Managing your references: FAQs

On this page you will find answers to frequently asked questions about RefWorks. This page is not an exhaustive set of instructions. If you would like more comprehensive instructions, please consult the handouts used in workshops on the handouts page.

What is the difference between legacy RefWorks and ProQuest RefWorks?

Legacy RefWorks (originally called RefWorks 2.0) is the original RefWorks platform. ProQuest RefWorks was introduced in 2016. This new version will run alongside the existing version of RefWorks until January 2019. For more information on this go to the Legacy RefWorks page.

How do I create a ProQuest RefWorks account?

Go to https://refworks.proquest.com/.

We recommend choosing “Create account” (which will allow you to choose your own password) rather than “Use login from my institution”. The reason for this is that if you create an account, you will be able to continue to use it very easily as alumni.

Can I continue using RefWorks when I leave the University of Oxford?

Yes, you will be able to continue using RefWorks once you have left the University. You need to ensure you sign in with a personal email address to continue using the service as alumni. If you use your single sign on (SSO) to log in to RefWorks, please see the section below on converting your login credentials from your SSO account to email address.

I am using Legacy RefWorks but would like to start using ProQuest RefWorks. Can I do this?

If you are only going to create new Word documents using ProQuest RefWorks then you are safe to migrate from Legacy RefWorks. At the moment it is not possible to work on Word documents using ProQuest RefWorks if you created the document and have already added citations using legacy RefWorks. We recommend completing any documents you have started working on with Legacy RefWorks before migrating to ProQuest RefWorks.

If you are do not have any Word documents that are still being worked in, please see the section below on converting your login credentials from your SSO account to email address.

How do I migrate from legacy RefWorks to ProQuest RefWorks ?

NB. If you are still editing Word documents using legacy RefWorks, please see the section below on converting your login credentials from your SSO account to email address.

NB. If you have not yet created an account in ProQuest RefWorks, see the section on how to create an account.

To migrate from Legacy RefWorks to ProQuest RefWorks:

• Sign in to RefWorks.
• Choose the + icon (top right) followed by “Import References”.
• Choose “Import from another reference manager” and choose “RefWorks”.
• Click “Authorise”.  You will then be prompted to log in with your Legacy RefWorks account details.  Your references will then be imported into ProQuest RefWorks (this may take some time if you have a lot of references).

I created an account in ProQuest RefWorks using my Single sign on credentials and would like to change my login details so that I use a personal email address. Can I do this?

Yes. To do this:

• When you are logged into ProQuest RefWorks, click your user name in the top right hand corner of the webpage.
• From the drop down select ‘Settings’.
• Click the “Remove Credentials” button towards the bottom of the page. If you never created a password for your RefWorks account, you will be prompted to now. You must provide a password so you can break the single sign on affiliation.
• Once the account is detached from your single sign on, you can update your email address in the ‘Email’ box.

How do I import my other references in to RefWorks?

Most other reference management software products have a function to export references as a RIS file.

• Go to your old reference manager and export all your references as a RIS file.
• Log in to RefWorks.
• Go to the + button at the top of the page.
• Click ‘Import references’.
• You will be prompted to drag and drop the RIS file into the browser window or select the file from your computer.
• Click import.

Can I export multiple citations from SOLO to RefWorks?

Yes. To do this you need to add the references to your Favourites first:

• Log into your SOLO account. This will enable you to use the Favourites function effectively.
• Click on the drawing pin (Add to Favourites) icon next to the references you want to export.
• Once you’ve selected all the relevant references click on the drawing pin (Go to My Favourites) icon at the top of the screen.
• You have the option to select all the references in your favourites or if you already had references in your favourites folder you might want to select the references from this session.
• Once you’ve selected the references click on the three dots icon '…'  in the grey ‘My favourites’ toolbar and select the option for RefWorks. You may be prompted to log into your RefWorks account if it isn’t already open.

Can I save documents to RefWorks?

Yes, you are able to add full-text journal articles and book chapters to their relevant reference in RefWorks. This is a useful way to keep your references and full-text documents together in one place. You are able to add Microsoft Office, Open Office or PDF files to RefWorks. You can do this in one of two ways:

1. In RefWorks, click the + button at the top of the screen to 'Add a reference', then click 'Upload a document'. This will allow you to add a document from your computer to RefWorks.
2. Make sure that you have RefWorks open in your browser. You can drag and drop a file from your computer into the RefWorks window. A blue circle will appear in the window that says 'Drop Files here'. Once you do this, RefWorks will upload it to your account.

When you add a PDF file to RefWorks, it will automatically read the metadata from the file and create a reference for you by filling in the relevant fields such as title and author.

With PDF files, you can highlight text and add comments to the file in RefWorks. For instructions on how to do this, see the section below 'How do I highlight text and add comments to documents in RefWorks?'.

How do I highlight text and add comments to documents in RefWorks?

RefWorks offers the facility to highlight text and add comments to PDF documents you have saved in RefWorks. 

