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RefWorks - Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is RefWorks?
2. How do I access RefWorks from on campus?
3. How do I access RefWorks from off campus?
4. How do I import from Endnote or other bibliographic management tools?
5. How do I import citations from library databases or the Library Catalog into RefWorks?
6. What if the database I need to use is not included in the RefWorks filters?
7. When I try to export citations from a database to RefWorks, nothing happens. What do I do?
8. How can I export my bibliographic information?
9. Where are my RefWorks bibliographies stored?
10. Is there a limit to the size of my database?
11. Is there a limit to the data I can put in the notes and abstract fields?
12. My data doesn't always import correctly. What can I do?
13. Why does my bibliography have incorrect data included in the output document?
14. How do I export my RefWorks citations to EndNote, ProCite, or Reference Manager?
15. Is RefWorks compatible with LaTeX/BibTeX?
16. What is Write-and-Cite?
17. Can I open two accounts in RefWorks at the same time?
18. Can a RefWorks account be shared by a group?
19. How do I back up my citations?
20. I want to write my paper off line and refer to citations in RefWorks. How do I print out a list of references with RefIDs?
21. What happens when I graduate or leave BGSU and no longer have access to RefWorks and my data?
22. How can I get help with RefWorks?
23. Why is the spacing between the references in bibliographies generated by RefWorks or Write-N-Cite more than double spaced?
24. How do I correct records for ERIC documents that I’ve imported into RefWorks?

1. What is RefWorks?

RefWorks is a web-based tool that assists in managing citations, creating bibliographies, and importing references from online databases.

2. How do I access RefWorks from on campus?

Go to the library's homepage http://www.bgsu.edu/colleges/library/. Click on RefWorks in the Quick Links section on the right-side of the page. Click on "Sign up for an Individual Account" and create a login and password. RefWorks will then email you the username and password you created.

3. How do I access RefWorks from off campus?

Before you can have off-campus access to RefWorks, you must create an account while you are on campus. Once you have an account, however, you can access RefWorks anywhere in the world as long as you are affiliated with BGSU. Follow one of these paths to access RefWorks from off campus:

1. Either go to the Libraries' home page at http://www.bgsu.edu/colleges/library/, and click on RefWorks in the Quick Links section on the right-hand side of the page.

2. Or go directly to the RefWorks site at http://refworks.com/ and click on the "User Login" button in the upper right-hand side of the page.

No matter which path you chose, you will be prompted for the BGSU group code included in the confirmation email you received when you set up your account. You will then be prompted for your RefWorks username and password. If you have lost or forgotten the group code, you may contact the reference desk (http://www.bgsu.edu/colleges/library/infosrv/ref/ask.html) for assistance.

4. How do I import from Endnote or other bibliographic management tools?

To import records from EndNote, save your Endnote libraries or entire database as text files in RIS format:

1. In EndNote, go to the the Edit menu and select Output Styles and Open Style Manger. Click in the RefMan (RIS) Export checkbox. Close the Style Manager, go back to Edit, Output Styles, and select RefMan (RIS) Export from the pulldown menu.

2. Highlight the references you want to export. Under the Reference menu select Show Selected (or Show All if you wish to export the entire database).

3. Under the File menu select Export.

4. In the dialog box that appears, name your file and navigate to a location where you want to save your text file. Select Text as your Save As type and click Save.

5. Go to RefWorks and select the Import under the References menu.

6. In the Import Filter/Data Source pulldown menu, select Desktop Biblio. Mgt. Software. In the Database menu, select EndNote. Use the Browse button to navigate to the text file you saved from EndNote and select it.

7. Click on Import.

To import records from Reference Manager or Procite, see the online help.

5. How do I import citations from research databases or the BGSU Libraries Catalog into RefWorks?

The link above provides step-by-step instructions for moving records from a variety of library catalogs and research databases into RefWorks. These instructions assume the only browser window open is the one you are working in. If you have a second window open and export directly from a database, RefWorks will open in your second browser window. This window will not necessarily be brought forward. For a complete list of databases with filters already created, visit RefWorks’ list of Database Services Supported https://www.refworks.com/Refworks/importdbs.asp.

6. What if the database I need to use is not included in the RefWorks filters?

Refworks contains filters for many databases and information vendors. However, if you do not find a filter for a particular database, you may request that RefWorks create one for your database. While logged into your RefWorks account, click on "Request Filter/Format" in the Import screen. Keep in mind that it may not always be possible to create a filter for a particular database. This decision is usually that of the database vendor and not RefWorks.

