RefWorks is an online tool for managing citations and bibliographies. Version 2.0 replaced the classic version, and allows users to import citations from over 800 databases and the library catalog. It allows users to organize references into folders, create citations and bibliographies in multiple formats, and access references from any computer with an internet connection. Help is available through user guides, tutorials, and by contacting three librarians at the university. The document provides instructions for direct export of citations from databases like EBSCO and the library catalog into RefWorks, as well as importing citations from databases without direct export like PubMed.

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RefWorks is an online bibliographic management system that allows you to import citations from over
800 databases and the WU library catalog.
RefWorks 2.0 is replacing the classic version of RefWorks. If you would like to use RefWorks 2.0, you
must select RefWorks 2.0 from within the classic version. You can switch back to the old view at any
time.
What can I do with RefWorks 2.0?
1. Subscription gives each WU faculty and student a free account. Create and manage bibliographic
citations in your personal RefWorks database.
2. Export your citations in multiple formats (MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.)
3. Import citations directly from the Catalog, EBSCO databases, CSA databases
4. Search and retrieve citations from your database to create bibliographies and insert citations
directly into your research papers.
5. Access from any computer with internet connection, on and off campus ANYWHERE
6. Constantly updated with the most current filters (don’t have to worry about managing them
yourself) unlike EndNote
Accessing RefWorks
• Link from WU library homepage
• Links from various subject guides
• Off‐campus Access
o Windows users can access through library
website. Website link will use the proxy server,
click on YES to accept certificate—agree to
display insecure information
o If this doesn’t work, an alternative is to go to
https://www.refworks.com/RWSingle/login.asp?WNCLang=false and enter group code
RWWUSTL, click on Go to Login and then enter your ID and password.
Help
• http://libguides.wustl.edu/refworks/
• Sarah Bombich – sbombich@wustl.edu | 935‐6003 | AIM: sbombich | twitter: saleenl
• Kasia Leousis – kleousis@wustl.edu | 935‐4377 | AIM: wuartlibrarian
• Melissa Vetter – mvetter@wustl.edu | 935‐5079 | AIM: wupsychlibrarian

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Navigating RefWorks
• Log in to RefWorks using your personal account
• Toolbar

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Getting Citations into RefWorks
Five methods for entering references into RefWorks
1. Direct export from the database with a single click (e.g. Academic Search Premier, etc.)
2. Direct export from the WU catalog
3. In databases that don’t support direct export, export references to a text file and then import to
RefWorks (e.g. WU Classic Catalog)
4. Search within RefWorks (not covered in this class)
5. Manually enter references (not covered in this class)
Direct Export from EBSCO Databases
Some databases, such as Academic Search Premier, have a RefWorks export button. RefWorks will
launch automatically and the references will appear in a Last Imported folder.
Hands‐on With Direct Export in EBSCO Databases (e.g. Academic Search Premier)
1. Conduct a search
2. Click on Add to folder under the first three records
3. Click on Folder at the top of the page
4. Check the box next to Select / deselect all to choose all your records and
then click on the export icon .
5. On the resulting screen, Direct Export to RefWorks is selected by default. Click on Save .
6. A new browser will open up to the RefWorks login page (if you are not already logged in).
NOTE: If this fails for you, you may need to turn off your pop‐up blocker and try saving again.
7. RefWorks will report that the import completed and the number of references imported.
8. Click on View Last Imported Folder .
9. Double check to make sure that the records are correct.

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Direct Export from the Catalog
You can export records directly from the library’s new catalog into your RefWorks account with just a
click.
Hands‐on With Direct Export in WU Catalog
1. Search the WU Catalog to find the citations you want. Mark each record (click on the book selected
box) and a drop down menu will appear.
2. Select an action: Export selection to RefWorks
3. The RefWorks log‐in screen will appear. Log into your RefWorks account.
4. Your records should import automatically.
5. Click on the edit icon next to each item to check your reference to ensure that it has imported
correctly.
6. While on the edit screen, you can browse to the actual pdf of the item described and attach it so
that a copy is saved on the RefWorks server and you can easily find it from anywhere.
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐Or, one item at a time.‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
1. Search the WU Catalog to find the citations you want. Click on an individual record to see more
detail.
2. Click on on the right hand side of any item detail page to add it to your
RefWorks database.
3. Click on the edit icon next to each item to check your reference to ensure that it has imported
correctly.
FOREIGN LANGUAGE NOTE: In our tests, records imported from the WU catalog and directly exported
from databases were all imported correctly, including diacritics.

