Recently I have seen some discussion on the library lists about reference manager programs. Insitutions that require a lot of publishing from their employees will be quite familiar with idea of reference managers.

Reference managers allow people to import references from online databases, store them, and then they can use these references in writing their papers. The reference manager works with the word processing software to automatically format the paper and the bibliography in seconds according to the the required writing style. For example I intend to write a paper for the journal Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America on seperatition anxiety and children in daycare. I search the databases and find some citations to articles I want. I download (import) these citations into a reference manager which creates a mini database of my citations. As I write my paper I decide that I want to cite a reference, so I click the apropriate cite button in my Word progam. The reference manager works with my Word program to creat the citation acording the style I choose. Since the above journal uses the AMA writing style, will import the citation and create a bibliography according to the AMA style. Once I am finished typing my paper all of the citations and the bibliography are according to the style the journal requires. No more fussing with writing styles, no more manipulating bibilographies. Ok lets say I get rejected from the first journal and I decide to try my chances with the journal Child Development. However, they want their papers in APA format. All I do is go back into my paper in Word, click on the appropriate button to change citation formats and boom everything is formatted to the APA style. No re-typing, re-working, and re-organizing, where as if I hadn't used a citation manager I would have to do it all by hand.

The most common reference managers used are RefMan, EndNote, and ProCite. It is no surprise that all three of these programs are produced by one company, ISI. These products are costly, around $300 and $100 for upgrades. Additionally, the product only runs on the computer you installed it on. So if you do a lot research on different computers you have a problem.

Enter RefWorks. RefWorks is created by the people who originally created RefMan (before it was bought by ISI). RefWorks does the same thing that other reference managers do and is more flexible. RefWorks is an internet program. So you can do research from any computer and and upload, download, write and cite your citations from any computer that has internet access. There are no upgrades to buy, as it changes and upgrades, it is reflected in the internet program. Finally it is very reasonable. It cost $70 for an individual subscription a year! Since there are no upgrades to pay for, you just have to pay $70 each year. Not a bad deal. RefWorks also does institutional subscriptions. RefWorks works particularily well with institutions, because users can collaborate and share citations with each other and not have to worry about what computer they are one and whether the other user is using the same version of the program.

So you can see RefWorks is a force to be reckoned with.