SubscribeThis post is in response to inquiries from Education graduate students who use the web-based RefWorks citation management solution for harvesting journal citations, but would like to ultimately have their citations reside in the desktop-based EndNote software. Presuming you are familiar with RefWorks, we will proceed from the point at which you have collectied citations in a specific RefWorks folder, and are prepared to export them to a text file on your desktop for later use with EndNote. This also presumes you have downloaded and installed EndNote from the Drexel IRT software website.
Step one: Create a new folder using the "New Folder" button.
Step two: Save all the citations you want to export in one folder. Do this by selecting the checkbox for each desired citation and floating over the icon of a folder with a small green circle that has a white plus sign. Click on the name of the target folder you created - like in my example "All important stuff."
Step three: You will get a small pop-up feedback window in the bottom right of the screen that says you were successful.
Step four: Then click on the folder tab that says "Organize and Share Folders" and select the folder you created that has the contents you wish to export. The name of the folder shows up in the breadcrumbs navigation at the top of the page.
Step five: Then look uner the topmost menu option for "References" and select "Export."
Step six: You will get a large pop-up "Export References" window that prompts you to choose some or all of the records in your selected folder. It also asks you to "Select an Export Format." If you are exporting with the intention of moving your citations into EndNote, then you should choose "RefWorks Tagged Format."
Step seven: The next step surprised me. I thought the results would output to a ".TXT" file and ask me to save it on my desktop. But instead it opens a new browser tab and shows me the plain text. No worries. Just copy all that text out of the browser, open any text editor you have on your computer, such as NotePad. You can even use MSWord. Paste in the text and save the new document on your desktop with a name you'll remember. Be sure this document has been "Saved As" a text document and has the ".TXT" file extension.
Step eight: Now you open EndNote. Find the icon with the green arrow up on the top menu ribbon.
Step nine:On the "Import File" window, use the "Choose" button to navigate on your computer's desktop to find the .TXT file of citations you exported from RefWorks in Step Seven, above. Important! On this same menu, use the drop down menue to set your "Import Option" to "RefWorks Import."
Step ten: Savor the feeling of accomplishment!
Comments or questions? Please email siftar@drexel.edu
