Library Portal

What Is Refworks Citation Manager (RCM)?

• RCM is an add-in that connects your RefWorks account to MS Word documents (like Write-n-Cite does).
• RCM uses your existing RefWorks account - there are no changes to RefWorks.

BC Cancer users can find RCM in Word, on all desktops

• RCM has been the current MS Word citation "add-in" or app for RefWorks for many years. New features are being added all the time!
• All BC Cancer users now have access to RCM on the network, including Citrix.
• Write-n-Cite is being discontinued by ProQuest RefWorks in 2025. 

Benefits of RCM

• No install or updates required - no IMITS tickets or forms.  You can begin working right away.
• Colleagues on the same shared Project can also edit the same MS Word documents. Citations link to the Project, not the user.
• Compatible with RCM you might have on your personal computer, even if it's a Mac
• Available when you using Citrix to work remotely, too!

When do we get RCM?

• It is available now. In Word, look for a ribbon bar at the top called "RCM"
• Some users may need a couple more steps to make RCM visible. Instructions are below.
• In Word, users might see extra ribbon bars - you can "uncheck" them to hide the old or unused ones.

How will we start using RCM?

• Your RefWorks account doesn't change.  You can begin using RCM to write new documents at any time.
• You can start adding citations into any document! Replace old, manual citations with new links.
• Some users might have older Write-n-Cite documents needing an upgrade.  RefWorks has a tool in Word to automatically switch Word documents from Write-n-Cite to RCM.
• Reach out to RefWorks Support if you need help with your document.

If you choose to use RCM at home or on your personal device, please follow the instructions provided by RefWorks 

RCM is now deployed for all BC Cancer staff - do not request it or have it installed. 

1. Open Word desktop (blank new document) and look for RCM in the list of toolbars across the top
2. Look for an RCM option in the top area of Word, near the end of the row by "Help" or "View." You might have options (ribbon bars) called RefWorks or References - those are NOT RCM. If you can see RCM, click it and then click the blue RCM button to launch the right side bar.
3. If you do NOT have an option at the top of Word in the ribbon options, “RCM”, you will need to make it visible.
4. If you see two "RCM" ribbon options,see point 2 below to hide the older one (displays an error message).

Making RCM Visible

1. Refresh the Add-Ins in Word. NOTE: see below re: Office 365 / Word 365 in OneDrive (online).

• At the top of Word, look for a button called "Add-ins" (looks like a window drawn in red lines). It will be in the Home or  Insert ribbon. If you get a menu option to choose from, open the full box. The box may be empty, or show one or more apps.
• Click Refresh at the top right.  Up to two dark blue "RW" add-ins will appear. Use the More Add-ins ... link at the bottom to see the details of the different RW options.
• When RCM or RefWorks Citation Manager options appear, choose the one by "Clarivate" (NOT the one by "ProQuest") and  click Add at the bottom of the box. 

2. Check RCM in the Ribbon bar list  (if the above doesn't work) or hide the unwanted second RCM option. 

• Go to the File tab, then choose Options at the bottom of the page, and open the Customize Ribbon options box. 
• On the right, scroll the list of Ribbon tabs available and look for RCM on the list.
• Check RCM to display it. Un-check Refworks - RCM to hide the previous version. 

3.  If you get an Error or cannot connect to RefWorks on first use:

• Restart your computer.  Close all programs first, and reboot. Updates often don't show up until after a restart.
• Open the Write-n-Cite ribbon (called "RefWorks") and Log Out. Then, try opening RCM and logging in to your RefWorks account again.

RCM works in Office 365, OneDrive, Word 365, and ways you might use Word online at PHSA (BC Cancer).

However, the ability to hide or disable tools is limited.  You may see multiple "RCM" choices in your ribbon bars - the library is requesting an update for this. In the meantime, please choose the RCM tool, and ignore other options.  It will look like this in your Word-in-browser window:

Insert citations

1. Click or check references in the RCM pane to build a citation entry at the top of the pane, with one or more items.
2. Insert the entry in your document with the blue “Insert Citation” button.
3. Folders: View a specific folder using the black folder icon pull down arrow. These are folders from your RefWorks account.
4. Search for a keyword or author to locate one specific reference at a time. Ref ID can be searched here also, if you know the number from your main RefWorks account.
5. Edit: In the document, double click an existing reference to open the citation entry at the top of the RCM pane and edit it.

