Keeping up to date

Most databases will allow you to save your searches and set up a variety of RSS feeds or email alerts. The process varies with each database.

You will generally need to create an account. Look for links such as Sign In, Log In, Register or anything starting with My... e.g. My Tools, My Account, My Projects etc. 

The option to save a search and set up alerts for new results is usually offered after you have conducted a search. On the results screen look for phrases like Create an Alert, Search Alert, Save Search or symbols such as for saving,  for email or  for RSS feeds.

To set up table of contents alerts you often need to find the record for the journal first. You can usually browse journal titles by subject or alphabetically. Look for tabs or pages such as Browse, Publication List, Title List or Journals. If you know the name of a journal you may be able to search Journal or Source Titles. Once you've found your journal record look for an RSS symbol or words like Create Alert, Content Alert, Publication Alert, TOC Alert. Some databases enable you to subscribe to a journal table of contents alert from article records. If available this functionality is usually more fully described, for example "Create TOC alert for this journal".

Some databases offer citation alerts although this is not as common as search or table of contents alerts. Find the record for the article you wish to create an alert for. Look for terms such as Citation Alert or Track Citation in either the article record or the full text.

You can generally manage your alerts from your account area within the database. Email alerts will often provide a link and instructions on how to modify or delete an alert. RSS feeds can be deleted from your RSS reader.   

All databases have a help page. These often contain a section on setting up alerts and advertise what functionality is available. You may also be able to search a FAQ page for further help. 

Note that the alerts in each database will only return results from that particular database. For example, if you set an author alert in Scopus and that author publishes an article in a journal not indexed in Scopus it will not appear in your author alerts.

Scopus allows you to save your searches, set up email alerts and RSS feeds. You can set up search, author, citation and table of content alerts. To create alerts you will need to be logged into a personalised Scopus account. If you do not have an account you can easily register for your own account. You can edit your alerts anytime via the Alerts tab.

Search Alerts

• Login to your Scopus account or for non account holders, register an account. Login and Register can both be found in the top right corner of the page.
• Enter and run a search. The Search results page appears.
• Above the Search results, select Set alert.
• Select the frequency and format of your alert (eg. weekly or monthly emails) and save.

Note you also have the option to save your search or set an RSS feed based on your search.

Article Citation Alerts

• Login to your Scopus account.
• Find a document you are interested in and go into the article record.
• On the Document details page, select Set citation alert in the Cited by box.

Author alerts 

• Login to your Scopus account.
• Find the details of your author either by running an author search from the Scopus home search page or clicking on the name of the author in a document search (all authors in Scopus article records are linked in blue).
• On the author page you have the option to Follow this Author to receive emails when this author publishes new articles that are indexed in Scopus to set an alert when someone publishes an article that cites this author.

Table of contents Alerts

• Login to your Scopus account.
• Find the the details of a journal either by running an Browse Sources search from the Scopus home search page or clicking on the name of the journal in an document search (all journals in Scopus article records are linked in blue).
• On the journal record page you have the option to Follow this Source to receive emails when new documents from this journal are available in Scopus.

Watch video: Scopus Tutorial: How to save searches and set alerts

Web of Science allows you to save your searches, set up email alerts and RSS feeds. You can set up search, author, citation and table of content alerts. To create alerts you will need to be logged into a personalised Web Of Science account. If you do not have an account you can easily register for your own account. You can edit your alerts anytime via the My Tools tab

Search Alerts

• Login to your Web of Science account. You can login or register for an account in the Sign In drop down box in the top right corner of the page.
• Enter and run a search. The Search results page appears.
• Above the refine results column select create alert
• Select the frequency and format of your alert (eg. weekly or monthly emails) and save.

Article Citation Alerts

• Login to your Web of Science account.
• Find a document you are interested in and go into the article record.
• On the document details page, select create citation alert in the Citation Network box in the top right hand column.

