Welcome to RefWorks

Table of Contents
User guides & support
What is RefWorks?

RefWorks is an online research tool to help you manage your references when writing and collaborating with fellow researchers. The IRC/Library has licensed it for all Constructor University members.

What can I do with RefWorks?
  • Import, save and organize your references
  • Generate a bibliography in a number of citation styles (APA, MLA, Vancouver and more)
  • Share references with classmates, instructors or colleagues.
New RefWorks vs Legacy RefWorks

There are two versions of RefWorks available: New RefWorks (latest version) and Legacy RefWorks (old version).

New RefWorks has all of the same features as the Legacy RefWorks with some new ones, including:

  • Drag-and-drop PDFs for automatic metadata extraction
  • Share folders with individual users or your entire institution
  • Collaborate on documents by adding notes and annotations
  • Use the bibliography menu option to create, and then cut-and-paste, a bibliography from selected references, a folder, or all folders.

Click here for a comparison table of the two version with all supported features.

How do I create a New RefWorks account?
How do I upgrade to New RefWorks (for Legacy Users)?
  • Go to https://www.refworks.com/refworks
  • Log into your account.
  • Click the link “Move to the newest version of RefWorks from ProQuest” on top of the page
  • Re-log into your account
  • Consent to the Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions and sign up
  • Click the confirmation link in the automatic Account Activation email.

Upgrading to the new version is optional and you may do so at any time that suits you. You’ll still have access to your old RefWorks account.

After the upgrade, you will be able to transfer records from your Legacy account into New RefWorks (please note that this that it is a one-way process and references in New RefWorks cannot be transferred back to Legacy RefWorks.)

Click here for upgrade instructions and further information.

Frequently asked questions regarding the upgrade
  • How do I import citations from my old reference manager?

With a single click you can import your references directly from Mendeley and other versions of RefWorks. In other reference managers, just create an RIS file, save it to your desktop, and then upload it to RefWorks.

  • How do I save full-text documents or citations to RefWorks?

Install the Save to RefWorks add-on or bookmarklet, then click it when you’re on a web page or journal article you’d like to save. RefWorks will try to grab the full text when it’s available.

  • I write in Word / Google Docs – can RefWorks help me cite or create a bibliography?

Yes. If you write in Word, go to the Tools menu and download Write-N-Cite. For Google Docs users, the add-on gives you the full power of RefWorks right within Google Docs. Simply activate the add-on and connect to your RefWorks account.

How can I use RefWorks off campus?

In order to access your RefWorks account from an off-campus location, please use VPN (preferably NetVPN) since this will allow you to use all resources (databases and journals) licensed by the IRC/Library and to easily export data to RefWorks.

If you don’t have a VPN connection, you’ll be prompted for an Activation Code on the login page. In this case, please contact the IRC/Library. Once we’ve confirmed your JUB affiliation we will send you the code and you can proceed.

How can I import references from a specific database?

Please click on the database name below to see instructions on how to import references:

Click here for a complete up-to-date list of import filters. RefWorks supports hundreds of databases provided by numerous data vendors. Import filter development is an ongoing process and new filters are being added continually.