RefWorks

RefWorks is a web-based commercial reference management software package. It is produced by RefWorks-COS, a business unit of ProQuest LLC. RefWorks LLC was founded in 2001 and the software was marketed by Cambridge Scientific Abstracts from 2002 until being acquired by ProQuest in 2008.

Functionality and features

Users' reference databases are stored online, allowing them to be accessed and updated from any computer with an internet connection. Institutional licenses allow universities to subscribe to RefWorks on behalf of all their students, faculty and staff. Individual licenses are also available. The software enables linking from a user's RefWorks account to electronic editions of journals to which the institution's library subscribes. This linking is accomplished by incorporating an institution's OpenURL resolver.

Many bibliographic database providers have implemented the ability to export references directly to RefWorks. In some cases (e.g. PubMed) reference citations must be saved to the user's computer as text files and then imported into RefWorks. In 2005 the bibliographic database Scopus formed a partnership with RefWorks to allow enhanced integration between the two products.