Establish topic alerts in a database for your research. This eliminates the need to repeat searches to find what new materials have been published since your last search.
Try using a citation manager like Zotero to save and organize references, abstracts, and full-text PDFs from your alerts in one place.
Instructions for setting up alerts in ProQuest databases like PsycINFO and ERIC:
1. Build your search in the advanced search screen.
2. In the results screen, apply any filters to narrow the focus of your search (ex. scholarly journals, English language).
3. Click Create Alert under the Save Search dropdown menu.
4. Give your alert a distinguishing title.
5. Provide an email address to receive the alert. Choose your preferred format.
6. Define your alert content. Selecting Newly published documents only will provide you with articles published after the last alert. Newly added documents including historical items will provide you with any article that was recently added to the database regardless of publication date.
7. Schedule your alert frequency (daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly). Alerts in ProQuest databases can be set to run automatically for up to 1 year, after which they must be reactivated.
Video Instructions
Instructions for setting up alerts in ISI Web of Science:
1. Launch Web of Science from Tripod or Databases A-Z.
2.. Perform your topic search. Ex. "hydraulic fracturing" AND water AND treatment
3.. Refine your results using the filters list on the left (optional).
6. Click the Create Alert button at the top of the screen.
7. Sign into your Web of Science account. If you do not have one, create one for free using the email address at which you would like to receive your alert.
8. Give your alert a name.
9. Under Type, choose the kind of bibliographic record you want to receive in your alerts.
10. Email format can be set to plain text (default), fully formatted HTML, or EndNote file format if you are an EndNote user.
11. Set the frequency to Weekly or Monthly. Note: you will receive an alert even when no new content is available.
12. Click Save.
13. Web of Science alerts are good for up to 1 year, after which they must be renewed.
Click here for instructions on setting up alerts in EBSCOhost databases like AnneĢe philologique, Art Idex, MLA International Bibliography, or GreenFILE.
