For keeping track of new information, you should use the News Alert services offered by the databases. Ordering the service often requires registration. In some databases, the login details have to be in a certain format, for example your email address. However, in most cases they can be freely formed. Further information can be found from the instructions of the database. An Alert service allows you to keep up with journals, your own search profiles and citations; it also offers customised timing and saving. Alerts are ordered to your e-mail, and you can yourself determine the frequency with which you receive the information.
Journal alerts
The News Alert service sends an email message which informs you that a chosen journal has a new issue, and often you will also receive a list of the articles and links to access them.
Search alerts
In some databases, you can make your own search profile into a search alert. This means that your search profile will be run through the database at regular intervals, once a week, for example, and the new references corresponding to your search profile will be sent to you via email.
Citation alerts
Citation alerts inform you when the articles you have chosen have been cited in new articles that have been added to the database. Researchers can, for example, order a citation alert for their own publications telling them when they have been cited.
Further instructions can be found in the user instructions in the databases.
Science Direct: Click on the "My alerts" tab in the menu bar. The Science Direct database requires registration. http://www.sciencedirect.com 17.7.2013
ProQuest: Saving your search history and alerts requests. Searches can be saved permanently, and you make them into alerts requests. You can schedule how often your search alert will be run and when it will expire. This requires creating your own ProQuest My Research -user account. http://search.proquest.com/ 17.7.2013
ProQuest: on My Research page you can see what kind of searches, RSS feeds or alert requests have been saved. They can be altered, activated or removed. http://search.proquest.com/ 17.7.2013
