RefWorks (Citation Manager)

RefWorks Citation Manager (RCM)

RefWorks Citation Manager (RCM) is a plugin for Microsoft Word and Google Docs that lets you run a simplified read-only version of RefWorks inside those programs that allows you to create in-text citations and a reference list while you are writing your paper.

Every time you log into RCM it automatically synchronizes with your RefWorks account.

Refworks Citation Manager Overview (5:07)

Install RefWorks Citation Manager

You can install the RefWorks Citation Manager for Microsoft Word and for Google Docs in a couple ways. The first is via the Tools menu in your RefWorks account. Click on the Extensions & Add-ons option, then scroll to the RefWorks writing tools section where you'll find instructions for downloading the extensions.

You can also download the extensions within MS Word and Google Docs: 

MS Word

• Open a blank Microsoft Word document
• From the Home tab click on the Add-Ins button
• In the Office Add-ins >More Add-ins window, search for RefWorks
• Click on Add to the right of  RefWorks Citation Manager
• When the One moment... box appears, click on Continue
• When the RCM pane opens on the right side of the document, log in with your RefWorks Username and Password
• Once installed you will see an RCM tab in your MS Word ribbon

NOTE:  Due to a Microsoft limitation, when using a desktop version of Word (not Word Online), the tab appears only when using Word version 16.0.6769.0000 or later. If the tab does not appear, RCM can still be accessed from the My Add-ins menu.

Google Docs

• Open a Google Docs document and from the Extensions menu select Add-ons>Get Add-ons and search for RefWorks
• Select the RefWorks Citation Manager tile and click Install
• Follow the Google installation instructions
• Once installed you will find RCM under Extensions>RefWorks Citation Manager>Manage Citations. RCM will open on the upper right side of your document. 
  • Note: if you don't immediately see Manage Citations, refresh the page 

Projects

Before you can use RefWorks Citation Manager, you will need to create at least one Project in your RefWorks account. 
All of the references you will be using for that Project will need to be exported to or created in that Project.

To create a Project:

• Click on the Projects drop-down menu in the upper left corner of the RefWorks page
• Click on Manage Projects
• Click on Create a new Project
• Enter the name of the Project and click on Save
   
• You may create folders inside of a Project.
  Instructions are available under the Organize References link in this guide.

Using RefWorks Citation Manager

• Open a Microsoft Word or Google document
• Format the document according to the citation style you will be using
  (e.g., Times New Roman font, font size of 12, double spaced, one-inch margins)
   
• Click on the RCM tab (MS Word)

• or Extensions>RefWorks Citation Manager>Manage Citations (Google Docs)

• Log into your RefWorks account

• To select the citation style you would like to use, click on the menu icon toward the top left of the column
  • Click on Citation style
  • Click on Change Citation Style
  • Select the style from the drop-down menu
  • To return to your references, click on the menu icon toward the top left of column
  • Click on References homepage

• Select the Project or folder from which you will be pulling your references

• The references in your selected Project in your RefWorks account will be displayed in a column to the right of your Word document
• The default list is All references (for the Project you selected)
• If you would like to display just the references that were placed in one of the folders you had created within the Project, or were Last Imported or Not in folder, click on one of those options in the drop-down menu
   
• References in the list can be sorted by:
  • Date added
  • Date accessed
  • Date published
  • Title
  • Author
  • Ref ID

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• In your Word document, click at the point in the document where you want to insert an in-text citation
   
• If you are creating a parenthetical in-text citation for one reference:
  • Mouse over the reference you would like to cite in text and click on Cite This

• If you are creating a parenthetical in-text citation that contains more than one reference:
  • Check the box in front of each citation that you would like to include
  • Click on the blue Insert Citation link

• If you are creating a narrative in-text citation where you are including the author as part of your sentence:
  • Mouse over the reference you would like to cite in text
  • Click on Edit This
  • Uncheck Include author
  • Click on Insert Citation

• If you would like to add page numbers to your in-text citation:
  • Mouse over the reference you would like to cite in text
  • Click on Edit This
  • Locate the Add prefix/suffix section
  • Add   , p. [page number]    to the suffix box
  • Click on Insert Citation

NOTE:

As each new in-text citation is added to a paper, RefWorks Citation Manager automatically adds the corresponding reference to your reference list.
However, because RefWorks Citation Manager refreshes the document each time you add a new citation, you should  NOT edit your in-text citations or the reference list until you have finished adding all of the in-text citations to your document.

More information about RCM

Check out the RefWorks Citation Manager page produced by the tool's vendor