RefWorks

RefWorks Citation Management Program

Provided by the Newton Gresham Library and the Department of Graduate Studies

With RefWorks, you can

  • Export journal and book records from databases to Refworks
  • Access your citations anytime, from anywhere the Internet is available
  • Use Article Linker from within RefWorks to determine whether SHSU has electronic full text version of your selected article
  • Use Write-n-Cite to insert references into Word as you write the paper with only a click or two to create citations and a bibliography in the style of your choice.

Using RefWorks at Sam Houston State University

Create a free RefWorks account:

  1. Go to http://library.shsu.edu.
    Click on "Citation Guides" in the menu on the left of the page.
    Click on the RefWorks link at the top of the Citation Guides page.
  2. When you are logging in from off-campus, you will need to log in using your Sam computer account user name and password.
  3. Click "Sign up for an Individual Account."
  4. Complete the registration form (all fields must be filled out). Click "Register."

Getting Citations into RefWorks

Exporting

  • Export is used when the database provider provides a mechanism to click once or twice to push your citations into RefWorks.
  • Often the option to Export is found with those for printing, saving and emailing citations.
  • RefWorks opens automatically when export functions work properly
    • Pop-ups must be enabled for Export to work. To determine if pop-ups are being blocked, visit popuptest.com. For guidance in enabling pop-ups, click here.
  • Find guides for exporting from SHSU databases here.

Importing

  • Import involves using the database's save function to create a text ( .txt) file and then using RefWorks' Import feature to pull the citations into your RefWorks account.
  • This option may be provided by database vendors which have not developed an Export tool.
  • This option is a reliable backup when the database's export functions are down.
  • Find guides for importing citations into RefWorks from SHSU databases here.

Manually entering citations

  • When the book or article is in your hand or in a bibliography, it may be easier to simply enter the information directly into RefWorks rather than finding it in a database and then exporting or importing it.
  • Some databases do not provide citations in a format that makes importing or exporting possible. Citations from these databases can be entered manually using copy and paste.
  • This list of SHSU databases identifies which databases require this method.

Accessing Your RefWorks Account

  1. Go to http://library.shsu.edu.
    • Click on "Citation Guides" in the menu on the left of the page.
      Click on the RefWorks link at the top of the Citation Guides page (off campus users will have to log in using their Sam computer account user name and password here).
      OR:
    • Go to http://www.refworks.com/refworks (this method requires off campus users to enter the SHSU Group code)
  2. Enter your RefWorks login name and password.
  3. Click "Login."

Training in RefWorks