A tutorial outlining how to sign up for and set up a RefWorks account, how to import references from the library catalogue and article databases, and how to create a bibliography from these citations.

1. GETTING STARTED WITH REFWORKS
MSVU Library OnlineTutorials
April 2016

2. In this tutorial. . .
• How to create a RefWorks account
• How to import journal articles from library databases into RefWorks
• How to create folders within RefWorks
• How to import records from the library catalogue into RefWorks
• How to choose citation styles
• How to create a bibliography using RefWorks

3. Find the link to RefWorks
under the “Library Services”
menu on the MSVU Library
homepage
(http://www.msvu.ca/library)

4. Select “Login to RefWorks”
This will bring you to the sign in page for RefWorks. If
you already have an account, you may log in here. If
not, select “Sign Up for a New Account” to begin.

5. To create an account, just fill in the information on
the form.You do not need to use your MSVU email
address, since you will retain access to RefWorks
after you have completed your time at the Mount.
For Step 2, just fill in your name and select a
focus area and user type. Click on the “Create
Account” button and you’re done!
If you are
asked for an
institution
code, use
“RWMSVU”

6. The first time you login to
RefWorks the main screen
will be empty.The first thing
you will want to do is
customize the settings.You
can do this by selecting
“Customize” at the top of the
screen.

7. You can choose your preferred
citation styles so your references
will be formatted correctly. APA,
MLA, Chicago, and the Canadian
Journal of Dietetic Practice are all
commonly used at the Mount.
Click “Save Customize Settings” at
the bottom to return to the main
page.

8. Finding articles using databases. . .
• To get started with RefWorks, you will need to find some articles to save.
• The library’s Research Guides are a good place to start – find the one for your
subject, then select a database to search.
• You may also want to look at the “Databases A-Z” list.
• If you need help finding articles, visit our “Library Research Help” page.

9. RefWorks allows you to import citations directly from article
databases. Here, I am usingAcademic Search Premier.
I have chosen to only
show “Scholarly (Peer
Reviewed) Journals” in
my results. Often, this
is a requirement for
assignments.

10. Once you have found an article that will work for you, select it to open the record.
Next, click the “Export” button to find the option to send the citation to RefWorks.

11. An “Export Manager”
window will open. Make
sure “Direct Export to
RefWorks” is selected, then
press “Save”.

12. A new RefWorks tab will open on
your browser. If you are not
already logged in to your
account, you may be prompted
to do so.This window should
appear to verify that one
reference has been imported.
Click “View Last Imported
Folder” to see your citation.

13. You’ll now see your article on the main screen.To change what style the
citation is in, select “ChangeView”.
Creating folders is a
good way to
organize your
citations by the
projects you are
working on, or the
classes you are in.
To get started, click
“New Folder”.

14. Type in a name for your
folder, then click “Create”.
To add an item to a folder, make sure the box
beside it is checked, then select the folder you
would like from the drop-down menu.

15. Import multiple citations
at a time by selecting the
folder icon on the right-
hand side of your results
list.The icon will turn
yellow.

16. Select “Folder” at the top right-hand
corner of the screen to view the
articles you have saved.
On the next screen, click “SelectAll”,
then click the “Export” button.

17. Choose “Direct Export to RefWorks”, then click “Save” to
import the articles into RefWorks.

18. You will now see your articles in
your “Last Imported” folder in
RefWorks.

19. You can also easily import references from the
Novanet catalogue.You can search this
catalogue directly from the library homepage.
Once you have found a resource that looks
like it will work well for your research, view
the full record by clicking on the title.

20. Find the “Cite/Email” tab on the top right-hand corner of the
record. Click this to view the options for saving this citation.

21. Clicking on the “RefWorks”
option will launch a pop-up
window.You may need to log
in to your account again
before the citation is
imported. Again, clicking
“View Last Imported Folder”
will show you the reference.

22. After importing some
citations, the next step is to
create a bibliography. Begin
by selecting the folder with
your resources, then
checking off each item you
want in your bibliography.
Next, click “Create
Bibliography” on the right-
hand menu.

23. A pop-up window will allow you to select
the correct citation style. Here I have
chosenAPA.You can also select what file
type will be created. I have it set to
create a HTML file with the bibliography,
but there is also an option to create a
RichText File, that can easily be opened
by word processing programs. After the proper
options are selected,
click “Create
Bibliography” to finish.

24. RefWorks does a good job
creating citations, but the
bibliography likely will not be
perfect. Make sure you carefully
look over the formatting and
punctuation.

25. The Mount Library has created a
set of style guides that you may
use to check your citations.
These can be accessed from the
library homepage, under the
same menu as RefWorks.

26. If you need help with your citations or with signing
up for and using a RefWorks account, you can
always contact us or visit the library for assistance.

27. QUESTIONS? CONTACT US.
Mount SaintVincent University Library
http://www.msvu.ca/library
library@msvu.ca | 902-457-6250