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PubMed Export to Text and Import to RefWorks
Some databases do not have the RefWorks button. You will need to export your references into a text
file and then import them into RefWorks and specify an import filter. You don’t need to update these
filters; they are maintained by RefWorks.
Hands‐on with Export/Import from PubMed
1. Search PubMed
2. From the results, mark ones you wish to add to RefWorks by clicking on the check box
3. Above the search results, click on Send to:
4. Choose File as the Destination
5. Select MEDLINE as the Format
6. Click Create File and save the resulting file somewhere you will be able to find it. The file will be
named pubmed_result.txt.
7. Log in to your RefWorks account.
8. On the toolbar, choose References > Import.

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9. Choose NLM PubMed as the Import Filter/Data Source.
10. Choose PubMed as the Database.
11. Then navigate to your saved file (will be called
pubmed_result.txt by default)
12. Select Import from the bottom of the Import References window.
13. The citations you just imported will appear in your Last Imported folder.
.

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Organizing References and Creating Citations
Once you are comfortable adding references to RefWorks, you can organize them into folders and
generate formatted bibliographies and in‐text citations.
Organize References Into Folders
To see all your references, select View > All References. If you want to organize your references, you
need to use folders.
Hands‐On Creating a Folder
1. Click on the New Folder access button above the references
area . In the resulting lightbox, give your
folder a name, for course or subject category. You can
make as many folders as you want. Click on Create.
2. To view all the folders you have created, click on the Folders tab.
You will be taken to a folder management area. In this area, you see a
list of all of your folders and the number of references saved in each. References not filed into
folders are also listed above the folder list. Click on any folder for a list of its references.
3. Go to View > All References to see all your references, regardless of folder
placement. Check the box next to each reference you wish to move into your new folder.
4. From the folder widget select the name of the new folder you just created.
5. You will be taken back to the All References page, but you should see the name of the folder to
which you just added your references.

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Bibliographies and Citations
You can generate a formatted bibliography from a list of references within RefWorks and create all in‐
text citations manually. Alternatively, you can download and install the Write‐n‐Cite plug‐in for
Microsoft Word and RefWorks will handle all in‐text citations and bibliography creation within Word
automatically.
Hands‐On Creating a Bibliography Within RefWorks
1. Click on the Create Bibliography button.
2. Select the desired Output Style from the drop‐down menu.
3. Click on Format a Bibliography from a List of References.
Choose a
File Type to Create that reflects the word processing program that you use.
4. Decide which references you want to include, All or only the contents of one of your folders
and
select Create Bibliography .
5. When prompted, save the resulting file.
NOTE: If the file doesn’t work when double‐clicked, you may need to add the correct file
extension such as “.rtf” or “.docx”.

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Additional RefWorks Info
Direct Export from ProQuest Databases
Some databases, such as Academic Search Premier, have a RefWorks export button. RefWorks will
launch automatically and the references will appear in a Last Imported folder.
Hands‐on With Direct Export in ProQuest Databases (e.g. American Periodicals)
1. Conduct a search
2. Check the box next to all items in your search result that you would like to add to RefWorks.
When you check the box, the item will be highlighted in yellow and added to your marked items
folder.
3. Click on Export at the top of your search results
4. On the resulting page, click on Export directly to RefWorks or the RefWorks
icon.
5. A new browser window will open up to the RefWorks login page (if you are not already logged
in).
NOTE: If this fails for you, you may need to turn off your pop‐up blocker and try saving again.
6. RefWorks will report that the import completed and the number of references imported.
7. Click on View Last Imported Folder .
8. Double check to make sure that the records are correct.
Direct Export from CSA Databases
Some databases, such as GeoRef, have a RefWorks export button. RefWorks will launch automatically
and the references will appear in a Last Imported folder.
Hands‐on With Direct Export in CSA Databases (e.g. Avery Index, Index Islamicus, GeoRef )
1. Search to find the citations you want.
2. Check the boxes next to the records to you wish to save, and then click the RefWorks link below
the tabbed results:
3. Once you’ve verified the records you want to export, click on .
4. RefWorks will report that the import completed and the number of references imported.
5. Click on View Last Imported Folder .
6. Double check to make sure that the records are correct.

