Choosing a Citation Manager: From RefWorks

To export your citations from RefWorks, you need to follow these steps. But also keep in mind different citation managers prefer different output formats from RefWorks. Keep in mind this will export all of your references without the folders that are present in your RefWorks account. If you would like to preserve the folder structure then please click this link to see our next box that has steps on doing this.

Consult this table to see which you should choose:

1. Log into your RefWorks account
2. Now click on the References button in the top left side of your account and select the Export option. Like so:
   
3. Now you need to select the output option that matches the manager that you are moving into. See the table at the top of this box for the ideal output format for you. Do note that you need to specify whether you want to export only selected references, all the references in the page, or all in the list. Be sure to select the right option for you.
   
4. RefWorks will build a list of your citations. A new window may open with all the references or a window that prompts you to download a file. If the download window pops up, disregard this step. You may have to right click on the link will allow you to download the file. You can do so in the bottom right corner of your RefWorks account. Like so:
   

Now you have your references ready to import into the new citation manager!

When you're exporting from RefWorks, you may want to preserve your folder structure rather than dumping all your references into one long list. The previous steps outline how to get all your references out of RefWorks without folder structure, but if you want to preserve your folder structure there is an alternative way of semi-quickly exporting from RefWorks.

Consult this table to see which you should choose:

1. Log into your RefWorks account
2. Now click on the Organize & Share Folders button in the right side of your main references screen. Like so:
   
3. In this pane you will see a listing of your folders and if you click on the left folder icon for each individual folder, you will be able to export your references from that individual folder. Like so:
   
4. Now you need to select the output option that matches the manager that you are moving into. See the table at the top of this box for the ideal output format for you. Be sure to select the right option for you.
   
5. RefWorks will build a list of your citations. A new window may open with all the references or a window that prompts you to download a file. If the download window pops up, disregard this step. You may have to right click on the link will allow you to download the file. You can do so in the bottom right corner of your RefWorks account. Like so:
   
6. Now repeat these steps for each folder you have. You may want to rename the files you're exporting to the folder names so you can keep them organized when you import them into your new citation management program.

Now you have your references ready to import into the new citation manager!

1. Open Endnote and click on File then Import and then File. Like so:
   
2. Now browse for the file that you exported from RefWorks and be sure to select the Reference Manager (RIS) Import option and then select Import.
   
3. Now your RefWorks references will be imported into your Endnote Library.

You will need to export your references (all or a subset) as a BibTeX file.

In Refworks:

• Select Export from the References or Tools menu
• Select the references to export
• Select BibTeX as Export Format and click Export

Then from within Lean Library Workspace (Sciwheel) (F1000):

• Click Import References and choose RIS, BIB & EndNote XML files
• Select the RefWorks BibTeX file that you just exported
• Click Open and the references will be added to Lean Library Workspace (Sciwheel)

1. Open Mendeley and select File then Import then select the BibTeX (*.bib) option.
   
2. You do need to be sure to select the Text (*.txt) option to the right to make sure that you can view the text file that RefWorks exported.
   
3. Now your RefWorks references will be imported into your Endnote Library.

1. Open Zotero and click on the Gear icon and select Import. Like so:
   
2. Select the file that you exported from RefWorks and click open.