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RefWorks

a how-to guide for RefWorks.

Finding Duplicate 

Often when searching in multiple databases for a topic, you may unintentionally import the same reference more than once.  RefWorks has a duplicate detection function that looks for duplicates across your entire RefWorks account. 

  1. Select  the Duplicates  tab from the left sidebar. 
  2.  Select the fields you would like use to find duplicates and click Find Duplicates.
    • RefWorks defaults the results arrangement by looking for duplications with the most metadata and arranges those at the top of the list.
  3. Select the duplicates to be removed from your RefWorks library and click on the Delete trashcan Delete Icon  from the action bar at the top. 
    • Deleted references will be placed in the system Trash folder for 30 days before they are permanently removed from your account.

Warning:

Be careful not to delete any references that have already been imbedded in papers that have been formatted using RefWorks.  When formatting a paper, if Write-N-Cite or the RefWorks Citation Manager can't find the Reference ID number for a citation that has been previously imbedded in the paper, the formatting process will generate an error message.

Editing References

RefWorks only imports the data for each reference as it is supplied to it from the source.  Sometime the source providers may not have accurate information (metadata) in their systems.  Consequently, data imported by RefWorks may need to be corrected.  Or, you may want to add notes, URLs, attachments, etc.

  1. Click on a reference to be edited.  Details for that reference will appear in the right side panel.
  2. Click on the Edit icon. 
  3. Click in the fields that need to be edited and make changes.
    • Make sure the Ref Type is set to the correct type (journal article, magazine article, book, book chapter, web page, etc.).  This impacts the formation of the correct citation.
  4. Click the "Add more fields..." button if you need a field that does not display.
  5. When done, click the Save button located at the bottom of the display.  

A nice feature of RefWorks is that if you view your reference through the citation style you plan to use, RefWorks will highlight areas that might be missing important information. To use this feature, do the following:

  1. In  the Display section (top right), you will see a pull-down menu set to Normal View.
  2. Click the Normal View option and change it to Citation View.
  3. If the citation style you need doesn't display, click on the gear icon to find the needed citation style.

Once the appropriate citation style is selected. the reference will display in that style, highlighting areas of each citation where there may be potential issues.