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CWYW 22: When I try to Generate Bibliography I get the following error: "A Reference Manager reference cannot be read (error 7401)". How can I resolve this?

Answer: The solution to this issue depends on the version of Reference Manager you are using.

Reference Manager 10 and later:

Error 7401 generally indicates that a specific RefID in one of your citations is invalid or can't be found in the database (because, for example, the reference was deleted). First make a backup copy of the document. If you can identify the citation that is causing the error you can delete it and reinsert it again. Just make sure that you delete the entire citation including any hidden field codes (you can toggle field codes on and off by pressing Alt-F9 in MS Word).

If this does not immediately resolve the error then try the following:

  1. Use the Reference Manager tools to Revert to Original Text, in the "Author, Date, RefID" format.

  2. Do the following:

    In Word 2007 with Reference Manager 12, the "Reference Manager 12 tab, select "Preferences."

    In Word 2007 with Reference Manager 10/11, the Add-Ins tab, select "Reference Manager > Cite While You Write Preferences."

    In Word 2000/XP/2003 go to the "Tools" menu, select "Reference Manager > Cite While You Write Preferences."

    Click on the Temporary Citations tab, and make sure that Format is set to "Author Date RefID". Make sure you have the Ref Man database(s) used in this paper open.

  3. After reverting, Generate Bibliography again. If a window labeled "Reference Manager Select Matching Reference" comes up, refer to this FAQ for more information.

Reference Manager 9.5:

Error 7401 generally indicates that a specific RefID in one of your citations is invalid or can't be found in the database (because, for example, the reference was deleted). First make a backup copy of the document. One way you can identify the problem citation(s) is to place your cursor at the beginning of the document and choose Unformat Citations from the Ref Man tools in Word. Usually this will stop and give you an error message when it comes to the problem citation which it will highlight. If your screen does not show the citation just click the left or right arrow key and the screen should jump to the cursor which will be next to the problem citation. If you can identify the citation that is causing the error you can delete it and reinsert it again. Just make sure that you delete the entire citation including any hidden field codes (you can toggle field codes on and off by pressing Alt-F9 in MS Word).

If this does not immediately resolve the error then try the following:

  1. Use the Reference Manager tools to Revert to Original Text, in the "Author, Date, RefID" format.

  2. After reverting scan the document again. When you scan make sure that you Scan for Identifying Text and that you select your database in the "Look in" box or if using multiple databases make sure they are all open and select "All Open Databases".

  3. If a window labelled "No matching references were found" comes up, refer to this FAQ for more information.

If you need further assistance please contact technical support.


This page was last modified on: September 23, 2008

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