Email Alert Services

Email alert services deliver current citations or the table of contents of selected journals (based on a search strategy you create) directly into your email. In most cases, abstracts of the articles are also provided. Examples of email alert services include My NCBI and EBSCO Alerts. Instructions on how to set up an alert for a particular database can usually be found by clicking Help on the individual database page, or see Related Links below.

Why Use Email Alert Services?

• Keep abreast of current literature in your field of interest
• Receive automatic updates in your email
• View journal tables of contents from your home or office

Comparison of Services

Database Providers	My NCBI	EBSCOhost	Elsevier	CSA Illumina	ISI Web of Knowledge	SciVerse ScienceDirect Search
Databases searched	PubMed, Nucleotide, Genome, Protein, etc.	CINAHL Plus , ERIC , PsycINFO , etc.	EMBASE	PAIS, Sociological Abstracts , etc.	BIOSIS Previews , Web of Science	ScienceDirect journals
Coverage	Biomedical and health journals	Varies depending upon database	Biomedical and pharmacological journals	Varies depending on database	Varies depending on database	Over 2500 science, technology and medical titles
Email format(s)	HTML	HTML or Text	HTML or Text	HTML or Text	HTML or Text	HTML or Text
Search frequency	Daily, weekly, or monthly	Daily, weekly, biweekly, monthly	Daily, weekly, monthly, bimonthly, trimonthly, twice a year, yearly	When database updated	Weekly, monthly	Daily, weekly, monthly
Response to zero results	You choose	Not notified	?	Not notified	Not notified	Not notified
Save Format for Citation Software	MEDLINE	Bibliographic Manager	RIS or RefWorks Direct Export	Any format	Field Tagged	RIS or RefWorks Direct Export

Additional Notes about Email Alert Services These services are all available at no charge to you as "self-service." Your library liaison would be happy to help you create and save your strategy. Many online journals also offer the ability to set up email alerts for topic searches, citing articles, or table of contents. Install the Proxy Bookmarklet so links to full-text articles from your email work from off-campus. Email alert services on other, fee-based databases may be set up; consult with your library liaison for more information.

Related Links for Creating Alerts PubMed: My NCBI Searching CINAHL Plus

Revised February 2011.