Current Awareness Tools

Keeping up with the current literature can be a challenge when you are involved in a long-term research project.  Several vendors offer services that can help alert you to new publications.  Both OVID and EBSCO databases can e-mail you your preplanned searches on a regular basis as well as alert you when the new edition of a journal has been published.

OVID Databases  (ERIC, PsycINFO, and Current Contents)

The OVID Personal Account lets you create and maintain a private workspace for your saved search strategies and AutoAlerts. After establishing your account, you can access it by clicking the Personal Accounts (for Searches) icon in the general options menu. To establish a new Personal OVID Account, click here.

OVID Saved Searches allows you to save your methods of searching either temporarily (24 hours) or permanently. After saving your search, you can rerun your search at another time.

OVID AutoAlerts emails you when a new article is available that is relevant to your saved alerts. This enables you to receive the most current information on your topics.  For more information, click here.

EBSCO (Academic Search Premier and ERIC)

EBSCO offers several customized current awareness tools.  In addition to e-mail alerts, it also offers an RSS feed.

To establish your account, go to the database and click on the "sign in" option on the top right hand of the screen.  Then click on the "I'm a new user" option.

After you have established your account, follow the directions in the "Help" section (also located near the upper right hand of the page).  After the help screen opens, scroll down to the section entitled "Saving Searches & Alerts."

ProQuest (Dissertations and Theses)

ProQuest, the company that produces the Dissertations and Theses database, provides RSS feeds for broad categories of new, incoming dissertations.  For more information, click here.