Can I use Overleaf with RefWorks?

Yes, you can export your bibliography from RefWorks to use in Overleaf. Furthermore, if you save this exported file to a location which allows direct linking (e.g. Google Drive), it's easy to keep it in sync when you add new references.

How to export your .bib file from RefWorks

First, you'll need to log into RefWorks online. Once logged in, if you go to the references menu/tab you should see an option to Export files. Click on Export, and in the drop-down menu, choose the folder that contains the references you'd like to export. From the list of export types, click to select BibTeX - RefWorks ID and click the 'Export References' button. Save the generated file, naming the file with a .bib file extension to create a BibTeX file.

You can now add your bibliography to your Overleaf projects as described below.

How to add a bibliography to your document

First of all you need to upload the .bib file you just exported from RefWorks to Overleaf via the Project > Add Files menu. If you use a cloud-based document management service such as Google Drive, you can do this in a way which will link the files to allow for easy updating of you bib file in future—see this help article for more details.

Once your bibliography file has been uploaded, there are a number of bibliography packages which can be used to display the relevant entries in your document (as you cite them). As an example, we often use the natbib package, and the commands for natbib look like:

...
\usepackage{natbib}
...
\begin{document}
...
\bibliographystyle{plainnat}
\bibliography{name-of-your-bib-file-here}
\end{document}

You can also edit the bib file directly via the files menu. For additional information on adding a bibliography to your document, see Part 2 of our Intro to LaTeX course, or check out the LaTeX Wikibook.