HKIEd Library
Oct 2011
http://www.lib.ied.edu.hk/instruct/workshops/materials/

Basics – What are Alert Services and Why
 How to subscribe to a RSS feed using IE
▪ Working Example 1: subscribe a predefined news feed
▪ Working Example 2: customize your own news feed
 More ways to subscribe & read RSS feeds

Alerts for Academics and Researchers
 Journals TOC Alerts – directly at publisher's web site or via Library-
subscribed databases
 Customized Search Alerts
 Citation Alerts
 Free Alert Services on the Web

Use Citation Linker to check full text availability from off-campus
computers

Library Research Services for Faculties

Q&A + Hands-on: create your own alerts

Alert services help you get informed on latest updates of
information based on your choice of channels or pre-set criteria.

Alerts can be chosen from pre-defined channels or customized
searches
Channels offered by the information provider
1.
▪
Alerts based on your search criteria
2.
▪

E.g. table of contents of the latest issues of a particular journal; statistics
update from the HK Census & Statistics Department; monthly new book list
of publications on special education from your favorite publisher; nonacademic stuff like latest football match scores, etc.
E.g. new additions to a particular database written by a particular author;
anyone citing a particular article that you have written; news articles
matching certain keywords like ‘cyberbullying primary school students’;
Common forms of alerts: by email or RSS feeds

In the good old days, news and information are often disseminated by
print materials like newsletters and print catalogues.

Now, vendors want your email address so they can send all kinds of
information they want you to know

Unlike email, RSS feeds provide you with the choice to choose what
kinds of information to receive. Like listening to a radio, you can choose
to tune in (subscribe) to the channels that you like and turn off
(unsubscribe) at any time.

And unlike email, normally you don’t need to disclose your email
address or even your identity when subscribing to RSS feeds

For more non-technical introduction to the nature and use of RSS:
 http://www.commoncraft.com/rss_plain_english
 http://netforbeginners.about.com/od/rssandlivewebfeeds/f/rss.htm

Look for wordings like "Alert Services", RSS
and symbols like these

You can choose and download a RSS
Reader. But the easiest way to begin is to
subscribe a RSS feed using your Internet
browser like the Internet Explorer or Firefox.
http://news.yahoo.com
Scroll to the Bottom
for “All Yahoo News”
Mouse over a category
and you’ll see the option
to subscribe with RSS or
My Yahoo!
Add the Feed
to the "My
Favorite" bar
The RSS Feed
is now added
to the "My
Favorite" Bar
Now you can
access the
Feed any time
you want to
http://news.yahoo.com
Note the RSS
icon of IE is
currently
dimmed
Do a News
Search. E.g.
occupy wall
street
When RSS Feed is
available for the
web page, the IE
RSS Icon will be on
Or click the RSS
Icon to subscribe
this search
CNN News
HK Yahoo! News, Mingpao iNews, RTHK
Express News
 Library Pressdisplay


 SCMP, The Guardian, The Washington Post, etc.


HK Gov't Services RSS
Virtually all blogs provide some sorts of RSS
Feeds: e.g. the HKIEd Library Blog

You can add your RSS Feeds to your Google
/ Yahoo! Personal home page and access it
anywhere
 My Yahoo!
 iGoogle or use the Google Reader
RSS in MS
Outlook
There are many free RSS
Readers. E.g. RSSOwl Reader
(http://www.rssowl.org/)
RSS Reader can stay at
the Windows Bar but pop
up the headings when new
feeds arrive

Most major publishers are providing various alert
services by email and / or RSS.

For those journals that no alert services are provided
by the publisher, you can probably get the TOC
indirectly via Library-subscribed databases

Usually you will need to register with the publishers
first before you can set up email alerts. In addition to
TOC alerts, many publishers also provide additional
functions like allowing you to keep a bookmark of
your favorite journals, favorite articles, saved
searches and even tracking services.

Cambridge Journals Online
 http://journals.cambridge.org/action/registration

Emerald Fulltext
 http://www.emeraldinsight.com/profile/index.htm

Oxford Journals Online
 https://access.oxfordjournals.org/oup/login/local.do

SAGE Journals Online
 http://online.sagepub.com/cgi/alerts/etoc

ScienceDirect (Elsevier)
 http://help.sciencedirect.com/flare/Content/faq_alerts.htm

Springerlink
 http://www.springerlink.com/help/faq/personalization.mpx#1

Taylor & Francis
 http://www.tandfonline.com/page/help/account-features

Wiley Online Library
 http://olabout.wiley.com/WileyCDA/Section/id-404512.html

E.g. Found Literature & Theology in Library catalogue
A typical OUP
journal home
page.
RSS and other
alerts options
are available.
Some require a
free registration
first.

E.g. Found International Journal of Educational Research in
Library catalogue
A typical
ScienceDirect
journal home
page.
RSS and other
alerts options are
available. Some
require a free
registration first.
You may also
save your
favorite
searches and
set up search
alerts if you
register with
Elsevier

E.g. Found Theory and Research in Education in Library
catalogue
A typical SAGE
journal home
page.
RSS and other
alerts options
are available.
Some require a
free registration
first.

Found Teaching Business and Economics from Library
catalogue
You may create RSS
Alerts
You may also sign up for
Email Alert
You must click the
confirmation link in an
email sent to your
email account to
activate the alert
service

Found Council on Undergraduate Research Quarterly from
Library catalogue
Check: make sure
this journal is an
active journal in
this database
Alert options
available. But user
must register and
sign in to create
alerts
Add the RSS Feed but
You Must Click “Save
Alert” after adding
the feed
Email Option Only
Appears AFTER you
Sign In
Sign in first in order to be
able to save your search,
set up email alerts, etc.
Click "Folder"
icon to
Manage Your
Alerts
Sign in first in order to be
able to save your search,
set up email alerts, etc.
Register to create search
history alerts, citation
search alerts, etc.
Create Citation Alert
from article details
screen
Click "My Citation
Alerts" to Manage
Your Citation Alerts
You can create Email
Alerts for your
Searches
http://scholar.google.com
You don't need to register
or login first. But you
must confirm the
verification email
Click "Cited by XX"
will show all works
citing this item
From this result list of
entries citing a
particular article,
"Create email alert"
will track citations to
this article
http://www.eric.ed.gov/
Enter the ISSN or Name of the
Journal; plus year, volume, issue and
start page in Citation Linker to check
79
For Assistance