ISI Web of Knowledge: Creating Alerts

• Creating Search Alerts
• Creating Citation Alerts
• What is RSS?

The alerting capacity in ISI Web of Knowledge databases (Web of Science, BIOSIS, CAB Abstracts, Zoological Record) enables you to stay up to date on recently published research and to see who is citing your work. To activate this feature, first create a personal profile by clicking on the Sign In link from any page in any Web of Knowledge database. You will then be able to:

• Create search alerts: Have your search re-run automatically (on a weekly or monthly basis) and the results emailed to you or sent to your RSS reader.
• Create citation alerts: Receive an alert (email or RSS) when a specific article is cited.

Creating Search Alerts

1. Choose a specific Web of Knowledge database, enter a search query and click Search. Your alert will be based on the last search in your search history. (Search alerts cannot be set up from the All Databases tab.)
2. From the Search Results screen, click on the Search History link.
3. Click on the Save History/Create Alert button. If you are not already signed in, you will be prompted to do so.
4. Give your search a History Name (required).
5. To receive your search alerts via email: Check the "Send Me Email Alerts" box and enter an email address.
   To receive your search alerts via RSS: Leave the "Send Me Email Alerts" box unchecked.
6. Select an Alert Type and an Email format and Frequency (for email alerts only).
7. Click Save. An option to receive your alerts via RSS appears on the next screen.

9. To receive your search alerts via email: Click Done on the Server Save Confirmation screen.
   To receive your search alerts via RSS: Click the icon on the Server Save Confirmation screen. Copy and paste the resulting URL into your RSS reader (see What is RSS? for more information). Click Done.

Saved search alerts expire after 24 weeks, but can be renewed at any time. If an alert expires, it will still remain in your search history until you delete it.

Creating Citation Alerts

Create a citation alert to be notified by email whenever a selected article has been cited. The alert remains active for one year, and can be renewed at any time. View the Full Record of any article in BIOSIS, CAB Abstracts, Web of Science or Zoological Record and click on "Create Citation Alert" to receive email updates whenever this article is cited by another article in Web of Science. Optionally, citation alerts can be received via RSS in addition to your email alerts; on the Citation Alerts Save Confirmation screen, click the icon and copy and paste the resulting URL into your RSS reader.

What is RSS?

• RSS stands for "Really Simple Syndication" (formerly "Rich Site Summary" or "RDF Site Summary").
• RSS lets you read all your favorite Web content in one place, as easily as you check your email; subscribe to your favorite news sites, blogs, journal tables of contents, job sites, database searches, and more.
• RSS feeds can be read with a free, web-based "feed reader" or "aggregator" program, such as Bloglines or Google Reader.
• New content will be delivered directly to your RSS feed reader whenever your "subscribed" sites are updated.
• Feed-reading capabilities are built in with some newer Web browsers and email clients, like Firefox 2, Internet Explorer 7, Safari, and Mozilla Thunderbird 2.
• To find out if a site offers RSS capabilities, look for icons like these:
  These icons are feed links; click on one to subscribe to the site's content as an RSS feed.
• Depending on the feed reader you use and your browser preferences, clicking on one of these links will either allow you to subscribe directly to that feed, or will take you to a page of XML code. If you see a page of code, simply copy the page's URL and paste it into your feed reader, using your reader's Add function.
• See the Bioscience Library's Introduction to RSS and Keeping Up to Date in the Biological Sciences pages for more information.