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Citation Management

Using RefWorks

Getting Started with RefWorks
Setting Up an Account

Johns Hopkins has an institution-wide subscription to RefWorks, which means that everyone has an account to use if they wish. If you are new to RefWorks, you will need to activate your account.  Activating your RefWorks account is simple and easy. 

  1. Go to: https://refworks.proquest.com/  
  2. Click on the “use log in from my institution” tab at the entry screen.
  3. Enter your Hopkins JHED login and password.

No additional login name nor password is needed. Once the account is active, you will see your name at the top, on the right.

Help and Documentation

See RefWorks LibGuide for technical questions and documentation.

Importing from PubMed in Five Easy Steps
Step 1: Working with PubMed Results

From the PubMed results page, select "Send to" and choose the "Citation manager" option from the drop-down list.

PubMed results page with the "Send to" feature and "Citation manager" option highlighted


Step 2: Creating a File to Upload into RefWorks

Select the specific results that you want to import into RefWorks* and then click the "Create file" button to download a .nbib file that can be imported into RefWorks. 

*Note: The default, "All results on this page," is selected in the following screenshot. The other options in the drop-down list are "All results" (i.e., the complete result set) and "Selection" (i.e., results that you have hand-selected by clicking in the boxes next to individual articles). 

PubMed results page with the "Selection" drop-down and "Create file" button highlighted


Step 3: Importing the PubMed Results File into a RefWorks Project

From a RefWorks project, select "Add" from the top menu bar and click on the "Import references" option.

On the next page, drop the PubMed results file or select it from your computer.

RefWorks project page with the "Add" feature and the "Import references" option highlighted

RefWorks project page with the "Drop file here or select a file from your computer" feature highlighted


Step 4: Selecting the File Format and the Import Details

Select or verify the proper format for your PubMed results file. In this case the file was automatically detected by RefWorks as an "NLM PubMed" file.

On the next page, select to have the PubMed results import into a particular folder and select whether or not you want to import database tags.

Note: If no folder is created for the PubMed results, they will go into a "Last Imported" folder. Selecting to import tags from PubMed will enable you to more easily find references when searching your RefWorks project.

RefWorks project page with the file format and "Import" button highlighted

RefWorks project page with the "Create Folder" option, the "Import tags from database" option, and the "Import" button highlighted


Step 5: Viewing Your PubMed Results in RefWorks

The results from your PubMed search are now in your RefWorks project, where they can be accessed, annotated, organized in folders, associated with full text, shared, etc.

RefWorks result page after import from PubMed

Importing from Embase in Four Easy Steps
Step 1: Working with Embase Results

From the Embase results page, select the number of items to export and then click on "Export."

Note: You can export up to 500 items at a time when not signed in. When signed in, you can export up to 10,000 items at a time. To sign in, you need to register for an Elsevier account.

Embase results page with the "Select number of items" drop-down and the "Export" feature highlighted


Step 2: Exporting Directly to RefWorks

Prior to completing this step, make sure you are logged into your RefWorks account.

From the "Export records(s)" screen, choose "RefWorks Direct Export" from the drop-down list and click on the "Export" button. 

On the "Ready for Export" page that follows, click on the "Submit to RefWorks" button.

Embase "Export record(s)" screen with the "RefWorks Direct Export" drop-down option and the "Export" button highlighted

RefWorks' "Ready for Export" page with the "Submit to RefWorks" button highlighted


Step 3: Importing the Embase Results into a RefWorks Project

Within RefWorks, select the project and/or folder where the Embase results should be imported and select whether or not you want to import database tags.

On the following page, you'll receive a confirmation message and be directed to the "Last Imported" folder (if no other folder was selected).

Note: Selecting to import tags from Embase will enable you to more easily find references when searching your RefWorks project.

RefWorks' "Import references" screen with the "Import" button highlighted and options for project, folder, and database tags also highlighted

RefWorks' "Import Process Complete" page with the "Go to Last Imported" button highlighted


Step 4: Viewing Your Embase Results in RefWorks

The results from your Embase search are now in your RefWorks project, where they can be accessed, annotated, organized in folders, associated with full text, shared, etc.

RefWorks project page showing imported Embase results

Removing Duplicates in Five Easy Steps
Step 1: Initiating Duplicate Removal

Go to the left side navigation panel of RefWorks and click on the down arrow next to "Duplicates." Then click on the "Find duplicates" link.

