As Text File
Log in to your (new) RefWorks account and from the Main Navigation menu select Add > Import references.

Import References
Drag and drop the reference file or click select a file from your computer to choose the file.

Choose the File
Select RefWorks Tagged Format from the dropdown list and choose Import.

Import References
If applicable, you can assign the imported reference to a folder(s) from the dropdown.

Assign to Folder
The upgrade process begins and when it is completed, RefWorks displays the number of references that were successfully imported.

Successful Import
Click OK - RefWorks shows the Last Imported page listing all the imported references.

Last Imported

Steps After Upgrade

Log into your account.
Install the Save-to-RefWorks browser bookmarklet available in the Tools section.

Save-to-RefWorks

Install the relevant writing plug-ins. Refer to the Tools section for details about the different available plug-ins and installation instructions.
Re-share any shared folders (formerly called shared collections), including those 'publicly' shared via URL. To learn about the improved sharing methods in Refworks, see Sharing Folders of References.
Upgrade your documents from legacy RefWorks to (new) RefWorks. Always save a copy of your documents before upgrading them. For more information, see Upgrading Documents from Legacy RefWorks to RefWorks.

Additional Information

Update your contact list to include RefWorks Tech Support: RefWorks.Support@exlibrisgroup.com. Contact your administration or tech support if you have any questions or experience any difficulties.
Visit our YouTube channel to view short videos about basic and advanced features and tutorial videos.

Logging in to RefWorks

To log in to RefWorks, navigate to http://refworks.proquest.com (unless you access RefWorks using Summon's saved folder feature). If you have a RefWorks bookmark, update it to this URL (which is different from the legacy RefWorks URL).

Upgrading Documents from Legacy RefWorks to RefWorks

You can upgrade documents created with legacy RefWorks to be compatible with (new) RefWorks. Always save a copy of your documents before upgrading them.

When opening a document created using legacy RefWorks and signing into RefWorks Citation Manager or Write-n-Cite with your (new) RefWorks credentials, you are prompted to upgrade the document.

Single Sign-On users need to log into (new) RefWorks before clicking Upgrade Document.

For instructions on upgrading a document written with Write-n-Cite, see Upgrade a Write-n-Cite Document.

Upgrading a RefWorks Citation Manager Document (RCM)

If the legacy RefWorks account used to create a document was accessed by multiple users, ensure that the relevant project in the (new) RefWorks account is shared with them after upgrading.

If you have multiple Projects, make sure to select the Project that contains the references used inside the document.

After upgrading your legacy RefWorks account, log in to RCM with your (new) RefWorks credentials.

The following screen appears. Follow the screen instructions to upgrade your document.

RefWorks Citation Manager upgrade screen

In some cases, you may encounter an RCM screen titled Prepare your document for upgrade. Read through the steps carefully (below and in RCM) and select Log in with your legacy RefWorks credentials.

Select the blue button to log in to RCM with your legacy RefWorks credentials.
From the main menu, select Document and references to refresh the document with recent updates.
Log out of RCM.
Log back in with your (new) RefWorks credentials.
Select Upgrade this document and follow the steps.

Troubleshooting for RefWorks Citation Manager (RCM)

If you encounter one of the following screens, press the blue button and follow the screen instructions.

Missing references

Unsuccessful upgrade

If the upgrade is still unsuccessful, re-upgrade your legacy RefWorks account in one of the following ways:

Log in to your legacy RefWorks account and upgrade your account. Re-upgrading ensures there are no missing references in your (new) RefWorks account.
Import your references and styles from legacy RefWorks to (new) RefWorks:

a. Log in to (new) RefWorks.

b. Select +Add > Import References, select Legacy RefWorks, and when prompted to confirm, select Authorize.

import_from_another_reference_manager (1).png

c. As part of the authorization process, RefWorks prompts you to log in to your legacy account. Enter your credentials and select Login.

RefWorks imports your references and any custom citation styles from your legacy account to your RefWorks account. RefWorks notifies you when the process is complete.

After re-upgrading your legacy RefWorks account:

Open your document, log in to RCM with your (new) RefWorks credentials, and try upgrading the document again.
If the upgrade is still unsuccessful, delete the missing references from your document, save and close the document, reopen it, and try upgrading the document again.

If you continue to experience problems, contact your administrator or RefWorks Tech Support for assistance.

Upgrading a Write-n-Cite Document (WnC)

Upgrading a document is available with Write-n-Cite version 4.5.1645 for Windows and 4.5.1683 for Mac or later.

After upgrading your legacy RefWorks account, log in to WnC with your (new) RefWorks credentials. The following screen appears. Follow the screen instructions to upgrade your document.

Write-n-Cite document upgrade screen

Troubleshooting for Write-n-Cite (WnC)

If the upgrade is unsuccessful, WnC notifies you as shown in the following screen:

WnC Troubleshooting Screen

In WnC, log out and log in with your legacy RefWorks credentials. This prompts legacy RefWorks to sync the references in your document and prepare your document for upgrade. Log back in to WnC with your (new) RefWorks credentials and restart the document upgrade process.