RefWorks - What It Is and How To Get Started

RefWorks is a Web-based personal bibliographic management system. It will:

• allow you to create your own personal, searchable database of book and article information
• allow you to create a bibliography for a research paper in your choice of citation style (MLA, APA, etc.)
• allow you to export citations to articles directly from several of our databases (ProQuest, Project Muse, FirstSearch, etc.)
• allow you to create an individual citation for any type of publication (book, newspaper article, Web site), and help you by identifying the bibliographic elements needed for a proper citation.

Every student, faculty member, and staff member is eligible to obtain a RefWorks account. Once you have an account RefWorks will store all of your bibliographic data. It can be accessed from anywhere on or off campus (off-campus access requires an institutional password before you can setup your individual account. Contact the Reference Desk for the password).

Getting An Account

Go to the homepage of RefWorks. There you will see the user login box as shown below.

If you are a first-time user, click on the link for "sign-up"  Complete the brief registration form, and then you'll be ready to begin using RefWorks.

Help Sources

After you login to RefWorks, look for the "Help" link on the top of the page:

Click on "Help" which will allow you to print out a copy of the RefWorks Quick Start Guide. You can also obtain a copy at Gutman Library's Information Desk.

Other libraries that user RefWorks have created their own guides and tutorials. A good one is found at the University of Michigan, but just be aware they may refer to resources that only their community members can access.

Getting your first database started, learning how to export citations into RefWorks, and creating a bibliography in a Word document will take some practice, but RefWorks can be learned relatively quickly. Gutman Library staff will be offering group and individual training (on request). For more information about RefWorks contact the Reference Desk at Gutman Library ext 2848 or via email.