Keeping up with the current published research has long been a challenging task. With preprints added to the mix, research is shared much quicker, extending the reading list and fuelling information overload.
There is a need for useful tools to help researchers stay on top of the new discoveries that are most relevant to their field. Europe PMC now offers a new alerts feature for keyword searches.
How can alerts help track relevant research?
Researchers can create email alerts for saved searches, to discover new articles on a topic of interest. Europe PMC alerts can help you:
- track preprints from over 20 different preprint platforms;
- track research articles or reviews;
- track individual researchers, research groups, or institutions;
- track journals that publish research in your field, etc.
How does an alert work?
When creating an alert you will be asked to sign in with an ORCID, Twitter, or Europe PMC/Europe PMC plus account. You can access all of your saved alerts from your account. Alerts can be modified or deleted at any time.
Example of saved alerts in a user account.
The Save & create alert form can be accessed via the Save & create alert button next to the search bar. Alert settings options include:
– You can edit your search and test the new search terms.
– You can edit the name of the alert.
– You can choose to receive regular email updates or to save the search to run yourself at any time.
– You can select the frequency option from as soon as available, weekly, or monthly. You will need to select a preferred day for weekly and monthly alerts. Any new results are emailed at approx. 06:00 GMT.
– You can opt to receive a partial abstract with the first few lines included in the email.
When receiving an email for your alert, it will include the title, author(s), journal information and a few lines of the abstract, if selected, for up to 25 new results, with an option to view all new results on Europe PMC if more items are found.
Example of an alert email for (bacteriophage) search on Europe PMC.
We hope that the new alerts feature for Europe PMC will make it easy to find the relevant information and stay on top of published and preprinted research. If you have any feedback regarding the email alerts please let us know via helpdesk@europepmc.org.
