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RefWorks

Frequently Asked Questions about RefWorks at UW



I want to bookmark RefWorks in my web browser to make it easier to access. What address should I bookmark?

If you want to bookmark RefWorks on your home computer to make it easier for you to use frequently, make sure you bookmark our UW-specific RefWorks address. Here's how to do it:

Note: The links toolbar may not be visible in all setups and in most browsers, you can enable it in the View->Toolbars menu of your web browser. You can also put it in your bookmarks instead of the links toolbar.


Could you give me the group code for the RefWorks login?

We don't use a group code for off-campus access to RefWorks here at UW; instead, you use your UW NetID and password to log in to RefWorks, whether you're on campus or off. If you are prompted for a group code, click on the small link to Shibboleth users below the login box. Then select University of Washington from the dropdown box, and click login. You will then be able to log in with your UW NetID and password.

The login screen you see should look something like this:

screen shot of group code prompt


When I enter my UW NetID and password, I am told that I have made an invalid entry.

In order to use RefWorks and Write-n-Cite, you need to use a special login page for universities that use their institutional logins (at UW, that's the UW NetID). When the RefWorks or Write-n-Cite login screen appears, click on the small link for Shibboleth users below the login box. Then select University of Washington from the dropdown box, and click login. You will then be able to log in with your UW NetID and password.

The login screen you see should look something like this:

screen shot of WnC login prompt


How do I convert my old RefWorks account to UW NetID?

The UW Libraries switched over to using UW NetIDs for RefWorks accounts as of January, 2008. If you set up a RefWorks account before that date, you will need to convert your existing account so that it uses UW NetID login. It's easy to do by following our step-by-step instructions. You will only have to follow these steps once.


When I converted my RefWorks account to my UW NetID, it seems to have created a brand-new account, and none of my old references are there. How can I get my references back?

Thanks for bearing with us during our switch over to the UW NetID log-in system! Occasionally, the conversion process does end up creating a second brand-new account for you, rather than attaching your older RefWorks account to your UW NetID login. When this happens, you need to log in to your old account and then manually transfer the citations into your new, UW NetID-enabled account.
Note: These instructions will only work from computers on a UW campus.

  1. Click on this link for RefWorks and log in using your OLD RefWorks username and password (the one you created yourself). You should see your old account, with all the references you have put into it.

  2. Using the instructions here, back up your old account (all references, folders, RSS feeds, and other content will be copied).

  3. Using the same instructions, restore your backed-up account into your new, empty, UW NetID-enabled account.

Important: If you have already put references in your new account, backing up and restoring your old account will delete these references. Instead, you should export your old references in RefWorks tagged format and import them into your new RefWorks account, choosing RefWorks tagged format as the Import Filter/Data Source.


How do I get records from a particular database into RefWorks?

Check out our handy instructions for importing records from some of the most frequently used databases at UW.


I just installed Microsoft Vista and Word 2007, and Write-n-Cite doesn't work now.

Previous versions of Write-n-Cite are not compatible with Microsoft Vista or Word 2007. RefWorks has now released a beta version of Write-n-Cite III for Windows, which does work with Vista and Word 2007. You can download Write-n-Cite III for Windows here.


I just installed Word 2008 on my Mac, and now Write-n-Cite doesn't work.

Write-n-Cite will still work with Mac Word 2008 as long as you save the file with the older .doc extension instead of the newer .docx extension. Files saved with the newer .docx file extension will not work with Write-N-Cite.


I don't use Microsoft Word. Can I still use Write-n-Cite?

The Write-n-Cite utility only works with Microsoft Word. If you're using another word processing program, you can still format citations and bibliographies for your papers using the One Line/Cite View method.


Can I import information about web pages into RefWorks?

Yes, you can! RefWorks offers a tool called RefGrab-It that works with your web browser to capture citation information from web pages.


I'm working on a group project. Can we share a RefWorks account?

There isn't a perfect solution for sharing bibliographies -- it's tricky because we authenticate with UW NetID, but there are a couple of options.


Does UW subscribe to the “RefShare” feature?

Yes, we do. RefShare allows you to share your entire RefWorks database or just specific folders from the database with other users.

Note: Please remember that the data in folders you share may be protected by copyright or subject to license restrictions. Check with the appropriate database provider(s) to ensure that you comply with any restrictions such provider(s) may impose upon downloading or sharing of the information.


Can I attach documents, files, or images to records in my RefWorks account?

Yes, RefWorks now allows you to attach files to records in your RefWorks database, up to a limit of 100 MB per account.


Can I share attachments through RefShare?

No, any files you have attached to records in your RefWorks account will not be available to others through RefShare.


I use EndNote. Is it easy to switch to RefWorks?

It is fairly easy to switch to RefWorks from other bibliographic management programs like EndNote. RefWorks provides specific instructions for importing citations from EndNote, ProCite, Reference Manager, or other software.


RefWorks, EndNote -- what's the difference?

RefWorks and EndNote's web-based service, EndNoteWeb, are both online web-based services that provide the ability to create and manage personal databases of bibliographic citations. Some people prefer RefWorks, and some prefer EndNote. Check out our comparison chart (in pdf format) to see a side-by-side comparison of the features each service offers.


I'm graduating and leaving UW. Can I take my RefWorks citations with me?

UW provides access to RefWorks for all campus users, but not for graduates. If you are leaving UW, there are several ways you can retain access to your citations:


I read through this entire FAQ and my question wasn't answered! Now what?

Ask your question though our Ask a Librarian e-mail form and a member of the Libraries staff will contact you. Please be as specific as possible with your question, because the more details you can provide us (such as whether or not you are on a UW campus, or if you got an error message and what that message said), the more quickly we will be able to diagnose and fix your problem.




Last modified: Monday April 27 2009