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Classic Catalog Export to Text and Import to RefWorks
Some databases such as the Classic Catalog do not have the RefWorks button. You will need to export
your references into a text file and then import them into RefWorks and specify an import filter. You
don’t need to update these filters; they are maintained by RefWorks.
Hands‐on with Export/Import from the WU Classic Catalog
1. Search the catalog to find the citations you want, and mark each one (click the Save
Marked Records button on any results screen, or the Save Record
button on the record for an individual item).
2. Click the View Saved button.
3. Choose Full Display for the format, and Local Disk for the Send List to option, then click Submit.
You can open the text file, or save it (someplace you can find it again!).
4. Log in to your RefWorks account.
5. On the toolbar, choose References > Import.
6. Choose Washington University, St. Louis, MO for the Import Filter/Data Source.

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7. Choose Washington University Catalog (Full Display) for the Database.
8. Then navigate to your saved file (will be called
export.txt by default) and select from the bottom of the Import References window.
9. The citations you just imported will appear in your Last Imported folder.
.
NOTE: You can also direct export WU Catalog data by using WorldCat. If using WorldCat, limit holdings to
Washington University (holdings are delayed by a month, so must have been added more than a month
ago to appear in results).
Installing Write­N­Cite
1. You first need to download and install Write‐N‐Cite (WNC). Go to Tools > Write‐N‐Cite.
2. Select the appropriate installer and follow the install directions.
3. Once installed, the Write ‐N‐Cite sign will appear on all Word 2003 and earlier documents
in the top right hand corner. In Word 2007, it appears in the add‐ins menu. It also appears as a
shortcut on your desktop. On the Mac, you need to manually launch the Write‐N‐Cite
application.

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Demo: Write‐N‐Cite
• In‐Text Citations
1. From Microsoft Word click on Write‐N‐Cite in the right top corner of the
Word document or manually launch the Write‐N‐ Cite program.
2. When prompted, log in using the same login and password you use for RefWorks.
3. Select the proper folder from View > Folder.
4. In your paper click where you want to insert the citation.
5. Switch to Write‐N‐Cite and click the Cite link adjacent to the correct reference.
NOTE: Write‐N‐Cite automatically inserts double curly brackets as well as the Ref ID,
Author Last Name, and Year. This is a placeholder.
6. 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.
NOTE: The in‐text references are not the final product—they are coded. The final document will
be formatted when you create a bibliography.
• Create a Reference List/Bibliography
1. Click Bibliography in WNC to generate the formatted paper.
RECOMMENDATION: Don't create your bibliography until your paper is completely done!
2. Select the Output Style and select Create Bibliography
3. Write‐N‐Cite will create a bibliography and in‐text citations from the records that you
cited.
Off­Campus Access and Using Write­N­Cite
Off‐campus users must either use the group code (RWWUSTL) or authenticate through the library proxy
server. To access RefWorks through the proxy server, you can do one of the following:
• always access RefWorks from links on our library web pages
• create a bookmark or shortcut to the following address:
http://libproxy.wustl.edu/login?url=http://www.refworks.com/refworks/
NOTE: When logging in from off‐campus via the proxy server, you will receive a security certificate error.
This is because the security certificate is being read as www.refworks.com.libproxy.wustl.edu when you
log in through the proxy server. Accept the exception/click OK (depending on your web browser) to
continue to RefWorks.
Write‐N‐Cite When Off‐Campus
Please log in with the Group Code (RWWUSTL) and your Log‐in Name and Password when using Write‐
N‐Cite off‐campus. While you can try configuring WNC for the proxy server this has been known to
cause problems, and we don't recommend it.

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Direct Export With Google Scholar
You can now set an export preference to send data from Google Scholar to your RefWorks account with
the click of a button.
Hands‐on With Direct Export in Google Scholar
Set up
1. From the Google Scholar search page, click on the Scholars Preferences link at the top right.
2. Scroll down to the Bibliography Manager section.
3. Select Show Links to Import into and select RefWorks from the drop‐down.
4. Click Save Preferences.
To initate a direct export to RefWorks
1. Conduct your search in Google Scholar
2. Each record displayed will have an Import into RefWorks link under the citation. Clicking on the
link will launch the RefWorks login page.
3. Once you log in, you are brought automatically to the Edit view of the reference. If you do not
wish to edit the record, you can navigate to any other area of RefWorks.
4. Your record is stored in your Last Imported Folder.