Last Updated: Friday, 03 July 2009, 14:31 GMT

Frequently Asked Questions About Refworld

Note: A pdf-version of this compilation of answers to frequently asked questions is available on Refworld here.

General

What is Refworld? [ Top ]

Refworld is a collection of relevant and updated public-domain documents from UNHCR and information partners throughout the world. It contains over 100,000 full-text searchable documents updated and expanded regularly. UNHCR makes a selection of protection information, which is deemed to be relevant for UNHCR staff, government policy and decision makers, non-governmental organizations, the judiciary, lawyers, researchers and academics working in the field of asylum and refugee related matters.

Responsibility for the production of Refworld lies with UNHCR's Status Determination and Protection Information Section (SDPIS) in the Division of International Protection Services (DIPS). It was published by the Centre for Documentation and Research (CDR) from 1994 to 2003. Refworld is technically made possible by the development efforts of UNHCR's Electronic Publishing Unit (EPU) in the Division of External Relations (DER).

See for more details the "Refworld portal" on the UNHCR website or the "Frequently asked questions about Refworld" page of Refworld online.

How often is Refworld updated? [ Top ]

Refworld is updated every (UNHCR Headquarters) working day. Therefore, new UNHCR papers, country reports, documents from various UN sources, case law, legislation and such are added on a daily basis.

Please see the "Latest Refworld updates" page of Refworld online for the most recent additions.

Is the use of Refworld free of charge? [ Top ]

Yes. Anyone can use the website at www.refworld.org without paying any subscription fees. In June 2008, several personalization features have been added to Refworld, which enable you to create your own profile, save searches and receive alerts that match your interests. However, the use of Refworld remains free of charge.

How can I receive Refworld's information alerts? [ Top ]

The Refworld team regularly sends out e-mail notifications regarding recently released papers of interest, in order to increase awareness of UNHCR recommendations, guidelines and related documents. If you are not already on the distribution list, you may request to be added by sending an e-mail to refworld@unhcr.org.

An overview of all distributed alerts is available through the "Information alerts" page of Refworld online.

Was Refworld issued on CD-Rom and on DVD? If so, is it still available in these formats? [ Top ]

Refworld was formerly published on CD-Rom, and as of 2006 in DVD-format. Due to limitations of space on these media and lack of update capacity, UNHCR decided to focus on and enhance its Internet-based Refworld platform. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees launched the new website version on 14 June 2007. UNHCR has no immediate plans for launching a new DVD-version of Refworld, although it continues to look for solutions for users to build their own offline libraries based on Refworld content. This may change if sufficient demand exists for a comprehensive offline solution.

Several types of information that used to be available on Refworld CD/DVD are no longer included on www.refworld.org. This information can, however, still be accessed through the primary UNHCR website: Evaluation and policy analysis; Global Appeal and Global Report; information from the UNHCR Library, including the Library Catalogue; Statements by the High Commissioner for Refugees; Statistics, and The State of The World's Refugees.

Who can I contact if I have any questions or feedback? [ Top ]

You are welcome to contact SDPIS at refworld@unhcr.org. For questions relating to technical support, please contact EPU at hqepu@unhcr.org. Full contact details can be found on the "Contact" page of Refworld online.

Information Sources

What kind of information is included in Refworld? [ Top ]

Refworld contains a large collection of reports relating to situations in countries of origin and asylum, policy documents and positions, documents relating to international and national legal frameworks, and other reference documents. The information has been carefully selected and compiled from UNHCR's global network of field offices, governments, international, regional and non-governmental organizations, academic institutions and judicial bodies.

You can access and browse the various categories of information by clicking on the following links. The "Country collection" contains annual reports, country news, country reports, state party reports, concluding observations and other documents providing factual information. Documents in the "Legal collection" range from multilateral treaties, national legislation and regional legislation, to case law, court interventions, legal analysis and conclusions on international protection.

The "Policy collection" consists of documents with a policy statement or point of view, such as country positions, protection policy papers and positions, thematic guidelines and statements on international protection. Finally, the "Reference collection" gives access to documents such as maps, handbooks, training manuals and research papers.

Does UNHCR agree with all the information available on Refworld? [ Top ]

Not necessarily. While UNHCR has carefully selected all documents available on this website, according to established criteria for inclusion, it is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, the content of the non-UNHCR documents and materials available on Refworld.

Please see all "UNHCR Refworld disclaimers" of Refworld online.

Who are Refworld's partners? [ Top ]

Refworld's information partners provide it with a critical mass of knowledge and information and are selected among non-governmental organizations, intergovernmental organizations, academic institutions and national governments. Refworld's partners are widely recognized, particularly in jurisprudence, for having achieved a reputation for delivering authoritative, relevant and timely assessments and analysis of socio-political, human rights, and legal situations around the world.

