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Tutorial: RefWorks

Reading Documents in RefWorks

RefWorks has a built-in reader and you can store 10 GB worth of documents in your account – no need for a PDF reader or special app to read your documents.  You can read and access supported documents anywhere, with just a web browser. Simply select the reference with the document and click the Read button in the viewing pane (See Figure 1).  The full document or article will open for you to read and annotate.  If the item does not contain a document, the reference metadata will display.

Figure 1 Open the document by clicking on the Read button

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You have several options, all of which can be found on the tool bar on the top of the page (See Figure 2):

  • Return to your collection
  • Zoom in or zoom out on the document for enhanced viewing
  • Print a copy of the document
  • Download a PDF version of the document to your computer
  • Highlight certain portions of the text
  • Comment on the selected text
  • Add notes to the document that you are viewing
  • Edit the document reference data

Figure 2 Tools menu to annotate your document from within RefWorks

Annotating Documents in RefWorks

You can annotate any of your own documents saved in RefWorks. You may be able to annotate documents shared with you if you have been given permission to annotate and/or modify the document. 

Annotating

To annotate a document, select the reference with the document and click the Read button in the viewing pane. The document will display in the reader.   Click the Document Notes icon  from the reader menu and enter your notes. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Highlighting

If you wish to make highlight areas of text, select the text area you wish to make a note for using the Highlight Selected Text icon and select words of text by clicking and dragging through the lines of text.

 

 

 

 

 

 

To remove highlighting, click the highlighted area until the delete option displays then choose Delete Conversation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Commenting

You may also click and drag using the Comment icon to highlight the text and associate a comment with it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can change the color of your note and the associated highlighted text, edit your note or you can delete your note completely by clicking on the three dots at the far right in the note.

 

 

A note indicator will also appear to the far right of the selected area and you may access the note in the manner as well. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once you type a note, it is automatically saved.

Accessing your Documents Offline

RefWorks allows you to view and read your documents without being connected to the internet using a service called Dropbox.   You’ll need to download the Dropbox installer and create a Dropbox account which you will link to your RefWorks account.

To link RefWorks to Dropbox

  1. Log into RefWorks.
  2. Click your name, then select Tools
  3. In the General area, scroll down the page until you see a section of the page called Dropbox.  Click the Connect button.
  4.  If you have a Dropbox account, enter your login credentials and click Sign in.  If you are new to Dropbox, click the “create an account” link on the Dropbox site and download and install Dropbox on your computer.
  5. You’ll be asked to give RefWorks permission to create a folder in your Dropbox called ProQuest RefWorks in your Apps folder.  This is where RefWorks will place a copy of your articles.

 

You can only store your own articles in Dropbox – articles in shared collections are not included.  All of your articles (regardless of what Collection they are filed in) are saved to your ProQuest RefWorks folder in your Apps folder.

After you first set up your connection from RefWorks to Dropbox, newly uploaded documents you save to RefWorks are automatically saved in Dropbox as well as when you remove a document from your RefWorks library, we’ll also remove it from Dropbox as well.

To disconnect your RefWorks account from Dropbox

  1.  Log in to RefWorks.
  2. Click your name, then select Tools
  3. In the "General" area, scroll down and click the Unlink button in the Dropbox area of the page.



 
RefWorks will no longer sync your files with Dropbox.  Articles currently in your ProQuest RefWorks folder in Dropbox will remain. If you need to change your Dropbox account associated with RefWorks, see these directions on how to do so.