7. When I try to export citations from a database to RefWorks, nothing happens. What do I do?

See if the popup window blocker is set on your browser. To do so in Netscape, go to Edit - Preferences - Privacy and Security - Popup Windows and see if the blocker is set. If set, you can add www.refworks.com as an allowed site. If you've added the Google toolbar to Internet Explorer, the popup blocker may be set. Select Options. Go to Accessories - Options and turn off the Popup Blocker.

Sometimes the direct export feature doesn’t work with EBSCO databases. If you encounter this problem, visit Troubleshooting RefWorks and Ebsco Direct Export, a web page created by the Libraries at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

If you continue to have problems with exporting citations to RefWorks, you may want to save your citations as text and use RefWorks to import. See #6.

8. How can I export my bibliographic information?

You may export all or some of your bibliographic information into another bibliographic management program such as EndNote (see question 14, below, for details), a comma-delimited file, or as a text or Word file (e.g. a formatted bibliography or citation list). You may also export your citations in RefWorks format, in order to share them with another RefWorks user who can then import the citations into their RefWorks account.

9. Where are my RefWorks bibliographies stored?

Your bibliographic information is stored on the RefWorks server.

10. Is there a limit to the size of my database?

No. Your database may contain an unlimited number of references.

11. Is there a limit to the data I can put in the notes and abstract fields?

The notes, abstract, and user definable fields are limited to 1 gigabyte of information. Note that by adding large amounts of data to these fields, the program takes more time to display each reference.

12. My data doesn't always import correctly. What can I do?

Make sure the data you are trying to import is in a tagged format. For example:

TI: Title

Reforming the circle: fragments of the social history of a vernacular African dance form.

AU: Author

James, Wendy

AF: AuthorAffiliation

Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology, University of Oxford

SO: Source

Journal of African Cultural Studies; Jun2000, Vol. 13 Issue 1, p140, 13p

Go to the Import area of RefWorks and ensure that both the Import Filter/Data Source and Database have been selected correctly. If you don't see either All Databases or the specific database you are searching in the drop down list, we do not have a filter for that particular database. In this case the data may still import but it may not be imported into the correct fields and the source information will all go into the notes field. Selecting Multiple Databases will not work if the specific database you are importing is not in the list. If you selected the correct Data Source and Database but the data still comes in incorrectly, please contact the RefWorks support department at support@refworks.com. Attach a sample of the text file you are importing along with information on the source of the data.

13. Why does my bibliography have incorrect data included in the output document?

The output format takes the data from a particular field and inserts it into the bibliography. If the data in the field is incorrect it will appear to be wrong in the output format. For instance, you may see a book title that has [Monograph] after it. Journal titles may also show an extra tag regarding volume numbers. The problem may be with the way the data is imported rather than with the output format. Always check that the data in the database is correct before formatting a bibliography. If it is incorrect, you may edit the data yourself.

14. How do I export my RefWorks citations to EndNote, ProCite, or Reference Manager?

After logging in to RefWorks, select Export under the References menu and then select either All References or the specific folder you want to export. Under Export Format select Bibliographic Software (for EndNote, Reference Manager, or ProCite.) This format is sometimes called the RIS Format or Reference Manager Format. Click the Export to Text File button and save this file to your computer. You may now import this file to your EndNote, ProCite, or Reference Manager library, using RIS Format as the import option.

15. Is RefWorks compatible with Latex/BibTeX?

Yes. RefWorks has a BibTex output format. After you've input your citations into RefWorks, select the Bibliography button and select BibTeX as the output format. Select Base Bibliography on Reference List and select RTF as the File Type to Create. Select Create Bibliography. You can then select all references or references from a particular folder. A separate RTF with your citations in BibTeX format will be created.

16. What is Write-and-Cite?

Write-N-Cite allows Microsoft Word and Internet Explorer users to run an abbreviated version of RefWorks in a paper or manuscript. It also automatically formats internal references and bibliographies. Only author, title, and year are displayed; a full-view option is also available. The utility installs a Write-N-Cite icon on your desktop as well as an Add-in to your Word toolbar and a menu option under Tools for launching Write-N-Cite. Click here for more information about Write-N-Cite, or to download the Write-N-Cite utility program to your computer. Note: You must have Windows 98 or above, Internet Explorer 5.0 or above, and Word 2000 or above to use Write-N-Cite.

