Skip to Main Content

Keeping Current: Database Alerts

Database Alerts

The alert feature present in most databases enables you to set up a feed based on your tailored search so that relevant new articles will be sent to you when they are added to the database. Databases and indexes can send out alerts such as table of contents, search alerts, citation alerts and new publication alerts.

Search Alerts

Creating search alerts in databases saves valuable research time. They can be set up to provide automatic notifications via email whenever new search results for your search queries become available. Different databases have different methods for subscribing to search alerts. Access your go-to databases via our library portal to start creating your search alerts. These are some examples on how you can create alerts:

Scopus Alert Guide

Web of Science Alert Guide

Citation Alerts

Citation alerts will notify you when a particular article appears in the bibliography, references, or works cited page in another work. This is useful to find new articles that cite an article of interest, or that cite your own articles if you are an author.

Most citation alerts require you to create an account on the database first, locate the article of interest, and then set up your alert. This option is commonly available on the article page (where details such as abstracts are shown).