FLITE library now has a site wide license to RefWorks, an on-line research management tool that allows users to collect references for books, journal articles, videos, etc. into a personal database. From this database, you can use RefWorks to generate bibliographies in a variety of formats, including APA, MLA, Chicago etc. This is an exciting new tool that is available for use by all Ferris faculty, students and staff!

With RefWorks you can

• Import references from journal databases and catalogs.
• Organize and create a personal database of references online.
• Organize your references into folders according to your topics of interest or for particular assignments or projects.
• Insert references into the body of your research paper with the Write-N-Cite plug-in. These will automatically be put into the format of your choice. Click here for the Write-N-Cite Tutorial.
• Generate a formatted bibliography from your imported references.

RefWorks is compatible with many of the Ferris licensed databases. Look for the RefWorks direct export option in many databases, view List of Direct Export Databases.

Check FLITE's A-Z Database Exporting Guide for step-by-step help with a specific database.

GET HELP:

Setting Up Your Account

Creating and Organizing Folders

Entering References

Working with Citations

Write-N-Cite Help

Refwork's Tutorial

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Setting up Your Account

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Creating and Organizing folders

If you are planning to import citations from several different subject areas into RefWorks, it is helpful to begin putting your citations into folders so that you can keep your references organized.

To create a folder:

• Go to the Folders menu.
• Choose Create New Folder
• Type in a name for the folder and click OK
• You will be brought to a listing of all the folders you have created.

To organize your folders:

• Go to the Folders menu.
• The organize folders button will bring you to a file of all folders that you have previously created.
• Choose Organize Folders
• You will be brought to a listing of all the folders you have created. From this screen, you can rename, delete, clear and create folders

To place references in a folder:

• Go to the View menu.
• Choose Folder and References Not in a Folder.
• A list of references not filed in a folder will appear.
• Select the references you would like to go into a folder.
• Select the desired folder.

Refworks allows you to store and organize as many folders as you need. In this way, RefWorks serves as both a storage database and a organizer for your research. Creating folders allows you to easily generate reference lists.

To add citations to RefWorks from a book chapter or journal article bibliography you can type them in manually (see below).

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Getting References into RefWorks

Refworks allows you to import reference in three different ways:

• Entering citation manually
• Using the direct export option found in many databases
• Importing text files

Manually Entering References

• Go to the References menu.
• Choose Add New Reference

• Use the pull down menu next to View required fields for: to choose a citation format.
• Specify the folder in which you would like the reference to appear (if any) using the In Folder(s) drop down menu.
• Choose the reference type (journal, book, etc.) in the Ref Type drop down menu.
• Choose the source type for the reference (print or electronic) in the Source Type drop down menu.
• Fill out the fields as directed on the form. Fill in as much information as you have available. The field with the check marks are required for a proper citation in the style you have chosen.

Exporting directly from databases

Not all databases allow for direct export and those that do provide this feature in slightly different ways. If the database you are using allows for direct export you will see either the the Refworks button,

or a Refworks option under citation export,

or an export option with a marked list.

For additional help with a specific database check Refwork's A-Z Database Exporting Guide for specific database help.

Importing data from a saved text file

References can be imported into Refworks from a text file (txt.) you have created from a database or another bibliographic management program. This can be a little tricky, as you need to choose the right import filters for the text you are importing.

While in your Refworks account:

• Choose References from the drop-down menu and select Import

• Choose the Import Filter/datasource which is the database vendor from the pull-down
• Choose the database from which the text was exported
• Specify which folder you want to import into
• Select the file by using the browse function
• Click Import located the bottom of the screen

Importing items from the library catalog

You can import citations for books and other materials you find on the FLITE catalog.

While in your Refworks account:

• Choose Search from the drop-down menu and select Online Catalog or Database

• Choose Ferris State University Library from the first pull-down

• You can enter a title or author in the Advanced boxes or search by key word in the top box

• The system will retrieve your results and display the first 50.
• Select the items you want to import by checking the left box next to the Ref ID#
• You can choose a folder into which you place the citations. Then Click Import.

• A message asking you to confirm you want to import the items will appear. Click OK.

• The system will indicate when the import is complete.
• Click the View Last Imported button to view your citations.

Importing Webpages

You can import information from web pages into your Refworks account by adding the RefGrab-It plug-in to the Favorites or Bookmarks on your browser. PLEASE KEEP IN MIND that the RefGrab-It tool can only grab the information that the website makes available. You will most likely need to added additional information to the citation record.

To learn more about RefGrab-It and download the plug-in

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How to Work with Citations

Creating a Bibliography

RefWorks will generate formatted bibliographies in a matter of seconds. It will format your bibliographies into many forms, including: APA, MLA, Chicago Style, Turabian, and more.

To create a bibliography:

• 1. Click Bibliography on the bar at the top of the screen.
• 2. Select the reference style you would like to use from the output format menu highlighted below.
• 3. Select your file type to create. You can create a Word file, a file for a Mac, or an html file.
• 4. Select the folder that contains the citations for your bibliography. If you do not select a specific folder, RefWorks will generate a bibliography composed of all the references in every folder that you have created.
• 5. Click on Create Bibliography.

• 6. You will see a notice that your bibliography is being created.

• 7. A screen asking you to open or save the document might appear. Choose open with default, and if you have Microsoft Windows your bibliography will open as a Word document.

• 8. Otherwise, save your reference list to your computer or storage media. You can attach this references page to a research paper you have completed.

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