BU’s RefWorks subscription to end August 31
Boston University’s subscription to the reference manager RefWorks is ending on August 31, 2026, and users will no longer have access to the platform or their collected references after this date. To ensure users can access their references, the BU Libraries are offering support and guidance on exporting references and uploading them to another reference manager. To learn how to export references, download attachments, and upload them to the reference manager Zotero, users can follow the steps found in this guide.
Zotero is an open-source reference manager that easily captures bibliographic information from any web resource and enables quick in-text citation. All BU faculty, students, and staff can download and use Zotero for free. With Zotero, references are saved on your hard drive, and they can be the synced to an online account, so you can access your references from anywhere, and Zotero users continue to have access to the tool and their references, even if they leave BU.
BU Libraries staff are available to assist all RefWorks users during this transition. In addition to this guide, users can get help from a librarian by emailing ask@bu.edu or contacting librarian JD Kotula (jdkotula@bu.edu) if you need further assistance or have additional questions.
The BU Libraries strive to provide library users with the best access to the tools and supports they need to do their research. Beyond this transition, the BU Libraries will continue to provide expertise and support for reference managers, offering individual tutorials, periodic workshops, and guidance on its “Create Bibliographies” guide.