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How do I...?

Use RefWorks

• What is RefWorks?
• How to Create an Account
  • Need CU's Group Code?
• Adding Citations to Your Database
  • Direct Export from Article Databases
    • Step-by-Step Instructions for individual databases
  • Importing Saved Files
  • Adding from Chinook Catalog
  • Searching for citations through RefWorks
  • Manual Citation Entry
• Creating Bibliographies
• Formatting Papers
• Further Help and Tutorials

What is RefWorks?

RefWorks is a web-based tool that allows users to create personalized databases of citations from which you can create bibliographies and format papers in hundreds of different citation styles in seconds. CU students, staff and faculty can create a free RefWorks account that will allow access to their personal database from anywhere with an Internet connection.

How to Create an Account

Creating an account is as easy as choosing a username and password - you can create your free RefWorks account on the RefWorks website.

Note: In order to create your account, you will need to either be on campus or be following the directions for accessing library databases remotely (more information on remote access).

Need CU's Group Code to Access Your Account?

If you're logging in to RefWorks from off-campus and you're not connected to the VPN, you will be prompted to enter CU-Boulder's Group Code. To get CU's Group Code, you can either go to the original confirmation email that RefWorks sent to you when you created your account, or you can click on the "Forgot Your Log-in?" link on the RefWorks login page to have the Group Code emailed to you again.

Adding Citations to Your Database

There are four methods for adding citations to your RefWorks database. Click on the links below to learn more about how you can use each of the methods to build your own personal database.

• Direct Export from Article Databases (easiest method)
• Importing Saved Files (Chinook Catalog)
• Searching Through RefWorks
• Manual Citation Entry

Creating Bibliographies

You can easily create stand-alone bibliographies from the citations in your RefWorks database in just a few short steps:

1. Click the "Bibliography" button in the navigation bar
2. Choose the "Output style" you wish to use from the drop down list
3. Select "Format a Bibliography from a List of References"
4. Choose the file type you'd like to create (HTML, Word, etc.)
5. Choose which references to include (Either "All", those stored to "My List", or the citations from a particular folder in your database)
6. Click the "Create Bibliography" button at the bottom of the page
7. The formatted bibliography should appear in a few seconds
8. Proofread the bibliography for any errors

Formatting Papers

You can use RefWorks to format your in-text citations and create a works cited/bibliography at the end of your research papers. There are three different methods for creating in-text references to the citations stored in your RefWorks database. Click on the links below to learn more about each method:

• One-line Cite View
• RefID entry
• Write-n-Cite

Once you have the references to the citations in your RefWorks database in the text of your paper, follow the steps below to format the in-text citations and the bibliography for your paper:

1. Click the "Bibliography" button in the RefWorks toolbar
2. Choose the "Output style" you wish to use from the drop down list
3. Select "Format Paper and Bibliography"
4. Click the "Browse" button to find your saved paper, then click "Open"
5. Click the "Create Bibliography" button at the bottom of the page
6. The formatted paper and bibliography should appear in a few seconds
7. Proofread the in-text citations and bibliography for any errors

Further Help and Tutorials

If you need additional information about using RefWorks that you can't find here, below are some additional resources for learning to use RefWorks.

• Quick Start Guide (from RefWorks)
• Tutorial from RefWorks (log in to your RefWorks account, go to Tools > Tutorial)