If you are not able to use Write-N-Cite, you can still insert references and a bibliography into your paper:

Once the paper is written and you're ready to insert a reference, login to RefWorks. Click on One line/Cite View at the top of your reference list. Click the Cite link next to the reference you want to insert. The Citation Viewer window will pop up. Click Select Citation. Go to the Edit Menu and choose Copy. Go to your paper. Click where you want to insert the reference. Go to the Edit Menu and choose Paste. Make sure to go back to the Citation Viewer and select Clear after the reference is inserted. When you have finished inserting all references, save and close your paper. To generate your bibliography, click the Bibliography button in RefWorks. Choose the citation format (e.g., MLA, APA) from the Output Format pull down menu. Select Base Bibliography on Manuscript. Use the Browse button to find and select your paper. RefWorks will automatically add your references and bibliography.

17. Can I open two accounts in RefWorks at the same time?

Yes. Open your browser a second time by selecting it from the Program menu or by clicking on the icon on your desktop or task bar. [Do not open another window by selecting File, New, Window --this will only re-open the first RefWorks account.

18. Can a RefWorks account be shared by a group?

Yes. An individual may create more than one account using the same email address, but with different usernames and passwords for each account. This can be useful when working on group projects. The username and password can be shared with other members of the group for one of the accounts. Each member can then log in to that RefWorks account to add, organize, or delete information. During the process, each group member can utilize the bibliographic resources from the group folder and then use RefWorks to format the bibliography according to the preferred style.

19. How do I back up my citations?

Select the Backup/Restore link under the References menu. Select Include References (for the database) and/or Include Output Styles (for outputs). Click on Perform Backup. Save the file when prompted. It should be saved as a .zip file. Please do not change the extension of the file as it is necessary to restore if you need to do so later. Although RefWorks backs up all databases on a regular basis, we recommend users do this as well. You may also export your references to a text file as a back up measure by choosing Export under the References menu.

20. I want to write my paper off line. How do I print out a list of references with RefIDs?

Create a folder and add all of the references you'll need for the paper. Next, Click on Export and select the folder to be printed. Select Citation List (which includes the refID, author, title, and year). Click Export to Text File. Once the file displays, use the browser's Print function to print the paper.

21. What happens when I graduate or leave BGSU and no longer have access to RefWorks and my data?

Note that if you go to another college or university, they may also have a RefWorks subscription. If not, you can purchase an individual subscription to RefWorks for $100 per year or, if you prefer, you can export your entire database in a format that is compatible with other bibliographic software. You can also export the data in a delimited format to use in some other type of database program. To purchase your own RefWorks subscription, simply contact RefWorks and they will inform you of the billing procedures. In advance of this transition, RefWorks also recommends doing a "backup" of your database, and then a "restore" to your new account. (For details, see FAQ# 19, above.) This will bring all folders, references, reference IDs and any custom output styles, so your new account will be exactly the same as their old account when you backed it up. You can also create your new account in the 30-day free trial area and RefWorks will just convert it behind the scenes to an individual subscription once payment information has been received.

22. How can I get help with RefWorks?

* RefWorks Online Help

* RefWorks Tutorial from the RefWorks website

* Ask-a- Librarian Services

23. Why is the spacing between the references in bibliographies generated by RefWorks or Write-N-Cite more than double spaced?

This appears to be a bug in RefWorks and Write-and-Cite. Follow these steps to correct your formatting:

1. Highlight all of the references,

2. In the format toolbar (PCs) or formatting palatte (Macs), change the STYLE to NORMAL. Then go to FORMAT / PARAGRAPH / SPACING.

3. Make these three changes to the Indentation and Spacing:

* INDENTATION

SPECIAL: HANGING

* SPACING:

BEFORE: to 0 pt. LINE SPACING: DOUBLE

24. How do I correct records for ERIC documents that I’ve imported into RefWorks?

Ohio University Libraries’ Bob Houdek provides this information in his web page Troubleshooting Refworks.

 

Adapted for BGSU from the RefWorks Frequently Asked Questions. For more information, visit the RefWorks FAQ

 


Questions or Comments?  Contact
Linda Rich, Reference Coordinator


 
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