Alert Services  Tags: alert_services  

• Table of Contents/Journal Issue Alerts provide the patron with the latest table of contents of a journal via e-mail or RSS feed.




• Search Alerts automatically run your saved database searches on a regular basis, retrieve newly added articles based on your search history, and deliver the results directly to your e-mail or RSS reader. 




• Citation Alerts notify you when new publications cite a particular work you have chosen.




• RSS Feeds will automatically check for updates from several websites including database searches and then display the results to you on a single webpage.

Alert Services, also known as Current Awareness Services, are services you can use to keep up to date with the latest articles, journals, or books in your area of interest. 

You can control the amount of information you receive and how often it is delivered to you. After you set up an alert, you will receive regular electronic notifications of new material delivered to your inbox.

*Note*Information providers may refer to their alerting services using different names.

In most cases, you will need to register with the database or publisher site in order to set up the alert. Registration and related services are free to Vanderbilt users with a VUNet ID and Password.

Start with the databases and journals you use most frequently. Look on the home page for terms such as "alert", "email updates", "sign-in", or "my account". Some databases don't link to alert services from the home page, but the services are offered once you sign-in and perform a search. Here is an example from PsycINFO.

If you have any questions about this guide or any other matter, please send a question to Vanderbilt Library's Ask Us.

You can also find the Ask Us? Reference Service from the Library's homepage.