Citation: RefWorks

About RefWorks

For hardcore organizers, or those who need to be, this bibliographic management database is a dream.  You can use it to organize your citations, keep notes about them, and generate perfectly formatted lists of references for your papers.  It even interacts with Microsoft Word and Google Docs to help you format in-text citations.

Which version of RefWorks should you use?

RefWorks has upgraded to a new version. While individual users can choose to stay with the older "legacy" version for the time being, Musselman Library is encouraging users to switch over to the new version.  Directions for switching to new RefWorks can be found in the boxes below.

 

NOTE: If you decide to stay with the older version you must download Write-N-Cite on your own computer.  The campus lab computers will support the New RefWorks version of Write-N-Cite called RefWorks Citation Manager.  

To create a New RefWorks account:

1. Go to http://refworks.proquest.com and click the “sign up” link.
2. Fill in your information making sure to use your Gettysburg College email address (you cannot sign up with @yahoo.com, @gmail.com, etc.).  

Once you activate your account (you'll receive an email with a link to complete the registration process), you’ll get access immediately and can get started managing your documents.

If you already have a RefWorks account in the older "legacy" version, you can easily switch to the New RefWorks, and bring all of your references and folders with you! The easiest way to do this is the next time you log into to your RefWorks account, click on the link that appears at the top of your legacy RefWorks account and look like this:

Once you click on this link, you will be prompted to create an account (using your Gettysburg College email) and all of the contents (references, folder structure, attachments and custom styles) within your legacy RefWorks account will be moved over to the new RefWorks automatically.

Importing References from Legacy to New RefWorks

If you create your New RefWorks account without importing your sources from Legacy, you can do that manually from within New RefWorks. 

You now have the option to connect your RefWorks account to your Gettysburg College username and password for a "single sign-on" experience.

You have to opt-in to this feature. For step-by-step instructions to connect your accounts, see the single-sign directions from RefWorks.

You can associate your RefWorks account with your Gettysburg College login when you create your account, as well as afterwards.

Note: you can always change this setting, but we recommend linking to your Gettysburg College username and password for ease of use.

There are two ways to bring references into RefWorks. You can add them manually, using the "Create new reference" option within RefWorks. Or you can directly export references from databases into RefWorks.

Across many of the library's databases, you will see options to export references. The instructions below are for any of the databases on the EBSCO platform (Academic Search Premier, MLA Bibliography, America: History & Life, etc.). However, the same basic instructions will apply for many of the other databases that offer this feature. If you're ever uncertain if you can export a reference, just ask at the Research Help Desk.

Exporting from an EBSCO database (like Academic Search Premier)

1. When you've run a search and found an item you want to cite, click the folder icon to add items to your personal folder.
2. When you are done gathering items, click on the folder icon at the top of the page.
3. Select the items you want to send to RefWorks and click on the Export icon.
4. Make sure the Direct Export to RefWorks is selected and click the Save button in Academic Search Premier.
5. You'll be prompted to select which version of Refworks you want to export to (Legacy or New RefWorks). 6. You'll be prompted to log into your RefWorks account. Once logged in, ALWAYS view the Last Imported Folder to make sure all your references transferred into RefWorks.