Screenshot of RefWorks showing how to navigate to the "find duplicates" feature


Step 2: Selecting Criteria for Detecting Duplicates 

A pop-up box appears that prompts you to select criteria for selecting duplicates. Use the drop downs and check boxes to select how duplicates should be assigned and how exactly they should match.

Clicking on the "Find Duplicates" button will launch a search for duplicates within all of the documents in a particular project.

Screenshot of RefWorks showing options for choosing duplicate selection criteria


Step 3: Processing Duplicate Removal

A pop-up box appears signalling that the deduplication process has a started.

When this process is finished, a green "Process completed" button will appear. Click on this button to see the results of the deduplication process.

Screenshot of RefWorks showing a pop-up box signalling the start of the deduplication process

Screenshot of RefWorks showing the button indicating the completion of the deduplication process


Step 4: Verifying and Deleting Duplicates

The duplicate records report shows the number of duplicates found. These duplicates are automatically selected and highlighted in pink in the result list.

You should check this duplicate list carefully and deselect any references that are not duplicates. Once you have done this, you can click on the "Delete" icon in the menu to send the duplicate records to the trash.

Screenshot of RefWorks showing the number of duplicates found, selected duplicates, and the "Trash" function


Step 5: Completely Removing Duplicates

To completely remove duplicate references from your project, go to the "Trash" folder by clicking on the link in the side navigation pane.

Select all references in this folder and then click on the "Delete" icon in the top menu bar.

Screenshot of RefWorks showing the "Trash" folder, selected references, and the "Delete" function

Citing References in Five Easy Steps
Step 1: Installing the RefWorks Citation Manager Add-In (If Necessary)

RefWorks Citation Manager (RCM) is an add-in for Word that connects your RefWorks projects with manuscripts and allows you to add in-text citations and a bibliography. RCM should be pre-installed in Word in Office 365 by IT@JH. Check your add-ins to verify that it is installed.

If RCM is not installed, log-in to your RefWorks account, navigate to the "Tools" section, and follow the steps under "RefWorks writing tools" to install RCM. For help troubleshooting RCM installation, reach out to the Hopkins RefWorks Support Group.

RefWorks project page with the "Tools" navigation highlighted

RefWorks' "Tools" page with the link for RCM installation highlighted


Step 2: Opening RefWorks Citation Manager in Word

From Word, click on "RCM" in the menu bar or select RCM from "Add-ins." Then log in to your RefWorks account from within Word.

A Word document with RefWorks Citation Manager add-in links and login highlighted


Step 3: Selecting the Citation Style and Activating the Bibliography

When logged in to RCM, you will see the references from your current project. At the top of the RCM window, click on the "hamburger" icon, turn on the "Bibliography" feature, and click on "Citation style." 

The "Citation style" feature allows you choose from over 7,000 styles, many of which are journal-specific. 

RefWorks Citation Manager feature in Word with the hamburger icon highlighted

RefWorks Citation Manager feature in Word with the "Citation style" and "Bibliography" tools highlighted

RefWorks Citation Manager feature in Word with the citation style search tool highlighted


Step 4: Inserting In-Text Citations

In Word, place the cursor where you want to insert a citation in the text. From the RCM window, select the desired reference and then click the "Insert Citation" button.

The cursor position in Word highlighted and the reference and "Insert Citation" button highlighted in RefWorks Citation Manager


Step 5: Visualizing the In-Text Citation and Bibliography

You can now see that the citation is placed correctly and that the start of an automatically-generated bibliography is now at the end of the document.

Word document with in-text citation and bibliography highlighted

Accessing RefWorks After Leaving Johns Hopkins in Three Easy Steps

RefWorks users who leave Johns Hopkins can keep their accounts as long as the university maintains its institutional subscription. 

Follow the steps below before leaving (and your JHED ID expires) to ensure seamless access to your RefWorks account and projects.

Note: If you have left Johns Hopkins and your JHED ID has already expired contact RefWorks at support@refworks.com.

Step 1: Accessing RefWorks Settings

Before leaving Johns Hopkins, access your RefWorks account, click on your name, and select "Settings" from the drop-down list.

RefWorks project page with name and "Settings" links highlighted


Step 2: Changing Your Role and E-mail in Settings

Within the "Settings" page, click on the drop-down list for "Role" and select "Alumni." Then within "Email," change your e-mail to a non-JHU or a JHU alumni e-mail address.

