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Keeping Up with the Literature (Current Awareness)

Techniques and services to help you stay up-to-date with the literature in a particular field or subject

Searching by Author Tip

Finding literature by a particular author can be challenging, especially if the author has a common last name. Several databases allow you to search by institutional affiliation or address, but each one operates differently. Contact a reference librarian if you need help searching for literature by author.

Web of Science

Use Web of Science's Author Search feature to set up author alert.

1.   Launch Web of Knowledge from Tripod or Databases A-Z.

2.   Expand the databases menu on the top of the screen and select Web of Science Core Collection:

3.   Expand the search menu and select Author Search.

4.   Enter the author's full last name followed by first initial. Include middle initial whenever possible. Then click Select Research Domain:

5.   Click 

6.   Check off the author's institution including all name variants. If the author is an adjunct at more than one institution, include those as well:

7.   Click 

8.   Scan your results to make sure you have isolated the correct author's papers, then click  at the top left of the results screen.

9.   Sign into your Web of Knowledge account. If you do not have one, create one for free using the email address at which you would like to receive your alert.

10.  Give your alert a name.

11.  Under Type, choose the kind of bibliographic record you want to receive in your alert.

12.  Email format can be set to plain text (default), fully formatted HTML, or EndNote file format if you are an EndNote user.

13.  Set the frequency to Weekly or Monthly. Note: you will receive an alert even when no new content is available.

14.  Click Save.

15.  Web of Science alerts are good for up to 1 year, after which they must be renewed.