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Researchers@Library

Research Alerts

Research alert is a service offered by many databases where automatic notifications on newly added articles or saved search results for the latest updates are sent via email or RSS feeds. This service helps keep you updated on particular research topics without the need to run the same search regularly across different databases. The alerts are particularly useful, especially when your research extends over a long period, e.g., working towards a dissertation or thesis.

Many of the databases, which PolyU Library subscribes to, provide the option of setting up an alert service. It is necessary to register with a database or publisher's site in order to set up an alert. Alerts can be in the form of:

  • TOC alert: TOC (Table of Contents) of newly released journal issues
  • Search alert: recent articles matching previously submitted searches
  • Citation alert: get alert when the article you specified is cited by another article

The Library has compiled the list below to show research alert service availability for major databases. Please note that the procedures to set up email alerts or RSS Feeds may vary across different platforms. Visit the help page of individual database for setup details: