Staying Current with Alerts
Many databases and journals use e-mail alerts to inform users of new content. With most all alerting services, it is necessary to set up a personal account. There are a number of different types of alerts you can create in order to stay informed:
- Citation Alerts - Receive notifications when a specific journal article is cited.
- Table of Contents Alerts - Receive notifications when a new issue of a specific journal has been published.
- Saved Search Alerts - Construct a search within a resource, save the search strategy, and receive email notifications when new items are added to that resource that match your saved search. Search alerts do not save records; only the search statement.
Citation Alerts: Web of Science
Connect to Web of Science
- Access the Full Record of an article.
- On the Full Record page, click the Create Citation Alert link on the righ
- Log into your Web of Science account. YOu must create a free WOS account to create alerts.
- On the Create Citation Alerts pop-up, Choose email, select format, note expiration date of one year, click Create Citation Alert.
- Click Close.
If a record does not have a Create Citation Alert button, it does not contain sufficient information for the alerting system to connect it to references cited by other articles.
Citation Alerts: Scopus
Connect to Scopus 
- On the Document details page, click Set citation alert on the right of the page.
- Login with your Elsevier account (you must create a free individual account)
- Keep the default name or create a new name for the alert.
- Enter the email address(es) to which alerts should be sent.
- Choose frequency, format, and status
- Click Set Alert.
- Click the Alerts bar at screen top to modify Alerts.
Citation Alerts: Google Scholar
Connect to Google Scholar
To create an alert for articles citing a particular paper:
- Find the paper in Google Scholar.
- Click on the “Cited by” link below the search result.
- Click
envelope on the left side of the screen.
envelope on the left side of the screen.Citation Alerts: Selected Publishers
- Annual ReviewsTo set up a citation alert, click on Citation Alert button when viewing an individual record.
- Cambridge JournalsOn a record page, click the add alert (bell image) on the right. Creation of an individual account is necessary.
- Taylor & FrancisWhen viewing an article record, click "Alert Me," then Citation Email Alert or Citation RSS Feed
- Wiley Online LibraryWhen viewing an article, click "Get Citation Alerts."
TOC Alerts: Keep track of 30 journals with JournalTOCs
JournalTOCs provides access to the Tables Of Contents (TOCs) of the current issues of over 30,000 journals that produce TOC RSS feeds. An individual who registers for the free option of this service can
- follow and receive email alerts for 15 journals.
- searches will retrieve up to 25 articles
Users can search for journals by title or ISSN, or keywords in journal article titles. Journals TOCs can be browsed by publisher or subject.
To follow a journal, from the search and browse results, click on the box next to the journal title. Click Search to return to the main page and see a list of the journals you are following
When viewing alerts off-campus, consider using the Penn EZproxy browser bookmarklet for easy access to Penn subscriptions:
Setting up TOC Alerts: Selected Databases
- EBSCO Databases: How to Use Journal AlertsSome EBSCO databases allow for the creation of journal alerts. These include:
EBSCO Megafile, Business Source Complete, CINAHL. Click the Publications link at the top of the EBSCO screen. From a journal's Publication Details Screen, click the Share link on right, and then click the E-mail Alert link. - ProQuest Databases - Setting up AlertsSome ProQuest databases, including PsycINFO, Sociological Abstracts, ERIC, EconLIT, ABI/Inform, allow for journal alerts. When all ProQuest databases are selected, click the "Publications" link in the top gray bar. Search, click on journal titles, and, if available, click "Set up alert" or "Create RSS feed" from publication page.
- Web of ScienceIndexes journals in the sciences, social sciences, and arts and humanities. Allows for cited reference searching. Includes Science Citation Index, the Social Science Citation Index, and the Arts & Humanities Citation Index. Search for specific articles by subject, author, journal, and/or author address, as well as for articles that cite a known author or work.
TOC Alerts: Publishers and Organizations
For most all sites, it is necessary to first set up an individual account.
- American Chemical Society (ACS)TOC alerts when issues are released and daily or weekly e-mail alerts
when individual articles (Articles ASAP) are released. User account required. - American Institute of PhysicsAt the individual journal level, choose "Subscribe to email alerts".
- BioMed CentralFor TOC alerts, on individual journal pages, click "sign up for article alerts."
- BioOneIn the lower left corner of a journal specific page, click "Sign up for e-alerts."
- Cambridge JournalsFrom a journal page, click "New Contents Alerts."
- Highwire PressFrom a journal page, click on Alerts at top of screen.
- IEEE Explore (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers)Click on Visit Alerts at the bottom of the page. Register and choose journals.
- Ingenta ConnectLogin. Choose Create new Publication Alerts. Individuals may create 5 alerts. Premium allows for unlimited alerts.
- Nature PublishingClick on "E-alert Sign Up" link on right.
- Oxford University Press JournalsFrom journal page, click "Alert me to new issues."
- Project MuseProject Muse provides full text access to articles from over 300 scholarly journals in the humanities, arts, social sciences and sciences. Coverage begins in 1995 or more recently and in most cases continues to the present. Issues are available both as images and as text; searching is possible both within each title and across the whole database.
- Sage JournalsClick Tools, then Email Alerts,and register.
To manage your preferences for Journal Email Alerts, click on "My Tools" once you have signed in. - ScienceDirect (Elsevier)On a journal page, select "Subscribe to new article alerts." ScienceDirect sends out alerts when new articles are published, rather than TOCs.
- ScienceSee
- SpringerLINKTOC for journals. See: Springer AlertsTaylor & Francis OnlineFind the journal of interest, click "New Content Alerts". To manage, go to My Account, then Alerts.Wiley Online LibrarySelect "Get Content Alerts" from the homepage of a journal.
Saved Search: Google Alerts
Google Alerts are email updates of the latest relevant Google results (web, news, etc.) based on your queries.
After you enter a search, on the results page click on the 
option on the left. Complete form
and click Create Alert.
Setting up Saved Search: Selected Databases
- CompendexSearch: on Search results page, click "Create Alert" or after completing a search, click on the "Search History" link in the upper right of screen, then click "Create Alert". You may have a total of 260 alerts and saved searches.
- EvidenceAlertsSTAT!Ref Evidence Alerts system provides e-mail delivery of current evidence-based medicine (EBM) research by specialty from over 130 clinical journals. With McMaster University, the system delivers EBM alerts that are qualified, then rated for clinical relevance and newsworthiness by a panel of practicing physicians. In StatRef, click on MyStatRef to create an account (further instructions)
- OVID PlatformAfter completing a search, click on "set email Alerts". Registration required.
Saving Searches and Alerts. To upload to a bibliographic software management program, save AutoAlert as: Email Options = Inline; Output Type = ASCII; Report Type = Email includes records only; Fields = Complete Reference; Citation Format = Reprint/Medlars. Also do not check off the Include Strategy checkbox - ProQuest Databases - Setting up AlertsSearch Alerts:
Create a My Research Account in ProQuest
Do a search. Click on the Create alert button.
Complete pop-up form (email is already supplied), Save alert
You may modify or delete this type of alert through your My Research account.
Without having a My Research Account
Do a search. Click on the Create alert button (yellow envelope)
Complete pop-up form with email and frequency.
Access email and confirm alert.
You may delete this type of alert through a subsequent alert email.
Search Alerts: Associations, Organizations, Publishers
- American Chemical SocietyAllows for saved search alerts.
- American Medical AssociationSearch- run a search, click 'Get Alerts' link on upper right of the search results page.
Topic -go to any Topic page, click 'Get Alerts' link on upper right of the page.
TOC - any content page that offers a 'Get Alerts' link on upper right of the page. - Annual ReviewsSaved searches, TOC, and citation alerts. See: RSS Feeds
- Biomed CentralAfter completing a search, click "Add to saved searches" button. Name search, choose frequency and email format.
- Cambridge JournalsAfter a search, on search results page, click Save Search button, set up search alert.
- Institute of PhysicsSaved Search and TOC
- Nature PublishingTopic alerts
- Sage JournalsFrom a search results page, click "Save as Alert."
- ScienceDirectSaved Search, Topic, and TOC and Book-Series Alerts. See: Tutorial
- Taylor & FrancisRegister. Click "My Account" to manage Alerts.
- Wiley Online LibraryClick "save search," from saved search screen, click "Activate Search Alert."