1. When you are in RefWorks and click on the reference you would like to work with, an edit window should appear on the right of the screen.
2. In the edit window you will see an image of the PDF. Click the ‘Read’ button.
3. This will open the PDF where you will find an ‘A’ button to highlight text and a speech bubble button to insert comments.

Can I insert references from RefWorks into my word processor?

Yes. You can insert references into Word and Google docs. There is a plugin called ‘Write ‘n’ Cite’ for those using Windows and those using Word for Mac (versions prior to Word 2016).

For those using a version of Word for Mac that is later than 2016, install the plugin ‘RefWorks Citation Manager’. People using a Word 2016 and later on a Windows PC can also install RefWorks Citation Manager.

For those using Google Docs you need to install ‘Cites in Google Docs’.

Is Write ‘n’ Cite compatible with cloud-based programmes?

No, unfortunately Write ‘n’ Cite is not compatible with cloud-based programmes, which includes the web version of Office 365. Microsoft Word will need to be installed on your PC or laptop. Please note that for University members, you can download Microsoft Office from the IT Services website: https://help.it.ox.ac.uk/nexus365/office-365-download.

However, if you use Google docs you are able to use a different plug-in called ‘Cites in Google Docs’, which allows you to insert references into your Google doc from RefWorks.

How do I install Write ‘n’ Cite?

1. Log into RefWorks.
2. Click the menu icon and choose ‘Tools’.
3. On the Tools page scroll down to ‘Cites in Microsoft Word’
4. Work out whether you are using 32 bit or 64 bit Microsoft Office.   To do this:

• MS Office 10: open Word and choose ‘File’ | ‘Help’. You will see information about Word on the right including the version number and whether its 32 or 64 bit. 
• MS Office 2013/2016: open Word and choose ‘File’ |’Account’. You will see information about Word on the right including whether its 32 or 64 bit. If you don’t see the information click ‘About Word’.

5. When you are ready close Word and then choose ‘Download & Install Office 32-bit version’ or ‘Download & Install Office 64-bit version’ as appropriate. The installation wizard will then take you through the installation process.
6. Once you have completed the installation you should see a new menu.

• In Word for Windows this appears as a new tab in the ribbon, labelled ‘RefWorks’. 
• In Word for Mac, the menu appears as a floating toolbar which can appear anywhere on your screen (and which is sometimes hard to spot). If you can’t see the menu, click ‘View’ – ‘Toolbars’ and select the Write-N-Cite option.

How do I install RefWorks Citation Manager?

• Open Microsoft Word and choose ‘Insert’ followed by ‘Store’.
• In the Store search for RefWorks. Choose RefWorks Citation Manager and click ‘Add’.
• A RefWorks side bar will appear on the right of your Word screen.
• NB. If you are using Office 365 and are logged into Office 365 with your Nexus credentials, you will find the RefWorks Citation Manager add-in under a tab called 'Admin Managed'' in the Store search box.

How do I install Cites in Google Docs?

1. Log into RefWorks in the normal way.
2. Click the menu icon and choose ‘Tools’.
3. On the Tools page scroll down to ‘Cites in Google Docs’.
4. Click ‘Get the Add on’. This will take you to Google Docs.
5. Click . You will be prompted to log in with your Google username and password and will be asked to give Proquest permission to access your Google account
6. Once you have given permission, the ‘Proquest RefWorks’ option will appear in the ‘Add-ons’ menu in Google Docs.

Write ‘n’ Cite is not working on my computer.

There is a known issue with Write ‘n’ Cite when using Word 2016 for Macs. Mac users who are using Word 2016 should install the ‘RefWorks citation manager’. To download and install ‘RefWorks for citation manager’:

• Open Microsoft Word and choose ‘Insert’ followed by ‘Store’.
• In the Store search for RefWorks. Choose RefWorks Citation Manager and click ‘Add’.
• A RefWorks side bar will appear on the right of your Word screen.

There are two versions of Write ‘n’ Cite to download, 32-bit and 64-bit. My computer repeatedly produces a message stating that I have downloaded the wrong Write ‘n’ Cite for my version of Word.

Some users may (perhaps unknowingly) have more than one version of Word installed on their computer. If these multiple versions are both 32-bit and 64-bit, this creates conflict when trying to install Write ‘n’ Cite. Uninstall the version of Word you do not want to keep and try installing Write ‘n’ Cite again. To find out which version of Word you have on your computer (32-bit or 64-bit):

• MS Office 10: open Word and choose ‘File’ | ‘Help’. You will see information about Word on the right including the version number and whether its 32 or 64 bit. 
• MS Office 2013/2016: open Word and choose ‘File’ |’Account’. You will see information about Word on the right including whether its 32 or 64 bit. If you don’t see the information click ‘About Word’.

How do I create a bibliography?

You can create a bibliography in RefWorks. 

