Database News for November 2004

Search alerts allow you to specify keywords or subjects in fields of interest to you. When a new record is added to the database that matches your search criteria, then the database will send an email notification to you about the new publications in your area of interest.

In addition to search alerts, many electronic resources also feature journal alerts. These allow you to specify certain journal titles that you would like to receive email table of contents for new issues.

Search and journal alerts help you to stay informed of new research in your area. Even though search alerts are fairly straightforward to set up, the steps to create your alert can vary in each database or ejournal interface. In addition, many databases have different names for search alerts, including "preferred searches," "my searches," saved searches," "email alerts," and even "my account."

This quick guide will give you step-by-step instructions for creating search alerts in some of our most popular databases. If you have a question about setting up alerts in other resources, please ask us and we will be happy to help.

• InfoLinks, the Library Catalog
• Web of Knowledge
• Ingenta
• Ebsco, including PsycInfo, ERIC, MLA, and CINAHL
• Biological Abstracts, CAB, and other WebSPIRS databases
• CSA: ASFA, Sociological Abstracts, and Physical Education Index
• ScienceDirect EJournals
• WorldCat and other FirstSearch databases
• Google

1. Click on the “My Library” button at the top of any InfoLinks page or on the main library web site.
2. You will be prompted to enter your name and UA ID number. Your ID number is the nine-digit number on your ID card (NOT your Social Security number.)
3. You can save up to 10 searches in your library account. These can be re-run each week to alert you to new materials in particular subjects or by particular authors. To save a search, click the "Search the Catalog" link from within your library account.
4. Conduct a keyword, title, subject, or other search in the catalog. In keyword searching, you can limit your results to particular publishers, libraries, or formats.
5. If your search retrieves satisfactory results, then click the "Save" button next to your search to save a preferred search.
6. Once you have saved a search, return to your record and click the "Preferred Searches" link.
7. From the list of preferred searches that you have saved, you can mark specific searches to be re-run each week automatically. You will receive an email informing you of any new materials that match your search criteria.
8. Once you have checked the searches you wish to mark for email, then click the "Update List" button.

Note: InfoLinks will use your University of Arkansas email account (@uark.edu) for email messages. If that is not your primary email account, be sure to set up forwarding on your @uark.edu address. Forwarding instructions can be found on Computing Services' Email FAQ page.

For more info: InfoLinks Help Pages

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The Web of Knowledge offers both the Web of Science Citation Indexes as well as Current Contents Connect. By registering and creating a profile on the Web of Knowledge site, you can save searches, have journal table of contents emailed to you, and set up citation alerts.

Saved Searches / Search Alerts

1. From the Web of Knowledge home page, click Register and complete the details. Creating a profile will allow you to set up search alerts as well as to customize your Web of Knowledge preferences.
2. You can create up to 25 searches that are stored in your profile and matched to new citations in the database(s) on a weekly basis.
3. Conduct a search or combine multiple sets until you are satisfied with the results.
4. Click on the SAVE SEARCH button to save the last set of your search.
5. Enter a search history name of your choice, click on Send Me E-mail Alerts, enter your e-mail address.
6. Choose your preferred Alert type, E-mail format (Field tagged if you will download into RefWorks, otherwise choose Plain Text).
7. Click on Save (to save your search history to the server) then Done.

Tables of Contents

1. Log in to your profile, if you are not already logged in.
2. From the pull-down menu at the top of the screen select My Journal List, then click on Go.
3. Click on Add More Journals.
4. Search by keywords in Search Full Journal Titles, or select the titles from an alphabetical or subject list.
5. Click on the box next to the journal title labeled Send Me Table of Contents E-mail Alert and/or Display on Home Page.
6. Click on Submit Selections and Done.

Note: If you wish to receive the full record or the citation and abstracts for all the articles for a specific journal title (as opposed to just a table of contents list), you will have to execute a search for that journal title and then save the search history as in the Saved Searches section above

Citation Alerts

This feature allows you to receive an e-mail alert when articles you select are cited by new articles added to the database. To add an article to this list (and receive an e-mail each time it is cited):

1. Log in to your profile, if you are not already logged in.
2. Perform a search in Web of Science.
3. When viewing a Full Record, click the "Create Citation Alert" button and then Done.
4. Citation Alerts expire at the end of one year, unless you choose to renew them. To renew or modify Citation Alerts settings, go to "My Cited Articles" List.

For more info: Current Contents Guide (PDF) ; Web of Knowledge Reference Card

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Ingenta is an interdisciplinary database covering 27,000 journals. Ingenta's table of contents service is updated daily and is often the quickest way to find out about new research in your area.

1. First time users select Register from the left menu, then Personal Registration to create an account.
2. You may store up to 25 search strategies for inclusion in your profile.
3. Choose Advanced Search from this screen.
4. Execute a search or searches using any of the options available on this screen.
5. After you have executed your searches and browsed the results for relevance, you are now ready to store your search statement(s) in your profile for future e-mail alerts.
6. Choose Saved Searches from the left menu.
7. Click on the search statement(s) you want to save, then on Into Folder then on “My Search Alerts,” then on Go.
8. On this page, click on Search Alert ON for each of the search statements for future e-mail alerts.
9. Click on update alerts

Ingenta also allows you to choose up to 50 journals from which to have table of contents emailed to you.

