Welcome to Basic RefWorks, provided by the Capella University Library. This module was created to help you get started using the free software RefWorks.
In this session we will cover:
RefWorks is a powerful web-based software that allows you to create a personal library of research articles that you can build and access throughout your Capella career.
You can save valuable research time by:
Like any new software, RefWorks takes a little practice to learn, but the time you will save throughout your work at Capella will make the practice time well worth it. Here is how to get started.
To create your RefWorks account, log into the Capella Library Home Page. Click RefWorks.
This will take you to our RefWorks information page, which has tutorials, guides and media help. Find the link that says "Click here to set up a new RefWorks account."
Simply fill in your information. You can pick any login name that seems meaningful.
Many learners like to use their Capella log in since it is easy to remember.
Pick a password that you will remember. Write down the login and password, as they will come in handy later in this session.
Simply fill in your information, including your level and area of study. Staff members can choose “other.”
When you are finished, click on Register.
Congratulations! You have successfully created your own RefWorks account. Moving forward, the next step is very important.
After you have created your account, you can close the RefWorks window. RefWorks will weave seamlessly into your library search, so you don’t need to keep this window open.
Close out of your RefWorks window and go back to the library homepage. Next we will cover exporting, or sending articles to RefWorks from the library databases. Each database company has a different method of exporting articles. Let’s look at one example.
Pretend we are in the middle of a library search inside a database from the company Ebscohost. Here is a typical search in the Ebscohost database SocINDEX. You can see that we searched for emotional issues with customer service inside this collection. We sorted the results by Relevance to bring the most helpful articles to the top. Now, we need to scroll down the list of articles to see which articles we want to send to RefWorks.
Click on the title of the article that you want.
After reviewing the abstract, or article summary, you may decide you want to keep this article.
At the top right of the article information there will be a bank of pictures – a printer, an envelope a floppy disk and a white piece of paper with a green arrow. That piece of paper with the green arrow is Ebsco’s Export button. Click the Export button to send the article to RefWorks.
Next, click "Direct Export to RefWorks" to tell the database where to send the article.
Click Save.
The RefWorks Login Screen will automatically pop up in a new window. Log into your RefWorks account.
Use the log in and password that you wrote down when you set up your account.
Bravo! You sent your first article to your RefWorks account. But what about other databases?
Another company the Library purchases many databases from is ProQuest. Here is a typical search in the ProQuest Psychology Journals database. You can see that we searched for the same topic as before.
Once you click Search, scroll down the list of article results to see which documents we want to send to RefWorks In ProQuest, simply click the checkbox in front of the articles on the results list.
Instead of the white piece of paper with a green arrow, click "Export" at the top of the results list. This is the link that allows you to export your selections into RefWorks.
Again, RefWorks will appear and ask for your login and password.
What about other databases? -- We demonstrated RefWorks using Ebscohost's SocINDEX collection and ProQuest's Psychology Journals, but each database company has slightly different steps for sending articles to RefWorks. See our guide on the RefWorks page called “Exporting from Library Databases” for the steps to export articles from each different library database company. We will provide the link at the end of this session.
Now, what if you get a Blank Screen? -- If you try to send an article from the library databases and you only get a blank screen instead of seeing a RefWorks login page, that may mean that your computer is blocking Refworks. You will have to click on the yellow banner at the top of your web browser to allow pop-ups. If you are using a work computer, you may have to talk to your IT department to allow RefWorks to pop up and be used.
What if nothing happens? -- Sometimes the RefWorks login will appear in a window behind the one that you are looking at. So check to see whether it has opened in a different window or location. If this still does not work, you may want to try RefWorks on a different computer or contact the Capella Library.
Ok, now let's go into RefWorks and look at how to organize our articles into folders.
Once you have sent an article to RefWorks, it will state "Import Completed." Click the long thin button that says "View Last Imported Folder" to see the article you just sent. Last Imported Folder is the staging area for articles imported until they are sorted into other folders.
You can see that RefWorks grabbed the article title, author, and journal information. What other article information was saved? Each article has a View link visible above the title and to the right of the page. This will take you to the rest of the article’s information, including the full text link.
Scroll down the "View" page until you see a long link. This is the persistent link to the article. Clicking this link will take you directly to the article inside the Capella databases.
Refworks is not like other software and websites where they have a central navigation page. Instead, RefWorks is organized into folders. Let’s look at how to organize articles into personalized folders.
First, we need to create a folder. Click the Folders menu at the top of the page. Select Create New Folder.
Type a folder name for your articles. This could be a topic, a course number or an assignment, for example. After you have typed in your folder name, click OK to go back to your articles.
Select the checkbox in front of the articles you wish to move.
Find the drop-down menu that says "Put in Folder." Select the folder that you just created.
If you were successful in moving your articles, you will get a red notice of success at the top right of your page. It will also state the folder just above the title of your article.
There are two other handy features that are helpful to know about in the main RefWorks area: searching your RefWorks library and saving websites to your account.
What if you can’t find articles that you just imported? How do you browse or search through your citations. If you lose track of articles, there are three places that you can look. All are available on the View menu.
One option is to click All References. This will let you browse every article that you have imported into your RefWorks account.
Another option is to select the folder labeled "References Not in a Folder." This is the folder that captures old articles which were never organized.
You can also select the Last Imported folder. This folder contains all of your most recently imported articles.
Finally, you can click the Search menu to use Advanced Search.
Or sort through your articles by Author, Topic or Journal Title.
Another helpful basic feature is the RefGrab-It from the Tools menu. Downloading RefGrab-It will allow you to collect citations from websites as you browse the Internet.
Please keep in mind that very few scholarly articles are available on the web for free.
One of the most popular features of RefWorks allows you to create APA formatted Bibliographies.
Click on the Bibliography Tab inside the task bar to get started creating an APA Bibliography.
The default in RefWorks is already set to APA style, so there are only two changes you have to make to this page. Click the File Type drop-down menu and select a document format for references, such as Microsoft Word.
Click the “References to Include” drop-down menu to select a folder from your library of articles.
Click the “Create Bibliography” button.
Click “Ok” to open the Word document.
Your reference list will open in a new window. Be sure to check over your citations to make sure they are formatted correctly. RefWorks usually creates citations that are about 80-90% correct. So while it is not perfect it will save you a lot of time with formatting, typing, cutting and pasting.
For more information you can check out these related guides from the Capella Library. If you still have questions, please ask a librarian.