RefWorks "Settings" page with the "Alumni" drop-down option and the "Email" section highlighted


Step 3: Removing Institution Credentials and Setting Up an Alternate Password

Within the RefWorks "Settings" page, click on the "Remove Credentials" button under "Institution Credentials." This should prompt you to set up an alternative password. If it doesn't, click on the "Change password" button under "Alternate Password."

These two actions mean that you will no longer use the "Use login from my institution" button to sign in to RefWorks. Instead, you will use the main RefWorks sign in prompt and enter your new e-mail and alternate password.

RefWorks "Settings" page with the "Remove Credentials" and "Change password" buttons highlighted

RefWorks FAQs

RefWorks Citation Manager (RCM) is an add-on for Microsoft Word that enables you to run a simplified version of RefWorks inside Word. RCM is a newer, more modern version of Write-n-Cite.

RCM is available through the Microsoft Store and can be installed directly from Microsoft Word. By default, Office automatically updates RCM whenever a new version becomes available.

RefWorks for Google Docs is an add-on for Google Docs that enables you to run a simplified version of RefWorks inside of Google Docs. RefWorks for Google Docs enables you to access and cite your references while working in Google Docs.

Follow these steps to import citations from Legacy RefWorks into current version of RefWorks:

  1. In RefWorks, click on the + sign, and click Import References from the drop down menu.
  2. On the Import references page, click the Legacy RefWorks box, and then click Authorize when prompted.
  3. At the login screen, log in using RefWorks credentials to complete the import.

The import could take as long as a few minutes.

Export EndNote references to RefWorks by following these steps:

  1. In EndNote, select 'File Menu,' then 'Output Styles'
  2. Select 'RefMan (RIS) Export' for the output style (Note: if the RIS format is not found, open the Style Manager and check the 'RefMan' format. Close the Style Manager and repeat the step.)
  3. Select the references to export
  4. Select the 'Reference' menu, choose 'Show Selected' (or 'Show All' to export the entire database)
  5. Select the 'File' menu, choose 'Export' 
  6. When the dialog box appears, select a location to save the exported file
  7. Type a file name, then select a location for importing into RefWorks
  8. Save the file in the .txt format and choose 'Save'
  9. Open RefWorks, and click the Add icon in the top menu
  10. Choose Import References from the drop-down menu
  11. Drag or select the file to be imported
  12. The file import format will be RIS Format. Select either EndNote Macintosh OR EndNote Windows (depending on your computer) from the drop-down box
  13. Choose 'Import' at the bottom of the import window
  14. The records should automatically appear in the Last Imported folder

For general questions, contact Johns Hopkins RefWorks Support at refworks@jhmi.edu.

Requests for classes, demonstrations, individual instruction, or questions and problems can be directed to Ivy Linwood Garner, Senior Reference Specialist, at (410) 955-3410 or ilg@jhmi.edu, or Donna Hesson, Public Health Informationist, at dhesson@jhmi.edu.

Contact RefWorks directly at (800) 889-3358 or support@refworks.com or chat at https://support.proquest.com/s/chat?language=en_US

Getting started with RefWorks

RefWorks is a web-based bibliographic management tool that allows the creation of personal bibliographic reference databases. References are automatically imported from database searches but can also be entered manually.

RefWorks is licensed for staff, students, and faculty by Johns Hopkins University and Medicine. Activate a RefWorks account by authenticating using JHED credentials.

Get Help with RefWorks Tutorials

View the LibGuides RefWorks Videos for help. Topics include:

  1. Getting Started with RefWorks
  2. Advanced RefWorks features

Active JHED users can access RefWorks.

Institutions that maintain a current subscription to RefWorks will be able to extend continued access to alumni.

Use RefWorks as an Alumnus

BEFORE graduation, update the RefWorks account to an Alumni Role

  1. While in RefWorks, click on your username in the upper right corner of the page
  2. Select "Settings.”
  3. Go to the Role menu and select Alumni
  4. In the email box at the bottom of the page update the email address
  5. Click the “Save” button at the bottom of the page

Getting Help

If you need help using RefWorks,

Contact the Hopkins RefWorks Support Group:

You can also contact RefWorks Customer Support directly:

Or you can access the RefWorks Help Guide, which covers all aspects of using RefWorks.