You may have received an email from RefWorks recently explaining why some log-in names have been changed. Here is what we received:
We’re changing the log in process to eliminate the need for users to supply a Group Code during login – a feature many of our users have asked for. This means that every user must have a unique log-in name, such as their email address.
So, what they did was basically change log-in names that were duplicated by other users. How did it work? Well, here is an example RefWorks included in an email:
- Let’s say you have an account named ellen. However, there are two people at other schools in Canada who also have accounts named ellen. Whichever ellen has been accessed the most recently or most frequently will get to keep the name.
- The next most recently/frequently used ellen will have the login name changed to the e-mail address associated on the account. (ex. ellen.jones@uofu.ca )
- Any subsequent accounts named ellen will get prefixed with a unique number identifier. (ex. 1234_ellen )
Make sense? If you are still confused, you can get more information from RefWorks at refworks.support@scholarsportal.info or you can get some home-grown help from the UBC Library RefWorks page.