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FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is RefWorks?
RefWorks is a web-based tool that assists in managing citations, creating bibliographies, and importing references from online databases. - How do I access RefWorks from on campus?
Go to the library's homepage www.library.umass.edu. Click on RefWorks Bibliography Manager from the Research Tools section on the left. 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. - How do I access RefWorks from off campus?
Go to www.refworks.com and click on User Login. If you are prompted for the group code, type in RWUMassA. You will be asked to authenticate with your with your OIT username and password. After you authenticate, you will get the RefWorks login screen as in #2 above. - How do I import citations from library databases or the Library Catalog into RefWorks?
Some databases allow you to export your selected citations directly into your RefWorks account. Otherwise, you can save your search results as text file on any of your local drives. Then in RefWorks, select Import under the References menu; then select University of Massachusetts as the import filter along with the database you searched, and import the file. For detailed information about importing from different databases, see Database Import Instructions and/or "Import Overview" from the RefWorks site. - 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. - 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.
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. - 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. - Where are my RefWorks bibliographies stored?
Your bibliographic information is stored on the RefWorks server. - Is there a limit to the size of my database?
No. Your database may contain an unlimited number of references. - 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. - 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. - 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. - How do I import citations from EndNote, ProCite, or Reference Manager?
To import records into RefWorks from other citation software, see Converting Records from Other Bibliographic Management Programs. - How do I export my RefWorks citations to EndNote?
From RefWorks, go to the References menu and select Export.
Choose the Bibliographic Software option and save the file to your computer
In EndNote, go to the File menu and select Import.
Locate the file and for "import option" choose "Reference Manager RIS." - 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. - 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.
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.
To download Write-N-Cite to your computer:
1. Go to www.refworks.com
2. Choose "User Login" in the upper right corner.
3. Then choose "Login using Group Code" just under the login boxes.
4. Type in the Group Code: RWUMassA.
5. Log in to your account using your username and password.
6. Choose the "Write-N-Cite" option on the "Tools" Menu.
7. On the next screen choose the appropriate version of Write-N-Cite for your operating system.
8. Click "Open" and follow the installation instructions.
Note: MacIntosh users will need to download Stuff-It Expander from Apple to install Write-N-Cite into Microsoft Word. - 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.] - 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. - 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. - 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. - What happens when I graduate or leave UMass for another institution with RefWorks access?
If you go to another college or university with a RefWorks subscription, contact RefWorks to transfer your data for you. You may also want to do this yourself: The first way is to create a backup of one account, and restore the file in the other account. However, this is only suggested when one account has just been created or has no valuable references in the account. For populated accounts, export references in a RefWorks Tagged Format and save the text file that is presented. Then log in to the other account and import that text file using the RefWorks Tagged Format Import Filter. You will need to export the references from each account that you no longer want/need. Once all of the references have been imported from the other accounts, go back through your document and update your citations. When the references are imported in to the account, the reference ID's will change. Those will need to be updated. - What happens when I graduate or leave UMass but still want to access to my RefWorks account (or open a new account)?
You can sign up for an Alumi Account through UMass and continue where you left off (or create a new account). To set up your account, go to www.refworks.com/rwsingle. You will need the Group Code to access your account each time you log in. To receive the Group Code, e-mail refworks@library.umass.edu Before you conduct this tranfer of data, RefWorks recommends doing a "backup" of your original 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 the old account when you backed it up. To use another bibliographic software program, export your entire database in a compatible format. You can also export the data in a delimited format to use in some other type of database program. - I’m new to UMass. How do I transfer my RefWorks data from the previous school I attended?
Once you sign up for an individual account at UMass, contact RefWorks to transfer your data for you. You may also want to do this yourself: The first way, is to create a backup of one account, and restore the file in the other account. However, this is only suggested when one account has just been created or has no valuable references in the account. For populated accounts, export references in a RefWorks Tagged Format and save the text file that is presented. Then log in to the other account and import that text file using the RefWorks Tagged Format Import Filter. You will need to export the references from each account that you no longer want/need. Once all of the references have been imported from the other accounts, go back through your document and update your citations. When the references are imported in to the account, the reference ID's will change. Those will need to be updated. - What is RefGrab-It?
RefGrab-It is a program that captures basic Bibiographic Information about Websites and allows their import into RefWorks. RefGrab-It must be installed on your computer before it can be used. Installation instructions are located here and help instructions are located here. - How can I get help with RefWorks?
RefWorks Online Help
RefWorks Tutorial from the RefWorks website.
RefWorks Workshops at UMass Amherst Library
UMass Amherst Reference staff and Ask a Librarian Services
RefWorks @ UMass Training Sheet (PDF) New!
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