Author alerts 

• Login to your Web of Science account.
• Get a set of individual author results by either running an author search from the Web of Science home search page or by clicking on the name of the author in an document search (all authors in Web of Science article records are linked in blue).
• This will bring up a set of document results from this author.
• Above the refine results column select create alert

Table of contents Alerts

• Login to your Web of Science account.
• On the Web of Science home search page enter the name of your journal in the search box and change the search drop down box from Topic to Publication Name.
• This will bring up a set of document results from this journal.
• Above the refine results column select create alert.

Web of Science has its own YouTube channel called Web of Science Training that has many helpful videos on using the Web of Science database including this one on how to create alerts.

Watch video: Setting Citation Alerts in Web of Science

Watch video: Web of Science: Saving Your Search and Setting Alerts

Watch video: Create Table of Contents Alerts in Web of Science

Google Scholar allows you to save your searches and set up alerts for new results.

Saving searches and alerts

• You will need to create an account or sign in if you already have one in the top right corner of the screen.
• Enter your search query. Click on Create Alert on the left hand column of the result screen, it should also appear at the bottom of the page.
• You can modify your search query and change the number of results sent to you. When you are happy with your alert, click the Create Alert button.

Alternatively, after you have signed in, click on Alerts button in the top right hand corner of the screen to set up an alert query. This screen also enables you to review and delete your alerts.

Informit allows you to set up email alerts for your saved searches. It also offers RSS feeds of table of contents for new journal issues.

Saving searches and setting up email alerts

• Select the databases you would like to search in, and click continue.
• Enter your search query. Click on Set email alert for this search in the black bar above the search results. 
• You can rerun, edit and delete your alerts by clicking on Manage My Alerts at the top of the results
  

Table of contents RSS feeds

•  You can find journals by selecting the Browse Publications tab above the search box, and navigating the A-Z list.
• Once you have found a journal you are interested in click on the links below Available on.
• Click on Table of Contents Feed next to the RSS symbol in the top right corner to subscribe to the feed.

JStor allows you to save your searches, and set up email alerts and RSS feeds. You can also subscribe to journal table of contents and keep track of when a specific work is cited.

Saving searches, email alerts and RSS feeds

• Click on MyJstor at the top of the screen and either sign in, or create an account.
• Enter your search query. You can either use the search box from within MyJstor or click on Search to go to the advanced search screen.
• You can save your search, set up an email alert or subscribe to an RSS feed in the Save this search box on the right hand side of the screen.
• You can rerun or delete your searches in your MyJstor page. Jstor does not allow you to modify a saved search, instead you will need to save a new query and delete your old one.

Table of Contents email alerts and RSS feeds

• To find a journal use the browse tab at the top of the screen, this allows you to browse by subject, title or publisher. When you have found a journal you are interested in click on the title. To set up an email alert or an RSS feed click on the Journal tracking box on the right side of the screen.
• You can view and delete email alerts under the journals tab in your MyJstor page.

Citation alerts

• You can set up an email alert to inform you if a specific work is cited. Find the record you are interested in and then click on Track citation in the Citation tools box.
• You can manage your tracked citations under the Citations tab in your MyJstor page.

Proquest allows you to save your searches, set up email alerts and RSS feeds. You can also have the table of contents of new journal issues sent directly to you.

Saving searches, email alerts and RSS feeds

• Sign into My Research in the top right corner of the page.
• You will need to create an account, or if you already have an account, sign in as an existing user.
• You will now be in your My Reseach page, you can return to the search page by clicking on Search in the top left corner.
• Enter your search query. The option to save your search, set up an email alert or subscribe to an RSS feed are displayed in the results screen just under the search box. Click on which action you would like to perform and fill out the resulting form.
• You can manage your saved searches, alerts and RSS feeds from your My Reseach page. Here you will be able to modify or delete your searches and alerts, rerun searches, and set up alerts or RSS feeds for saved searches.  

Setting up table of contents email alerts and RSS feeds for new journal issues 

• Sign in to My Research at the top right corner of the page.
• In the search screen select the Publications link in the top left corner of the screen.
• You can find publications of interest to you by using the search box or by browsing. When you have found your publication click on its title.
• The option to set up an email alert or RSS feed will appear above the publication title. Click on the action you would like to perform.
• You can manage these alerts from your My Research page.