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POL3290: Women and the Law in the US: RefWorks

Importing Citations

Library databases allow you to export your citations to RefWorks. While each database vendor is different, all provide an option to identify or mark items that are of interest, and then export your citations to RefWorks.

Organizing your Information

You can create folders in RefWorks. This means you can create different folders for different projects, or different folders for varied aspects of a particular project. The same item can exist simultaneously in more than one folder.

If you think that you've lost a reference, check the folder called, References not in a folder. This is where references go if they have been imported but not put into a folder.

  Have a Question? Contact a Librarian:

By phone

Call 973-720-2116

The Reference Desk is staffed until 10PM Sunday-Friday and until 5:00pm on Saturday.

By e-mail

Send your question to the Reference Desk via email - refdesk@wpunj.edu   Allow 24 hours for a response. 

Schedule a Research Appointment

Contact the library for an appointment with a Reference Librarian:  Schedule Research Help

What is Refworks?

RefWorks is a citation manager that can help you organize and keep track of the sources you are using for your research. References can be exported directly from Library databases, entered manually in RefWorks or imported  from the Library's online catalog. RefWorks can convert your citations into a properly formatted bibliography. A suite of tutorials can be found here:

http://www.refworks-cos.com/refworks/tutorials/basic.html


This handy Quick Start Guide might also answer some of your questions:

RefWorks 2.0 Quick Start Guide (pdf)

Getting Started with RefWorks

To use RefWorks you must create an account. When you create an account:

  • You need to create a login name and password that you will remember. It does not need to be the same as your WPUNJ username and password.
  • You can use any email address. The email address will enable RefWorks to help you if you forget your login name or password.
  • The list of focus areas do not include education. Choose either Social Sciences, or Other.

When you access RefWorks from off-campus you will first need to log-in as a WPUNJ user, then at the RefWorks screen you will need to use your RefWorks login, password and group code.

Creating a Reference List

When ready to create your list of References:

  • Select Bibliography.
  • Select your (APA--7th ed.).Output Style
  • Change the File Type to Create to RTF (Rich Text Format--readable by all word processing programs).
  • Select the appropriate folder for your list of references.
  • Click on Create Bibliography.

Watch for the message to clear Pop-up blockers. You may need to start over if you haven't already clear the Pop-up blockers.

Sharing Folders

RefShare provides subscribing institutions and universities the ability to allow users to share their RefWorks database or just specific folders or subfolders from their RefWorks database with other users in their organization and in some cases even publicly.  Certain users may also have permission to post their folders or databases on a shared page viewable by all RefWorks Users within their organization.You can share a folder or database from the Organize & Share Folders tab in the main viewing area of RefWorks.

For each folder there is a Share icon sharefolder.jpgand at the top of the list of folders is the same icon that will Share Entire Database.

Clicking on the Share icon sharefolder.jpg will take you to a Shared Folder Options page.  This page will allow you to set up various permissions for your RefShare Recipients.  

Also, from the Organize & Share Folders area you can manage your shared references.  After you click the Share icon sharefolder.jpg, the icon will change to indicate the folder is shared.  Clicking on the Shared iconsharedfolder.jpgwill display several options:

  • Share Link sharelink.jpg --   takes you into your shared folder or database.  

  • Remove Share folder.jpg-- allows you "unshare" your specific folder or database making it inaccessible to any recipients and removing it from the Shared Area Page (if posted there).  

  • Shared Folder Options  sharedoptions.jpg-- takes you to the Shared Folder Options Page where you can edit or update sharing options.

  • Email this shareemailrefshare.jpg-- launches an email template that you can use to send your unique URL to someone.