• Select the items you want to add to your bibliography using the check boxes. Alternatively, if you want to create a bibliography of all the items in a folder go to the 'My Folders' dropdown menu on the left and click on the folder you wish to use. 
• Click the quotation mark symbol at the top of the list and choose 'Create Bibliography'.
• A bibliography listing your chosen items/folder will appear. This will be formatted either in the default citation style or if you have used 'Create Bibliography' before, in the style you most recently used.
• You can choose another style from the drop down menu at the top of the bibliography.
• To copy and paste the bibliography into a Word document, email or other application click 'Copy to clipboard' on the right. Then paste it into Word or another application using Edit/Paste.

RefWorks comes up with an error message when I try to create a bibliography.

This happens when there is a corrupt reference in the bibliography. You will need to identify the corrupt reference and delete it. The simplest way to do this is to go to the folder from which you are trying to create a bibliography, go to 'table view', select half the references and attempt to create a bibliography. If you are able to successfully create a bibliography, repeat this process for the other half of the references and try to create a bibliography. If RefWorks is unable to create a bibliography, you know that the corrupt reference is in the second half of the folder. Repeat the process by continually dividing the references in half until you eventually find the corrupt reference.

I can't find the RefWorks Citation Manager add-in in the Store.

If you are using Office 365 and are logged into it with your Nexus credentials, you will find RefWorks Citation Manager under a tab called 'Admin Managed' in the Store search box.

Can I change from one citation style to another in Word?

Yes, you are able to change citation styles in Word. Write ‘n’ Cite comes with a small number of citation styles installed. To change citation style in Word, go to the RefWorks tab in the ribbon across the top of Word and in the ‘Styles’ dropdown menu, select the citation style you wish to change to.

If the citation style you want is not in the drop down list in Word, you will need to use the style in RefWorks to create a bibliography (even if you don’t want a bibliography. Doing this will mean RefWorks remembers it as one of your preferred styles):

• Log on to RefWorks.
• Click the quotation button to 'Create Bibliography'.
• A bibliography will appear on screen. Choose the citation style you want to add to Write ‘n’ Cite from the style menu.
• Now open Word and choose “Sync My Database”. This will synchronise Write ‘n’ Cite with your online RefWorks Library. Your chosen citation style will now appear in the styles drop down in Write ‘n’ Cite.

How do I delete tags?

Any tags that either you create or are imported from another service can be deleted in each individual resource’s record. The functionality does not exist to delete tags from the master list.

Can I change how my citation appears in the text, e.g. add pages numbers?

Yes but for the changes to be permanent you must be in the Insert/Edit Citation window in the RefWorks tab in Word. If you make these kind of changes in the text, they will be overridden and disappear when Write n Cite syncs with RefWorks.

Can I insert page numbers in my in-text citations?

Yes, if the citation style you’re using allows you to do so. The place to add the page number is in the Insert/Edit Citation window in the RefWorks tab in Word. The page number is entered in the ‘suffix’ box. It is important to put the correct formatting here. For instance, a comma followed by a space then ‘p.’ for page and then the page number itself would read “, p.11”.

How do I edit citation styles?

If a citation style you would like to use doesn’t quite match the criteria you have been asked to meet, you can edit the settings in RefWorks:

• In the menu ribbon across the top of RefWorks, click the quotation mark button and choose ‘Citation Style Editor’.
• Search for the citation style you would like to change in the search box.
• You are given options on which part of the citation style you would like to edit: the bibliography, citations, or footnotes. Select the one you would like to edit.
• You will find that you can edit how the title, authors, and publication date are shown. If the element of citation you would like to edit is not listed, there is a + button on the right where you can add other elements such as URL and place of publication.
• Within these elements you can state how you would like the citation to display including capitalisation, punctuation, how many authors to show, etc.
• Once you have made the necessary changes, make sure to click ‘Save a copy’ in the top right of the page.

Is it possible to have multiple citations in a footnote?

Yes, this is possible.

• When you are in Word, in the RefWorks tab click ‘Insert citation’ then click ‘Insert new’ to open the Insert/Edit Citation window.
• Select your first citation so that it appears in the box at the bottom. Tick the ‘Make Footnote’ button. Click the + button so that you can add your second citation.
• Select the second citation you wish to put into your footnote. It will appear on the second line in the box at the bottom. Again, tick the ‘Make Footnote’ button.
• Click OK. You should have two citations in your footnote.

Can I backup my reference library?

Yes. You can backup all of your references or a selection, for instance, a folder of references.

Click the Share & Export button from the toolbar at the top of the page and select Export references:

A pop up window will appear asking whether you want to export all or a selection of references from the current folder. It will also ask you what file format you would like to download the references as, BibTeX, RIS, Tab Delimited (csv.) or XML.

Once you have made your choice, click Export and you will be prompted to save the backup file.

Bodleian Libraries workshops

ProQuest RefWorks

Handouts and presentation slides from Referencing: RefWorks workshop

Handouts and presentation slides from Referencing: Choosing and using software workshop

For help with ProQuest RefWorks or questions about migration please consult our FAQs page or email reference-management@bodleian.ox.ac.uk

Legacy RefWorks (old RefWorks)

For help with Legacy RefWorks please email reference-management@bodleian.ox.ac.uk