On Sept. 30, the subscription to UCCS’ citation manager service RefWorks will expire and no longer be available to students.
RefWorks is the citation manager provided by the Kraemer family. It can be used as an organization tool to compartmentalize during writing and research processes, collect all citations used in one place and store article PDFs. The Mendeley Reference Management Software will take its place.
RefWorks is the citation manager provided by the Kraemer family. It can be used as an organization tool to compartmentalize during writing and research processes, collect all citations used in one place and store article PDFs. The Mendeley Reference Management Software will take its place.
According to Director of Learning, Research and Engagement Norah Mazel, due to the ProQuest development company’s lack of improvements and recent discontinuation of the RefWorks legacy version, the library has decided against renewing their three-year contract.
“The primary driver is the fact that the company is just not really supporting it on their end, and Mendeley, for example, just had a major update launched last year by the company that owns them,” Mazel said.
Mendeley is free, so the funds used to pay for RefWorks will be absorbed back into the library’s material budget and dispersed for other subscription tools, such as databases that provide access to academic journals and electronic books.
“I would say the thing I like best about Mendeley is for both systems, you can move information about sources into them by installing a plugin to your internet browser, and I have found the Mendeley one works much better,” Mazel said.
Students and faculty using RefWorks are encouraged to migrate their information libraries to Mendeley through the file format accessible by both programs for the fall 2024 semester. Mazel noted there will be continued communication from the Kraemer Family Library to make the transition smoother.
Assistance for UCCS community members who are interested in learning how to use Mendeley as their primary citation manager will also be provided throughout this transition.
“We’re also developing supporting documentation on our website, like our online guides, to explain how to work with and transfer libraries if needed.” Mazel said.
Students looking for assistance in how to use Mendeley can reach out to Mazel by emailing [email protected].
The research assistance desk in the Kraemer Family Library also offers services for research questions and finding sources. The desk is available from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. on Friday. An online chat connected to library faculty members is available during this time as well.
More information about the library’s hours, resources and services offered can be found on their website.
RefWorks login page for UCCS students. Photo by Megan Moen.