Note that further distribution and/or any commercial use of the documents on Refworld online are strictly forbidden without the permission of the original copyright holder.

Please see the "Partners" page of Refworld online for more details on Refworld's Strategic Information Partners.

Using Refworld

How can I search Refworld? [ Top ]

On the homepage of the Refworld website, you will find at the top left a very powerful and reliable full-text search box. Please take some time to read through the "Search tips", in order to be most efficient. Search results will be by default displayed in order of relevance. A filter bar is included through which you can further re-fine your search results, by searching for words in the title/full-text or a specific year of publication, and/or display your results by date.

The "Advanced search" will give you extended options to limit and expand your search.

How can I browse the information available in Refworld? [ Top ]

There are various ways of browsing through the Refworld collection. Firstly, there is an option to select a particular region or country through the left navigation menu of Refworld online. By selecting a region/country, you will have a display all information in Refworld relating to that region/country, from all sources in reverse chronological order. Note that the top right of the Refworld homepage gives quick access to the top countries of origin. The ranking of these countries is regularly updated on the basis of UNHCR and government statistics.

You also have the option to browse documents by topics covering a wide array of subject areas. These include aspects of international refugee law, international humanitarian and human rights law, specific groups, durable solutions, and domestic legal regimes. Click on the listing of all topics from A to Z, or use the list of topic categories ("chapters") to view a more detailed listing of sub-topics.

If you are looking for documents from a particular source, it is easiest to access the Refworld collection by publisher. The listing of more than 300 sources is available from A to Z, or by publisher category (type of organization). Publishers include governments, non-governmental organizations, United Nations and other international organizations, judicial bodies, and others.

Finally, it is also possible to browse the collection by document type. This is especially useful when you want to limit your search to a particular type of information, such as case law, maps or national legislation.

An "A - Z Index" is available on Refworld online, which combines all publishers (sources), document types (types of information) and topics (keywords) in one list, in order to further increase usability. In addition, the "Site Map" is also useful in assisting you to browse Refworld.

What is the easiest way to view documents? [ Top ]

Documents included in Refworld are either in html-format () or in pdf-format (). In order to view documents in pdf-format, you will need to have Acrobat Reader installed on your computer.

Every time you open a document in Refworld (whatever format), you will see a table/box at the top of the page, which includes the core data relating to that document (title, publisher, publication date), as well as additional information such as the citation or document symbol, other language versions where available, related documents when applicable, and comments or remarks. The table/box also includes a feature ("cite as") which can be used when you would like to cite a document that you found in Refworld.

When opening a document in html-format, at the top you will have the option to change the font size of the viewed document ("text size") or to e-mail the document to yourself or someone else that might be interested ("email this document"). When you want to print or save the document, please make sure to use the "printable version" option, as it will provide you with a clean copy of the document, without the Refworld frame. You can search for words in the document, by using the Ctrl-F option.

When opening a document in pdf-format, you will similarly have the option to e-mail the document to yourself or someone else that might be interested ("email this document"). In addition, you can open the document in a new browser window, so that you will have more space to view the document, without the Refworld frame. To print or save and to search within documents in pdf-format, you should use the Adobe Reader toolbar.

Is Refworld available in different languages? [ Top ]

Refworld is, in principle, an English-language information tool. However, many hundreds of documents are available in French and Spanish. UNHCR's position papers are available in English and French (whenever there is a translation). Some documents in Refworld are also available in German and Portuguese (mostly legislation and case law from selected countries).

Since September 2007, the Refworld team is including documents in additional languages in the database. For example, documents from the main United Nations bodies are now added in all six official UN languages. These other language versions are accessible through the English version of the document, by clicking on the "Other languages" option.

What are Refworld's personalization features?[ Top ]

Refworld offers the possibility to create a personal profile, through which you can further optimize and personalize your Refworld experience. The personalization features enable you to maintain your Refworld profile, save searches, create folders with specific documents, and receive alerts that match your interests. It is easy and quick to initially create a profile through the register/login box on the right side of the Refworld homepage. While registering, you can indicate your interest in being notified of Refworld updates regarding specific countries, specific publishers/sources, and specific document types. You will then automatically receive a weekly update of new documents in Refworld that match your interests. To unsubscribe to certain items, simply return to your profile and deselect the items for which you no longer wish to receive alerts.

