LibGuides: Refworks: Adding References

Drag and Drop/upload files

Either drag and drop a file onto the center pane or select Add > Upload Document and select the file. The file can be in any format.

The file is uploaded 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.

Save articles from the Web using Save to RefWorks

Save to RefWorks is a bookmarklet that you can install in your browser's favorites (bookmarks) bar. When you are browsing a website that has references that you would like to add to your RefWorks account, select the bookmarklet. RefWorks attempts to save the references and full texts.

Save to RefWorks should work on any modern browser.

Installing Save to RefWorks

To install Save to RefWorks:

Ensure that your browser's favorites toolbar is currently visible in your browser.
In RefWorks, select Tools > Tools. The Tools page appears.
Select Install Save to RefWorks. A dialog box appears.
Drag and drop the Save to RefWorks plugin to your browser's favorites toolbar. The plugin is installed.
Click anywhere on the page to close the dialog box.

If you experience any problems, see Getting Help / Submitting Ideas to Ex Libris.

Adding References Using Save to RefWorks

To add a reference or a list of references from a website to RefWorks:

Ensure that you are logged into RefWorks.
While browsing any website, when viewing a page containing a reference, or information about a reference, select Save to RefWorks from your browser's favorites toolbar. Save to RefWorks opens a right sidebar.

Save to RefWorks Right Sidebar
- If Save to RefWorks detects a single reference on the page, Save to RefWorks prefills as many fields as it can. Enter or correct information as required and select Save to RefWorks. The reference is added to your RefWorks account.
- If Save to RefWorks detects multiple references, a list of references appears in the right sidebar. Select the relevant references and select Save to RefWorks. You can edit each one by first opening the reference (select > in the reference row) .
If you have multiple projects, select the project to which you want to save the reference and click Continue.

Importing References

You can import existing references from any reference management service. You can import directly from another RefWorks account or from your Mendeley account. For other services, such as Zotero, you can import a file that you have exported from that service. Also see Exporting References to a File.

To import references from a reference management service:

To import from a reference management service other than RefWorks or Mendeley, export them from that service to one of the following formats: NLM PubMed, RefWorks Tagged, RefWorks XML, RIS, or Thomson Reuters format. For example:
- Zotero: Select the references and select Export Selected Items from the right-click menu. Select RIS and save the file.
- EndNote: 1) Select Edit > Output Styles > Open Style Manager and select RefMan (RIS) Export. 2) In your library, select the references, select File > Export, and save the file as RefMan (RIS) Export.
Select Add > Import references. The Import from another reference manager page appears.

Import From Another Reference Manager
To import from RefWorks or Mendeley, select the relevant action and select Authorize. The login page of the relevant citation manager appears. Log into the citation manager.
Otherwise, drag and drop the file containing the list of exported references or select select a file from your computer, select the file, select the relevant format (and, for RIS or Thomson Reuters formats, select the closest matching database), and select Import. Your references are copied from the other service to RefWorks.

In both cases, your references are added to RefWorks.

Search from external databases

To search an external database from within RefWorks:

Select Search Databases in the left sidebar. RefWorks replaces the Main Navigation area with a search bar.

Search Databases
Select the database. This field uses auto-complete.
Use the basic search to search all fields, or select Advanced to search in specific fields.
Select anywhere in a result to view details about the reference in the right sidebar. To add results as references, select one or more results and select Import. If you have multiple projects, select a project to which you want the references imported. The references are added to the Last Imported tab. To instead add the selected references directly to a specific folder, select the folder icon and the folder name.

Adding references manually

Manually Adding References

To manually add a reference:

Select Add > Create New Reference. The right sidebar appears.

Right Sidebar

To add a reference directly to a folder, select the folder in the left sidebar and then select Add > Create New Reference.
Select the reference type. The remaining fields on the sidebar change depending on the type you select. The fields Attachment, Tags, and Title are always available.
Enter a title or as much of the title as you can. You can optionally select the locate 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). RefWorks displays possible matches at the bottom of the pane. If you select one, RefWorks completes the title and fills the fields with information from the library.
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 right sidebar or select Add an attachment to upload the file. Supported file types include Microsoft Word, Open Office, and PDF.
When you are done, select Save.