• Alerts run your search terms periodically and sends you an email when there are new articles about your topic.
• Saved searches run your search terms when you sign into the database and tell it to run the same search again.
• RSS feeds ("Real Simple Syndication") are headlines and summaries of current contents of journals, news stories, or other information, with a link to the full content. You can set up RSS feeds on EBSCOHost databases with your search terms. They use the words "alert" and "RSS feed" interchangeably.
  
  How do I get started with RSS feeds?

  1. Get a feed reader - Google Reader | Pluck | FeedReader | Other readers
  2. Add feeds - UCO Library RSS feeds | Feedster | Syndic8 | RSSfeeds.com

Set up alerts and saved searches on the library's databases

EBSCOHost - Create an RSS feed on keywords

1. Do a search in the advanced search screen
2. Click "Create alert for this search"
3. Copy the Syndication Feed URL into your feed reader or sign into your EBSCOHost account to retrieve the search next time you login

Chambers Library Catalog - offers saved searches, not alerts
1. In the catalog, do a search for your topic
2. Click on "Save Search Query" at the bottom of the list of results
3. Login to My Library Account
4. On return visits, you may re-run searches when you login to "My Library Account" and click on "Saved Searches"

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Other databases

ACS (American Chemical Society) - alerts, tables of contents
Alerts - Choose one of the topics listed and get an email when an article is published in that topic.
Table of Contents Alerts - Be alerted when the entire contents of a new issue is posted

1. Click on the "Sign up for email alerts" tab
2. Register
3. Choose either daily or weekly alerts for TOC or ASAP

ACM (Association for Computing Machinery) - alerts and RSS feed
The Table of Contents (TOC) alert service sends an email alert when a new issue has been posted.
The Personalized Services alert runs your search terms and notifies you of the results by email.

1. Log in on the search page
2. Click on Personalized Services
3. Click on the TOC Service link or the Personalized Services link

RSS feed: http://feeds.aps.org

CSA - alerts and saved searches

1. Do a search in your selected database
2. Click Search History
3. Click 'Save as Alert'
4. Login or create a personal profile
5. Choose preferences from setup screen

Engineering Village - alerts
1. Do a search and click on "Search History"
2. Login to your personal account or create a new account
3. Choose your preferences in the setup page

FirstSearch - saved searches

1. Create a user account
2. Do a search on a database
3. Save your search by clicking on "My Account" from the FirstSearch search screen.

 Gale/InfoTrac - alerts are not available for the databases the library accesses through GaleNet

LexisNexis - free alerts are not available for LexisNexis databases

Physical Review (PROLA) - alerts are not available

Physics Search (IOP) - alerts for Table of Contents and your search terms
1. Login or create an account with a username and password
2. Do a search
3. Save the search as an Enhanced Alert
4. Choose your preferences on the setup page

Project Muse - uses alerts to notify you by email when new issues are available, but does not allow you to set up alerts for specific search terms

WilsonWeb - alerts and saved searches (called SDI - Selective Dissemination of Information - on its website)

1. Choose a database and do a search
2. Click Add Alert on the results screen
3. On the Set up Your Search Alert page, enter the required fields and other possible selections.
4. To activate your Alert, you must go to the confirmation email that has been sent to your inbox and click on the Confirm Email Address link.

Other Alert Services

Amazon Alerts - Set up a personal account at Amazon and select the Your Account tab at the top of the page. Follow directions to set up a search and receive notification when new books fitting the search become available through Amazon.

Google Alerts - Get email updates of the latest relevant Google results (web, news, etc.) based on your choice of query or topic.