Keeping Current in Research Literature

How to obtain and organize current research literature in your field of study or area of research.

Subscribing to Table of Contents and Topic Alerts

To obtain the most recently published articles from journals in your field, create a subscription to the table of contents. You can also create topic and keyword search alerts in library databases. The subscription or alert will send content to your RSS feed or email any time new content is published for a particular title, topic or author.

Library Search Topic Feeds
Allows you to search multiple types of sources and databases at once for a particular topic or keyword search. Create and run a keyword or topic search. Once you have set all your limits such as date and peer reviewed articles, log-in to your account.  Click "Save Query" and then click "Turn on notification for this query" and type in your email. You will receive a weekly email listing any new content published containing the keywords in the search.



Subject Specific Database RSS Topic Feeds
Select a subject database and create a keyword or topic search. You can then have an email or RSS feed sent for that search any time new content matches your search criteria in that subject database. Some subject specific databases will require you create a personal account.



​JournalTOCs 
The largest free collection of scholarly journal table of contents from the Heriot-Watt University. You will need to register an account and can follow up to 30 journal titles. You can save followed journals in your JournalTOC account or export them into your feed reader as an OPML file. JournalTOC Help

Publisher Websites
Publisher websites often have the most current content. You can frequently find links to table of content RSS feed or email alerts on each journal's webpage. This will keep you the most up-to-date but you may have to register for an account with some publishers.


Google Alerts

Google Alerts sends emails to the user when it finds new results—such as web pages, newspaper articles, blogs, or scientific research—that match the user's search term. Alerts are only sent if the mention makes it into the top Google news, web and blog search results. Google Alert Help.

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