Menu: change your Project, Citation style, and other options

Use the 3 line menu in the blue header bar to access more RCM options

• Citation style: choose a style – this can be changed at any time.
• Project: Check or choose what Project you are in before adding references. One document can only link to a single Project, and the Project can’t be changed after citations are added.
• Bibliography  “Off” – toggle On to view the references list at the end of the document.   Scroll down to see additional options such as getting support.
• Refresh: Document & references update will renew the connection to your main RefWorks account e.g. for changed folders or records.
• Language options
• Help, Support, Knowledge Centre: Find answers to your RCM and RefWorks questions. 
• Log out:  if you are in the wrong account, log out of RefWorks here and then log in to the correct account. Accounts are different from Projects.

Bibliography options

• Use the 4 line “Menu” to turn Bibliography “On”
• Change the Bibliography style in the same 4-line menu
• If changes in the body of the document are not visible in the Bibliography, use the “Document and references” refresh to update it.

Customize citation entries in the text

• Appearance of in-text citations, such as numbers or author-date, are decided by the citation Style
• Added features can be changed in the “Edit Citation” area at the top of the main RCM panel. Click “Edit” next to the displayed entry.
• You can change features depending on the style, for example in author-date styles, you can hide or show the author or date, add a page number, or add a prefix or suffix before / after the in-text entry. Numbered styles  will not show those features.

Remove “codes” from document  

When sending articles or books for publication, or for external sharing, the MS Word codes can be removed.

1. Select all contents in Word (Ctrl+a)
2. Right-click on the content.
3. Click on “Remove Content Control” (it’s Word, not RCM, that handles this task).
4. Note that removing “content control” codes un-links all references, and RCM will not be able to edit, update, or renumber the citations afterwards. It will be manual only. 

RCM (Refworks Citation Manager) 

RCM was added to MS Word for all BC Cancer users, in 2024.  This handy tool allows authors to insert citations as they are writing, and generate a bibliography right in Word!

Updates & Alerts

• Choose wisely - you may see multiple RefWorks/RCM add-ins in your Word ribbon bar. Right click there to "Customize ribbon bar" and un-check both RefWorks and RefWorks - RCM.  You only need the "RCM" option.   
• Opening an old Word document? See the RCM guide for tips on converting to RCM from previous citation manager tools.
• Some documents may fail to upgrade because citations were inserted by a different Write-n-Cite user, e.g. a previous research assistant or former BC Cancer staff. Please contact RefWorks support for help upgrading such documents.

Don't type bibliographies. 

Citation managers are specialized databases for holding references, keeping track of journal articles and other publications, and then producing bibliographies: formatted lists of resources e.g. for CVs or research.

What about documents not in PHSA MS Word?

• Google docs has a RefWorks Citation Manager "extension" for handling references in Docs.  Documents created in Docs vs. MS Word don't keep their citation links when converted from one to the other.  Do all of your references in just one platform - Google Docs or MS Word.
• Non-PHSA computers: If you are using Word on a personal Mac or computer that is not connecting to the PHSA network, you can find and use the RCM add-in for MS Word.  Windows Word documents will keep their citation links between different computers via RCM.  

Other citation managers may be used at PHSA & BC Cancer.

• Zotero is an approved open-source tool that is free to use. Extra storage space does cost. The version available from PHSA IMITS is older, and requires submitting a ticket to have Zotero and the Word plug-in installed on your account.
• Mendeley is an approved plug in / desktop utility, but IMITS offers an older version and requires submitting a ticket to have Mendeley and the MS Word plug in installed. Mendeley is often useful for teams using LaTeX to manage their documents.
• Some teams use EndNote or other programs and have purchased their own license.  Endnote licenses are pricey, and Endnote has some limitations. If your team is considering EndNote, read our main RefWorks explanation of why the BC Cancer Library chose RefWorks.

BC Cancer Library can't offer training for every citation manager program. We may be able to help you find websites with more info.

Learning About RCM

More info on RCM will be coming. Here are links for interested users.

NOTE on installing: These external sites may give install instructions. At BC Cancer, RCM will be deployed centrally. We do not have access to the Microsoft Store. Users are welcome to install RCM on personal devices and computers, to use RefWorks at home or elsewhere.