This guide was developed with systematic reviews in mind, but the process is certainly valid for anyone who uses RefWorks. It's a good idea to get duplicate items out of your everyday RefWorks account-- you can always save an item that is already in RefWorks into a new folder for a new paper.
But-- if you are working on a systematic review, you need to follow the guidelines presented here.
Note: You should have a new RefWorks account that has been customized and with the designated folders already created. If you have not done that yet, be sure to look at Prepare Your RefWorks Account for a Systematic Review before going any further.
Pick a database that is your primary database. Your primary database should be the first database you search. Whenever a duplicate is found between it and another database, the duplicate in the other database is the one that is deleted.
What is the difference between an internal and an external duplicate?
Internal duplicates are duplicates that are found within the same database.
External duplicates are duplicates that are found when you compare results between two databases. One duplicate is found in one database, the other duplicate is found in the other database.
Remember-- you should check for internal duplicates EACH time you import from a database!