Setting Up Email Research Alerts
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SETTING UP EMAIL RESEARCH ALERTS

Many journal databases allow you to save your search as an alert. The search is run again periodically and notice of any new results is sent to you by e-mail. This can be a great way to keep up with new developments in your research topic. The databases below are all available from Ginn Library's Journals and Databases list. Google Alerts are available on the Web.

In addition, many publishers allow you to set up Table of Contents (TOC) alerts. You select the journals you are interested in, and when a new issue is published, you are notified by e-mail, with a table of contents of the new issue. A selection of the publishers that enable TOC alerts is listed below.

Databases that Offer Search Alerts:

ABInform

  • Do a keyword search and refine it until you are receiving the desired results.
  • At the top of the results page click the Set up Alert button.
  • Choose a frequency and length of time for the alert to be received (maximum one year).
  • Enter and e-mail address and subject and click Save.
  • You can also use this database to set up TOC alerts, to see the contents of new issues.
  • Use the Publication Search tab to find the publication.
  • Click on the name of the publication and use the Set up Alert button as described above to receive alerts of new issue contents.

Current Contents Connect

  • Check the subject areas you want to search (for instance, Social and Behavioral Sciences) then Submit.
  • Choose the field you wish to search (Topic/Subject for a typical keyword search).
  • Type your query in the search field and hit Search.
  • Once you have refined your search to return the types of results you want, click the Save History button.
  • You will be prompted to register and save the last search to the server. You will receive weekly e-mail alerts.
  • ISI (the provider of this database) also offers TOC alerts (instructions below).

CSA Illumina Databases, including Worldwide Political Science Abstracts, PAIS and EconLit

  • Do a keyword search and refine it until you are receiving the desired results.
  • At the top of the results page, click the Search History link.
  • Click the link that says Save as Alert for the search strategy you wish to save.
  • You will be prompted to enter your e-mail address and a password.
  • Make the choices you want regarding what should appear in your alert, then click Save Alert. You will receive weekly alerts.

Science Direct

  • Do a keyword search and refine it until you are receiving the desired results.
  • At the top of the results page click the link Save as Search Alert.
  • You will be prompted to Register.
  • Once you have registered you can name your alert, choose a frequency and save the alert.

Databases that Offer Table of Contents Alerts:

In addition to ABInform (discussed above), several publishers who provide databases of online journals enable subscription to TOC alerts for new issues. Some of those databases are:

Using the Oxford Online Journals as an example:

  • From the Ginn Library Home page, go to Journals and Databases
  • Click on the A-Z list; go to O and Oxford Journals Online
  • On the Oxford Home page, click on Content Alerting on the left bar
  • Select the publications for which you would like to receive content alerts and input your e-mail address
  • Click the Subscribe button at the bottom of the page. When a new issue is published you will receive a TOC alert.

ISI offers TOC alerts for a large database of journals.

To set up table of contents alerts for the journals in this database, go to the ISI website.
Register with an e-mail address and password and log in. On the right, in the area labeled My Journal List, click the link to set up TOC alerts. Click the Add Journals button and browse the list by subject or by title. Check the box in the column labeled Send Me Table of Contents e-mail alert. Then click the Submit selections button. Alerts will be sent for a year and can easily be renewed.

Detailed instructions on setting up alerts for each database are available on Tisch Library’s page on Search Alerts.

Some publishers, like Taylor and Francis, offer free TOC alerts, even to non-subscribers. If you have a favorite journal not covered by the options above, you might want to check the publisher's website.

To learn about receiving TOC alerts by RSS webfeed, see our Guide to Setting Up Webfeed (RSS) Alerts.

Google Alerts

Google offers two kinds of alerts: Web Alerts and News Alerts.

Google News Alerts are sent by email when news articles appear online that match the topics you specify. You put in your search terms, choose "Once a day" or "As it happens," put in your e-mail address and click Create News Alert.

Google Web Alerts are created the same way. Google Web Alerts are sent by email when there is new information on the web matching the search you specify.