Download RefGrab-It

RefGrab-It is an optional feature for capturing bibliographic information from web pages. It is available in two versions -- a bookmarklet that works with either Internet Explorer or Firefox and downloadable plug-ins for Internet Explorer and Firefox.

RefGrab-It looks for information on web pages and if an ISBN number, PubMed ID or DOI exist on the web page, RefGrab-It will automatically search various web resources to get supplemental information that may be of interest to you. RefWorks may also locate RSS feeds related to that web page.

Note: RefGrab-It cannot be used on .pdf files from web sites.

When you use RefGrab-It on a web page, it automatically opens a "temporary results page" in a new window. You can view the information and additional resources first, then decide if you want to import the data.

Information on using RefGrab-It can be found in the online help

Installing RefGrab-It as a bookmarklet in your browser:



Internet Explorer Users (PC)
  1. Enable the Links toolbar in IE by selecting the View menu option, then Toolbars. If Lock the Toolbars is checked, click on it to de-select it. Then, from View, Toolbars click on Links. A checkmark will appear next to Links indicating that this feature is active. The Links toolbar should now be visible at the top right of your browser (it may appear in a slightly different position).
  2. Right-click on this link. A menu will appear.
  3. Select Add to Favorites. You may get a security challenge telling you that you may be adding something that is unsafe. Please say "yes".
  4. The Add Favorite box opens and RefGrab-It should appear in the name box. Click the Create-In button to the right of the name box.
  5. The Add Favorite box expands and you should see the Links folder. Click on Links, then click on OK. A RefGrab-It button will appear in your Links area of the IE toolbar.
Note: If you do not want the RefGrab-It link in your toolbar, you can simply hide the Links area of the toolbar -- select View, Toolbars and de-select Links.

Firefox Users (PC)
  1. Enable the Links toolbar in Firefox by selecting the View menu option, then Toolbars. Click on Bookmarks Toolbar. A checkmark will appear next to Bookmarks Toolbar indicating that this feature is active. The Bookmarks toolbar should now be visible.
  2. Right-click on this link. A menu will appear.
  3. Click on Bookmark This Link.
  4. The Add Bookmark box opens and RefGrab-It should appear in the name box. Click the Create-In drop-down to expand the list. Click on Bookmarks Toolbar. A RefGrab-It button will appear in your Bookmarks area of the Firefox toolbar.
  5. Drag and drop the RefGrab-It link to your personal toolbar.


Netscape Users (PC)
Unfortunately, RefGrab-It is not currently compatible with this browser.

Mac Users:
Firefox and Netscape:
  1. Select Tools, RefGrab-It.
  2. Drag and drop this link to your browser toolbar.

Installing RefGrab-It as a Plug-In:



Note: The plug-in option can be configured for direct export into your account as well as some other options. Click here for information on customizing the plug-in.

To Install RefGrab-It as an Internet Explorer Plug-In:
  1. Click on this RefGrab-It Internet Explorer Plug-In link.
  2. Click the Save button to save a file named Setup.msi to your computer.
  3. Click on the Setup icon on your computer and follow the installation prompts.
To Install RefGrab-It as a Firefox Plug-in:
  1. Click on this RefGrab-It Firefox Plug-In link.
  2. Firefox may prevent you from installing this plug-in due to your security settings. It will have a security message "Firefox prevented this site (www.refworks.com) from asking you to install software on your computer." Click Allow in the security message.
  3. Click the Save button to save a file named Install.xpi to your computer.
  4. Drag the file into an open Firefox window; Firefox will install the plug-in for you. Firefox may also install the plug-in when you begin downloading it, depending on your Firefox setup. You may be prompted to restart your browser.
  5. After you re-start your browser, the Firefox Add-on box will appear with RefGrab-It listed. If you click on the Options button, you can enter your RefWorks login information for direct export of references you wish to import into your RefWorks account. You can also enable an option to export RIS formatted files into RefWorks. By enabling this option (disabled by default) RIS format files which are downloaded will be automatically imported into RefWorks. Click here for information on setting the Options.
  6. Installing the Add-on will add a RefGrab-It icon in the bottom-right corner of the browser (on the right side of the status bar).