Home: Citation Tools

RefWorks:

Training workshops

Tools to know about

Importing instructions

Other Tools:

Zotero

Mendeley

EndNote

Also see:

Citation Builder

RefWorks: Resources and Information

Tips!Tips!

Want a quick & easy tool? Try Citation Builder.

RefWorks is free for NCSU users. New users need to create an account: follow the access link below, then follow the link to Sign Up For An Individual Account.

Access RefWorks here:

RefWorks

Questions? Use the links below or Ask Us.

Other citation management software:

Training Workshops

In-person training workshops for RefWorks are offered by the Libraries through the Graduate Student Workshops. The workshop sessions are held in the ITTC Computer Labs (2nd Floor, East Wing, D. H. Hill Library).

Online sessions:

PPT slides and exercises from other training sessions:

Two RefWorks Tools you want to know about

Install either of these through the Tools menu within RefWorks.

Tool/Uses

Short demo videos
(no sound; open in new window)

Write-N-Cite

Enables you to incorporate citations into your paper while you write. Automatically generates a bibliography when you're done.

(More info/help)

Demo video (no sound; opens in new window):

Write-N-Cite video

RefGrab-It

(1) Captures web pages and
(2) enables direct exporting of references from databases that otherwise do not support direct export.

(More info/help)

 

Demo video (no sound; opens in new window):

RefGrab-It video

Instructions: Importing from a Text File/Exporting from a Data Service

Check the RefWorks web site for instructions on sites not listed below.

Preferred Method: Direct Exporting

  1. From a database or journal site, search, and mark references you want to save. Many platforms give you a way to check the ones you want and add them to a temporary folder or cart.
  2. Look for a link to RefWorks, or to export, or save. Is there a Direct Export option?
  3. Direct exporting puts the citations directly into RefWorks. You may need to log into your RefWorks account first in order to get this to work.
  4. Tip! Move your references to any appropriate RefWorks folders immediately after direct export. This will help keep them organized.

Backup Method: Manual Exporting (when direct exporting is not supported or not working)

  1. From a database or journal site, search, and mark references you want to save. Many platforms give you a way to check the ones you want and add them to a temporary folder or cart.
  2. Look for a link to save or export. Exporting creates a text file to save temporarily on your computer.
  3. Go to RefWorks—Import. Choose the Import Filter/Data Source and Database your citations are coming from, and a Folder (optional but recommended).
  4. If you’re unsure about exporting correctly, or what Import Filter or Database to choose, check the table below (or this RefWorks help page for sources not found below) for directions specific to the source you’re using

Still not working? Look for options to export your references as RIS or BibTeX files. These are generic formats that RefWorks can interpret. Go to RefWorks—Import. Choose RIS or BibTeX as the Import Filter/Data Source and Database.

Data Service/ Vendor
Importing/Downloading Instructions
EBSCOhost
[Ex. Academic Search Premier, Agricola, ERIC]		 Direct Export: add items to Folder -- From within Folder View, select items and click on Export (white paper icon) -- then select radio button for Direct Export to RefWorks, click on Save.
EI Engineering Village 2 [Ex. Compendex, Inspec] In the Results Manager box just above search results, select which items you want to save (or check individual boxes next to titles), choose Format (Abstract or Detailed Record recommended), and click on Download. Use the RefWorks Direct Export option.
Google Scholar Supports direct exporting once you set Scholar Preferences: select RefWorks as the default in the Bibliography Manager area. Then look for 'Import into RefWorks' links in search results.
IEEE/IEE Xplore Select the records you want, then click on view selected items, on the next page change format to citation and abstract and select RefWorks for direct export.
ISI
[Ex. Web of Science, BIOSIS Previews, Derwent, Zoological Record]		 See Thomson entry in this table.
JSTOR Save citations of interest. Click View Saved Citations and choose Directly Export citations into RefWorks as the export option.
LexisNexis Supports direct exporting (you'll need to allow pop-ups). In search results, check boxes next to records you want to save, and click the Export (book) icon. Note: exporting may only capture some of the bibliographic information visible in the record. View or Edit imported citations to confirm that all information you wish to save is captured, or Edit, and copy and paste additional fields.
MathSciNet

Add all citations of interest to the Clipboard. When ready to export, go to the Clipboard. Select the Citations (BibTeX) format and click SaveClip. Highlight the generated text and copy (Edit--Copy) in the browser. In RefWorks, select BibTex as the data source, then MathSciNet as the database. Select the Import Data from the following Text option and paste the text from the MathSciNet page (Edit--Paste) into that box.

 
ProQuest In your search results, mark references of interest. Click View Selected Items to see all marked references. Click Export, and choose RefWorks.
PubMed In your search results, mark the references of interest. (Leave all unmarked if you want to save all citations.) From Send to, select File. Select MEDLINE from the Format menu and save the file. In RefWorks, select NLM PubMed as the data source and PubMed as the database.
SciFinder

Mark the references of interest. Choose Export and Save with Tagged format (*.txt) as the file type. In RefWorks, select CAS Scifinder as the data source and CAPlus as the database.
Summon On-campus: mouse-over references and click the folder icon to add to your Saved Items. Click the Saved Items folder at the bottom of the screen. Click RefWorks to initiate a direct export. Off-campus: direct method may not work properly. Instead, when viewing temporarily saved items, click EndNote button, which generates a text file with a .ris extension. Save this file on desktop. In RefWorks, click References-Import. Choose RIS Format as both Import Filter and Database options and browse to find the .ris file you saved. Click import. After successful import, you can delete .ris file from desktop.
Thomson
[Ex. Web of Science, BIOSIS Previews, Derwent, Zoological Record]		 Check the references you want and Add to Marked List. View the Marked List. Check any extra fields you want saved (such as abstracts), choose the Save to RefWorks button (leave the options as Field Tagged). If direct exporting does not work for any reason: from your Marked List, use the Save to File option, leaving the drop-down as "Other Reference Software." Save the file that is generated, and import in RefWorks using Thomson Reuters as the import filter/data source and whichever database you were using.
Web of Science See Thomson entry in this table.
Web sites Use RefGrab-It.

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