Staying current on the latest scholarly work in any discipline can be time-consuming. Fortunately, most databases offer an alert feature that informs you about new articles (or other publication types) on a specific topic. These services generally require you to create an account, conduct/save a search and then select either email or RSS as the delivery method.
| • EBSCO Saving a Search as an Alert (pdf) | e.g. Academic Search Complete, PsycINFO |
| • Engineering Village Saving a Search as an Alert (pdf) | Compendex, Geobase and GeoRef |
| • Google Scholar Click "Create alert" to set up email alert |
| • JSTOR Saving a Search as an Alert (pdf) |
| • Ovid SP Saving a Search as an Alert (pdf) | e.g. MEDLINE and EMBASE |
| • ProQuest Saving a Search as an Alert (pdf) | e.g. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses and CBCA Complete |
| • PubMed Saving a Search as an Alert (pdf) |
| • Scifinder Scholar Web Click "Create Keep Me Posted" to set up email alert |
| • Web of Science Saving a Search as an Alert (pdf) | Web of Science Core Collection, FSTA and Zoological Record |
Keep a search log -- a notebook, an online document, and Word document, whatever format you prefer -- to track:
o Where you searched (name of database, catalog, etc.)
o When you searched
o Search terms and combinations of terms that were successful
o Search terms and combinations of terms that were not successful
o Searches or leads you want to pursue next
You can also register for alerts directly from journals. This allows you to receive a table of contents for the newest issues of your preferred titles. Most of these services will require you to create an account with the publisher's website.
Major Journal Publishers
Journal Alerting Services
| • AMEDEO - Medical Literature Guide – free listing with weekly updates and links to PubMed |
| • BMJ EvidenceUpdates - evidence-based alerting tool (McMaster Plus) |
| • MedBioWorld - 25,000 links to bio-science journals |
Journal Aggregators
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• Browzine - a licensed resource that allows users to aggregate UBC Library journal content in one easy-to-access location for viewing on iPhones, iPads and Android tablets; more info below • Read by QxMD provides a simple interface that drives discovery and seamless access to the medical literature by reformatting it into a personalized digital medical journal. |