The Library now subscribes to RefWorks, an online bibliography service. RefWorks allows you to quickly save citations while you are conducting research in online databases. You can also manually enter citations from print and other sources. Then you can access these citations from any computer with an Internet connection, download them, and/or have them automatically formatted in correct MLA, APA, Chicago or other citation style. Refworks can automatically generate a bibliography at the end of your paper while you are writing it and insert correctly formatted citations with a couple of mouse clicks. Bibliographies can also be shared with just a few clicks.

The first time you login to RefWorks, go to the Library website and click on the RefWorks link in the red menu on the left. You will then need to click on the link that says “Sign up for an individual account.” Once you have established a username and password, you are ready to start using RefWorks. In the future, return to the RefWorks link on the Library's website, or you can go to www.refworks.com/refworks from any Internet-ready computer and login using the group number RWLakeFC.

If you have Microsoft Word installed on your computer, you can install RefWorks’ Write-N-Cite, which allows you to use the automated bibliography features when you are writing a paper. When you are logged in to RefWorks, click on Tools and then select Write-N-Cite to reach the page with links to download the Write-N-Cite program on your computer. Then, when you are in Word, you will have a small Write-N-Cite toolbar.

Many databases of academic articles, including PubMed, Current Contents, EBSCO databases, and the FirstSearch databases, have links to export citations to RefWorks. For web pages, you can download the RefGrab-It toolbar button for your browser. When you are logged into RefWorks, just click on Tools and select RefGrab-It to go to the page where you can download RefGrab-It. All the computers in the Library reference area have RefGrab-It installed on both their FireFox and Internet Explorer browsers.

If you need help with RefWorks, just ask a Reference Librarian at x5074.