University of Michigan-Flint

To create a new RefWorks account from any online computer:

1. Go to the Thompson Library home page.
2. Click the “RefWorks” icon (bottom right side of screen).
3. Click the “Sign Up for Individual Account” link.
4. Fill out the New Account form as follows:
   • Your Name: your complete name (first and last, e.g. John Smith)
   • User Name: make up any uniqname you want. Something you will REMEMBER!
   • Password: make up any password you want. Something you will REMEMBER!
   • Password: type your selected password again to confirm spelling is correct.
   • E-Mail: type in your UM-Flint email address, including the @umflint.edu.
   • Type of User: Select your current university status from drop-down box.
     NOTE: This does not affect your access to ANY sources!
   • Area of Focus: Select your typical research topic focus (for statistical purposes only)
     NOTE: This does not affect your access to ANY sources!
   • Enter Code: Type the jumbled code in the gray box (an anti-spamming device.)
     If you are unable to successfully read the code, it allows another attempt at creating a new RefWorks account, so don’t worry!
5. If (and only if) prompted for your “group code,” please use: RWUMFlint

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After you have created your new RefWorks account, you may login and change your personal user information. Information that may be changed or updated includes:

• Full Name
• User Name
• Password
• E-Mail Address (such as when you use an account other than UM-Flint more often)
• User Type (should your status change from undergrad to grad – or staff/faculty)
• Area of Focus (change of typical subject search, such as selection or change of major)

To change any of the above:

1. Go to the top toolbar and select the “Tools” drop-down list.
2. Select “Update User Information” (near bottom of list)
3. Change the information in the appropriate box.
4. Write down the new information and REMEMBER IT for future use!
5. Click the “Update” button at bottom right of screen.

NOTE: If you forget your password and are unable to login, contact the Thompson Library:

• (810) 762-3408 (Reference Desk) reference@umflint.edu
• (810) 762-3413 (Vera Anderson) verakay@umflint.edu
• (810) 762-3405 (Paul Streby) pgstreby@umflint.edu

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Once you have created your online RefWorks account and are ready to begin using it, there are at least five ways to get your citations (reference items) into your account:

 

1. Directly import items from compatible databases (See List). [Example: ProQuest]
2. Manually enter items into your RefWorks account. [Example: Book on hand]
3. Import a saved text (delimited) file. [Example: Downloaded from PubMed]
4. Use the “Grab-It” feature to pull citation information from a web page.
5. Export items from a received “shared” folder into your own RefWorks account.

 

If you have not yet created an individual account, do so now (see help sheet: Create and Login to New RefWorks Account).

 

To begin, open your web browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, Mosaic, or Netscape) and go to the Thompson Library home page. Click on the link for “RefWorks” (bottom right side of screen). Open RefWorks and login to your account. Open second window for use with database searching.

 

NOTE: You MUST use the same browser to open both your RefWorks account and the database you intend to search. (Simply open new window in your current browser after logging in to your RefWorks account.)

 

In the new window, open the database you intend to search. Our current example will use the “ProQuest” database (available from the Thompson Library page, found using the “Databases” link in the grey bar at top left of screen, the selecting “ProQuest” from the alphabetical listing of major databases).

Now that you have both your RefWorks account open and (in a second window of same browser) your selected database, begin by creating a new folder to hold your items in RefWorks.

 

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Create a New Folder

 

1. In your RefWorks account, look at toolbar at top of screen.
2. Locate “Folders” tab.
3. From drop-down list, select “Create New Folder”.
4. Name the folder. For this example, we’ll use the name, “Class Research Paper”.

 

Adding Citations into RefWorks using ProQuest

 

1. Return to window you previously opened with ProQuest.
2. Perform search for topic related to your paper; locate desired articles from results.
3. Note check box next to each article in list.
4. Click in check box next to each item you wish to save. Box should display as checked.
5. At top of the results list, look for and click “Export”.
6. At top of next page, look for and click link “Export Directly to RefWorks”.
7. Go back into RefWorks window to view new imported items.
8. In RefWorks, click button “View Last Imported Folder”.
9. Look for buttons at top of page. Click “Select All in List”.
10. Look for box, “Put in Folder”; from drop-down list, select desired folder for these items.
11. In red letters, RefWorks confirms when all items are copied into your new folder.
12. You have successfully imported and saved items into your RefWorks account.

 

Remove Items from “Last Imported” Folder

 

1. Go to “Folders” tab at top toolbar. Select from drop-down, “View Last Imported”
2. Inside folder, find and click at top of list the button “Select All in List”.
3. On right side of folder, find and click button “Remove from Folder”.
4. All items in the “holding tank” folder should disappear.

 

NOTE: Do NOT click on the “delete” button to empty “last imported” folder. Delete removes ALL copies of item from ALL folders, simultaneously.

 

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