1. Choose Manage my Ingenta from the left menu bar, then my table of content.
2. Click on Add at the top menu.
3. Search for the journal titles you would like to set up TOC Alerts for by entering a word(s) from the title in the search box. You can also select titles by browsing an A-Z list of publications from this page.
4. Select the titles you would like to receive table of contents for by checking the box next to the title.
5. Click on add to alert. The titles you have selected will now appear under the Current TOC Alerts.

For more info: Ingenta Search Alerts Guide

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Ebsco allows you to set up a personal account. With your personal account, you can save search results, persistent links to searches, saved searches, search alerts, journal alerts and web pages to your personal folder.

To create an account:

1. From the Sign In to My EBSCOhost Screen, click the I'm a new user link.
2. The Create a New Account Screen displays with Personal Account entered in the Account Type field.
4. Fill in the fields on the Create a New Account Screen. When you have completed the fields, click Continue.
5. If all the information was accepted, a message appears that provides your user name and password. Click OK. You will be automatically logged in as a personal user. You should note the user name and password you created so you can log in at a future session.

To create search alerts:

1. From the Advanced Search Screen, with the Search History/Alerts tab displayed, click Save Searches/Alerts. The Saved Search/Alerts Screen appears.
2. (If you have not already logged into your personal account, you will be prompted to log in. Enter your user name and password; or click Cancel and return to the Advanced Search Screen.)
3. Enter a Name and Description for the search. (For example, mysearch1)
4. In the Save Search As field, select Alert
5. Choose the frequency of email alerts (default is once a month).
6. Choose the "Articles published within the last.." button for time period to be coverd (default is one month).
7. Choose the "Run Alert for" time period (default is one month).
8. Specify your email address, subject line of email, and format of the message body.
9. To save the search, click Save; otherwise, click Cancel. You are returned to the Advanced Search Screen.

You can retrieve your saved searches and alerts and edit and reuse them.

For more info: Ebsco Help Pages

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The WebSPIRS SDI (Selective Dissemination of Information) feature lets an authorized user save a search and have it rerun automatically when databases are updated, with the results emailed to a defined set of users.

1. Conduct a search.
2. Click the icon on the search results page labelled "Create SDI."
3. You will be prompted to login with a user name and password. Create an account, if you have not already done so. User your email address as your login.
4. On the SDI creation page, name your SDI, choose the expiration date (default is one year), supply your email address, and be sure to check the box for "only new results" for alerts.
5. When you are finished setting the SDI options, click the "Create SDI" button. This may take several minutes to process.

You can return to edit your SDI at any time by clicking on the SDI link at the upper right-hand corner of most screens.

For more info: WebSPIRS Help

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Each user may save up to fifty search strategies for a period of six months. To save a search:

1. Click the Search History/Alerts button on the left-side navigation column. Any searches you have performed are displayed under the heading of Current Searches.
2. Mark the strategy(ies) you wish to save, and click Save as Alert. You will be prompted to enter an email address and personal password. Your password must be between 4 and 8 characters long, and can include letters or numbers.
3. Your strategy, selected databases and a box for entering comments are displayed. Click Save Alert to complete the process.
   

For more info: CSA Help

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ScienceDirect offers more than 1800 important journals in the pure, applied, and social sciences. Although the University Libraries only have subscriptions to approximately 450 of these titles, you can still search the ScienceDirect database for articles on topics of interest to you.

1. Click on the "Register" link at the top right-hand corner to create an account.
2. You can create up to 10 subject and citation alerts total, but you may create an unlimited number of journal volume/issue alerts.
3. Click the Alerts button on the navigation bar, and then click the Add Search Alert link. The All Sources Basic Search form appears. If you want to conduct a search from a different form, navigate to the appropriate form.
4. Perform a search. The Search Results page appears.
5. Click the Save As Search Alert link. The Save As Search Alert page appears. Your search query appears at the top of the Save As Search Alert page.
6. Complete the fields on the Save as Search Alert page as follows:
   • Name of Alert: Enter a name for the search alert.
   • E-mail Address: Enter the e-mail address where notifications of the search alert results can be sent.
   • Frequency: Select how often you want the search alert to run
7. Click the Save Alert button to save the search alert.
8. The program returns you to the search results page.

You can also set up citation alerts and journal table of contents alerts in ScienceDirect.

For more info: ScienceDirect Help

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FirstSearch does not yet send email alerts. However, you can create saved searches to be re-run or combined with other terms. This is a good method to check for new books on your topic.

1. On the top menu bar of any FirstSearch page, click the "My Account" link.
2. Register for an account. Your name, email address, and a login and password are required to register.
3. Once you have created an accout and are logged in, perform a search.
4. On the search results screen, click the link to Save Search.
5. From that point on, whenever you are in FirstSearch and have logged into your account, you will see a "Saved Searches" tab. Click on the tab to rerun your saved searches, combine them with new terms, or to try the same search in a different FirstSearch database.

For more info: FirstSearch Help

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Google Alerts allow you to receive emailed search results on a topic or news item of interest to you. This service is still in beta testing.

1. Navigate to the Google Alerts page at http://www.google.com/alerts.
2. Enter your search terms and email address.
3. Choose the type of search. "News" lets you know if new articles make it into the top ten results of the Google News section, while "Web" returns the top ten results of a regular Web search.
4. Select the frequency of updates. You can choose from once a day, once a week, or as new items are indexed.

For More info: Google Alerts FAQ