Multiple Accounts/Users
RefWorks allows users to create and access multiple accounts, and accounts may be shared with other people in several ways. This can be helpful if two or more people are working on the same project. There are three options for sharing references between two or more people.Group Accounts
- The simplest way to share an account is simply to create a new account (see Registering for RefWorks) and give it a name and password which all group members know. Any member will be able to add, import and export references; create and organize folders; and create bibliographies.
- Multiple users may sign into an account at the same time, allowing several people to work with the references at once.
Read-Only Access
- Alternatively, an account owner may wish to give viewing access, but not editing access, to one or more other people.
- To do this, go to "Update User Information" under the "Tools" menu. Beneath the main account information is a space labeled "Read-Only Password." Enter a password of your choosing (NOT the same as your own password for the account), and give your login name and this read-only password to anyone you wish to view the account.
- These persons will then be able to log in using the read-only password, and will be able to view, search, and create bibliographies from your saved references, but not to add to, edit or delete them.
- Persons signing in for read-only access, like account owners, must either link through the library homepage or sign in remotely using the BU Group Code, and must have a BU ID and Kerberos password.
RefShare
- RefShare, a third way of sharing information, allows an account owner to give limited access to either a single folder or an entire database from within a RefWorks account. The 'sharing' user will be given a specific URL to view the account, and will see only the information designated by the main user.
- To give another person shared access to a folder or database, go to "Share Folder" under the "Folders" menu, or "Share References" under the "Tools" menu.
- Click either "Share entire database" (for all the references stored in that RefWorks account) or "Share folder" (for only the references stored in a specific folder you designate). A screen will appear listing various options: you can allow or disallow exporting, printing, bibliography creation, comments, etc. Set up the options as desired and click 'save' to store them.
- You must then click "Email URL" (near the top of the page) to specify the person or persons to whom you are sending the information. Enter the email or emails, and add a note to the text box below if you wish (the default text is a brief description of the RefWorks database, a URL, and instructions on how to access and use the shared information). Click "Send email."
- The recipient will receive an email message with a link to the shared information. Clicking the link will take the user to a screen similar to the main RefWorks front page, but with limited menu options allowing the person to search and view the references in the shared account or folder, but not to add to, edit or delete them.
- To change the sharing options, go back to "Share Folder" under the "Folders" menu, or "Share References" under the "Tools" menu: any shared items will be listed, and you can click "options" to change the details of the sharing (and, within this screen, "send email" to share with more people), or "remove share" to end access to the information. "Statistics" allows you to see how many times the shared information has been accessed.
- It is possible to give this shared viewing access to a person who is not a member of the BU community, who will be able to view the information without signing in or linking through the library home page.
