RefWorks
Citing References at ND |
Log into: forgot your password? erhelp@listserv.nd.edu |
About RefWorks
Creating an Account | On-campus Access | Off-campus Access | Forgot ND Group Code? | Training | Write-n-Cite | Import Citations | Sharing References | Help
RefWorks is a web-based bibliographic management tool that enables you to:
- Insert formatted references into your paper
- Format your footnotes and bibliographies
- Create a personal database online and store references which are accessible from any computer linked to the Internet
- Collect references from your favorite article indexes
- Organize your research
- Search a wide variety of article databases and import references; Sort and organize those references into folders
- Web Access from anywhere
- Share references with others
Accessing RefWorks
RefWorks is free for Notre Dame students, faculty, and staff. You can have as many accounts as you like and there’s no size limitation for an account (server space or number of records). You can also create a class account. For example, you may create an "English_101" RefWorks account and share the "English_101" username and password with your students. See the Sharing References information listed lower in this page for account set up recommendations. Sign up for an individual account here.
When creating an account, please use your ND netid as your Log-in Name. Create a NEW password. DO NOT use the same password you use for other Notre Dame services such as e-mail.
You may request that storage space be assigned to your account in order to attach non-bibliographic information to your references. Email erhelp@listserv.nd.edu to request space.
Examples of attachment file types:
- bmp, tif, jpg, png, gif, pdf files
- Microsoft Office Word, Excel, Powerpoint documents
- equations, chemical structures, technical drawings
On-Campus Access
Off-Campus Access
Log into RefWorks by clicking the
login link. You may be asked for your Notre Dame NetID and ND password. Once at the Refworks login page, type in your RefWorks Log-in Name and RefWorks password.
You can also access RefWorks directly by using the url, http://www.refworks.com, from off-campus. If you choose this method, you will need Notre Dame's Group Code. The Group Code was included in the email you received when you first signed up for RefWorks. Click here to obtain Notre Dame's Group Code.
If using Write-N-Cite from off-campus, see the directions below under Write-n-Cite.
Read-only Access to an Account
- To support collaboration, it is possible to allow read-only access to an account.
- After creating an account, click on “Update User Info” to add a read-only password.
- Note that read-only access is a global privilege for an entire account and cannot be limited to a specific folder within an account.
Compatibility
- Web Browsers — Internet Explorer 5.0 or later; Netscape 6.0 or later. Mozilla and Firefox work well but are not officially supported by RefWorks. On Macintosh, Safari.
- Word Processors — Word for Windows 2000 or later; Word for Mac 98 or later. Also, any word processing program which allows you to save your files as RTF.
- RefWorks does not work with WordPerfect.
Sharing References
You can share your RefWorks references with your class or classmates. For example, create an "Math20550_03" RefWorks account, and share the "Math20550_03" username and password with others. This gives anyone who has that username and password full access to the reference list, so everyone can add or modify references as needed.
Account Recommendations:
- Create a login name for the account using a part of the course name, for example PHYS_01
- Use your address as the primary email address for the account.
- Select a USER TYPE of 'Group'.
Other Guidelines
- When you import references, check for & clean up duplicates before you log out.
- Multiple people importing at the same time is NOT a problem. Just refresh your browser window to see everyone's latest imports.
- Don't delete your own References if they have been in the database longer than a day; Someone else may have cited it.
- Never delete a Reference someone else added to the database without checking with everyone who is using the group account. They may have cited it in a paper.
- When cleaning up duplicates, always delete the newest copy(ies) of the reference.
Training Instruction and Materials
The OIT in cooperation with the University Libraries offers two types of training:
- Hands-on RefWorks workshops in one of the OIT training labs; Sign up at http://oit.nd.edu/training.
- In-class demonstrations/workshops; Click to sign up via an online form.
Write-n-Cite
Write-n-Cite, a plug-in feature for Microsoft Word, enables you to run an abbreviated version of RefWorks in Microsoft Word. The abbreviated version of RefWorks displays Author, Title, and Year, with full views available if needed. With Write-n-Cite, you can:
- add references into a Word document
- cite references from your RefWorks folders
- format in-text citations
- format bibliographies
Compatibility
For information concerning compatibility issues and operating system information, click here.
General Instructions
You must download a utility in order to use Write-n-Cite within Microsoft Word. Download the Write-N-Cite utility here. You can also access this download utility from the Tools menu within RefWorks. . The utility installs a Write-N-Cite button on your desktop. It also adds an Add-in to your Microsoft Word toolbar and a menu option in Word, under the Tools menu.
For detailed installation instructions,
Click here for Windows. (Note: There are two download versions for the pc; Write-n_cite III is compatible with both Vista and Windows XP.)
Click here for MacintoshDownload the software and move the application to the appropriate folder as directed. Write-n-Cite on a macintosh is a separate program and will not show up in the toolbar. Open Word and then open the Write-n-Cite program.
Importing Citations
Many article databases and ejournals can export and move citations into RefWorks. Click on the link below for detailed instructions for specific databases available through the Notre Dame University Libraries.
Further Helps and Support
RefWorks Quick Start Guide (pdf file)
RefWorks Tutorial (from RefWorks)
Attachments Factsheet (from RefWorks pdf file)
Converting from Microsoft products: Access, Excel, Word (pdf file)
Converting from other Bibliographic Packages (pdf file)
Endnote Conversion Tip Sheet (pdf file)
Endnote/Refworks Comparison Table
Troubleshooting tips for importing citations
Questions or Concerns? Email erhelp@listserv.nd.edu or telephone 631-5938.

