When you Direct Export or save
references as a text file for import into RefWorks you should always
check the accuracy and completeness of the information transferred
into RefWorks .
It is best to do this at the time you transfer the references from
a database into RefWorks, with the marked database references still
open in a browser window and available for comparison with the content
transferred into RefWorks.
To properly check the accuracy of the information in RefWorks you should:
- generate
a test bibliography for the reference style you are interested
in with the newly transferred references
- compare the formatting in the test bibliogrpahy with the desired
output for the reference style you are using, e.g.,
APA, MLA, Chicago, etc. If you are not familiar with a particular bibliographic
style, you should consult your teacher, a librarian,
or check some of these illustrative web-based
style guide resources.
This is a reference for an edited book from The
Philosopher's Index.
After the reference is transferred into RefWorks, generate a test
bibliography:
- Click Bibliography on the RefWorks menu bar
- Select an Output Style using the drop-down menu, e.g., APA
- Select the Folder where the reference is located, e.g., Last Imported
- Click the Create Bibliography button
There are two problems with the reference in the test bibliography
below:
- This is an edited book and the test bibliography indicates authorship,
not editorship (Eds.)
- The publisher name is shortened and APA style requires that the
publisher name be spelled out in full.
Changes must be made in the information about the reference in RefWorks.
First, when the reference information was transferred into RefWorks from
the Philosopher's Index, the reference was characterized as a Monograph.
In the RefWorks database, the Editors are listed as Authors.
If you use the drop down menu to change the Ref Type (Reference Type)
from Monograph to 'Book,Edited' you can see that the Editors are now
correctly characterized as 'Editors'.
To correct the second problem, that the publisher name is shortened,
you must edit the publisher name in RefWorks and spell out the originally
shortened name, i.e., Cambridge Univ Pr changed to Cambridge
University Press.
After clicking the Save Changes button, generate another test bibliography.
Below is a correctly formatted citation! Now that that data is correctly
stored in RefWorks, the citation formatting should be correct no matter
what reference style guide you use.
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