Once logged in, you can save a search that you have done either through the full-text search or by using the "Advanced search". Above your listing of search results (and under the regular filter bar), you will notice a personalization bar (marked in green) that you can use to save your search. In addition, all documents in a document listing (both when searching and when browsing) will have a check-box in front of them. You can select as many documents as you like, and add them to your folders of choice, also through the green personalization bar.

Through the link to "Your Profile" in the header of the Refworld website (marked in green), you can at all times edit your profile and preferences, access your folders and saved searches, and manage or delete them.

Creating a Refworld profile is free-of-charge, and is not needed to be able to use www.refworld.org for other than the above-mentioned functions.

See for more information the "Refworld personalization" page of Refworld online.

What are Refworld's RSS feeds?[ Top ]

RSS, or Real Simple Syndication, allows you to choose to receive updates from websites that you visit frequently. You can view RSS feeds by installing a desktop RSS reader, or through free web-based readers such as Google Reader, My Yahoo or RSS Feed Reader. RSS readers will select information from a variety of sources that you can subscribe to, and combine them for display in a single location. This means that you will no longer have to visit individual websites to find out what is new.

Refworld offers RSS feeds for its "Latest Updates" and for each of its country pages (see the RSS feed logo ( rss ) on, for example the Afghanistan country page (leading to http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/rss/AFG.xml). When using any of these feeds, you can simply scan headlines or brief summaries of the latest documents and click on the titles to read the full text.

What are Refworld's "Special Features"? [ Top ]

Refworld contains several so-called "Special Features", developed by UNHCR staff with expertise in these areas. They are thematic guides that provide quick access in a structured manner to key documents and related parts of Refworld. For example, the Special Feature on Refugee Status Determination shortlists the 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees and other relevant legal documents, as well as the key policy documents relating to refugee status determination, country-specific information, and related UNHCR and external weblinks.

Please see the "Special Features" page of Refworld online for an alphabetical listing of the currently available Special Features. Additional ones are being developed. The Special Features are also accessible through the Refworld homepage.

What is Refworld's "Protection Starter Kit"?[ Top ]

The "Protection Starter Kit" is a compilation of basic protection and protection-related documents, which has been developed on the request of, and to benefit newly recruited UNHCR staff (including JPOs) as well as deployees and UNVs working with UNHCR. It brings together key documents that all staff who are undertaking protection activities on behalf of UNHCR should be familiar with. Given the nature of the compilation, it may also be of value to members of civil society (e.g.: NGOs, lawyers, academics, students) who wish to enhance their understanding of UNHCR and its protection mandate. The compilation is organized through several main themes, such as "Durable solutions" and "Refugee status determination".

What is Refworld's collection of external links?[ Top ]

Refworld's collection of external links is a directory of selected information sources that deal with refugees, asylum, human rights and related topics, or that provide (country-specific or thematic) information otherwise useful for practitioners. Maintained by the Refworld team, it is UNHCR's collection of weblinks relevant to the work and mandate of the organization. Currently containing more than 2,000 links to generally regarded relevant Internet sources, the collection has been compiled and thematically organized by type of organization, topic, regions and countries they relate to.

This additional service has been provided to facilitate research by providing a mechanism to access information that may be relevant for decision-makers and is not necessarily included in Refworld. It is possible to browse the collection by type of organization, topic/keyword, region or country, and to search by using the filter bar.

All country-specific weblinks are also accessible by going to the Refworld page of the country concerned (by using the country pull-down menu in the left navigation bar), and clicking on the tab "External Links" on the right of the country name.

Refworld's collection of external links is available through the "External links" under "Additional resources" in the left menu of Refworld online, or directly at www.unhcr.org/refworld/links.html.

Training

Do you offer any training? [ Top ]

SDPIS offers possibilities for training on country research standards and the use of Refworld. In case of interest, please send your request to refworld@unhcr.org.

I want to teach my colleagues and counterparts about Refworld. Do you have any training materials available that I can use? [ Top ]

Refworld online is an intuitive decision support platform. Its powerful search function (including search tips and custom-designed search forms) and browsing capabilities make it easy to use. Anyone who is familiar with browsing the Internet should be able to find information and navigate easily. However, please contact the Refworld team at refworld@unhcr.org in case you need specific presentation/teaching materials or require the Refworld team to organize a training programme specifically suited to your needs.

Do you have any materials available for training on country research standards that I can use? [ Top ]

In case of interest in country research and publication standards, you are invited to take a look at the documents highlighted on the "Standards and Training" page of Refworld online. In addition, please contact the Refworld team at refworld@unhcr.org in case you need specific presentation/teaching materials or require the Refworld team to organize a training programme specifically suited to your needs.

Last updated: October 2008

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