Subject news coverage
Thanks to the fact that many databases are now offering automatic literature coverage it is easier to keep up-to-date with the latest research findings in a subject.
Selective dissemination of information (SDI)
A standing SDI will give you an overview of news in your area of interest. You create a search profile that is run regularly in the database, and if a new document matches your search query you will get a reference to the new document by e-mail. E-mail alerts are often free of charge, but you must find the full text of the article yourself.
Table of contents (TOC)
Many publishers, with both electronic and printed publications, offer the possibility of a subscription for the table of contents pages from recently published journal issues. In addition to the table of contents you often get short summaries of the published articles. All you need to do is register your e-mail address and what subjects / journals you are interested in.
The ultimate search profile
Take into account the fact that it often takes some time to find a good search profile / search query. At first it is easy to make too wide searches and your inbox will quickly fill with material that is not quite interesting, and which you do not have the time to go through. To avoid this you might create a very narrow search that never gives any results. It is advisable to spend some extra time to find the right search profile.
In the long run it pays off to have effective subject coverage. Unfortunately you cannot count on using the same search query in all databases. Neither the search language, nor indexing or thesauri are standardized.
Accept the fact that it takes some time to find an effective search profile. Check what special features the databases you are interested in have (read about search technique in the database help pages), reflect over the search results. Are you satisfied with the result or do you want to make some adjustments in the search query?
Eva Norling
2005-06-21
