What is RefWorks and why would I want to use it?

RefWorks is a web-based software application that helps you manage citations. It helps you keep track of the sources you are using for your research and your own notes about the sources. It is web-based (no special software installation, downloads, or plug-ins required). It will also create bibliographies for you in the format you specify (APA, IEEE, etc.).

See: Refworks Overview for more information

How do I set up RSS feeds in Refworks?

After you logon to your Refworks account, click on RSS Feed under ‘Search’ Tab. Enter the ‘RSS Feed URL’ in the search box and click on ‘Add RSS Feed’ button.

More tips: In your Refworks account, bring your cursor to ‘Help’ tab. Select ‘Tutorials’ and then click on ‘Refworks Advanced’. Go to ‘Importing from RSS feeds’ section of this virtual tutorial.

See: Using RSS to increase user awareness of e-resources in academic libraries for more information on RSS feeds and how you can keep up-to-date with new research articles from electronic databases such as Ei compendex and INSPEC.

Instructors can link directly to most of the libraries’ electronic resources from class web pages, including Blackboard Vista. However, because Library’s e-resources are available through subscriptions and licensing agreements, and are not part of the “free web”, it is important to construct links carefully to ensure that they will work for all students, whether on-campus or off-campus.

Suppose you need to add the journal article titled ‘An integrated systems engineering approach to aircraft design’ in Blackboard Vista course that you want your students in your class to read. This article is published in the Journal ‘Progress in Aerospace Sciences’ , Volume 42, Issue 4, June 2006, Pages 331-376 and has a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) of doi:10.1016/j.paerosci.2006.11.002.

(NOTE: A digital object identifier (DOI) can be used to cite and link to electronic documents. A DOI is guaranteed never to change, so you can use it to link permanently to electronic documents.)

Follow the steps below

1. Add http://dx.doi.org/ before doi:10.1016/j.paerosci.2006.11.002

2. Use Link Maker at http://www.library.drexel.edu/resources/urltester/urlmaker.php. This reformats the link to a restricted resource so that it works from off-campus.

3. Paste http://dx.doi.org/doi:10.1016/j.paerosci.2006.11.002 in the blank box . Click on ‘Create Link’.

4. Copy the new enhanced URL that appears in ‘New Link’ box and Paste it where you are linking the article.

Use the same procedure to link articles or databases of your choice in Blackboard Vista.

See Linking to the Library’s Electronic Resources from Class Webpages for more information.