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Staying Current: Subject Search Alerts

Discover ways to keep up to date with the medical, nursing, and health care literature

What are Subject Search Alerts?

A subject alert is a permanent search that is re-run at regular intervals. Choose a database, create a well-defined search and save. When new articles on your subject are added to the database you will be sent an email alert. If you are doing ongoing research on a specific topic, or, if you have an ongoing interest in a particular subject, this type of alert might be very useful. The alert can be cancelled when you are no longer interested in receiving the results.

Select a Database

  • On the Advocate Health - Midwest Library page go to Quick Links and select PubMed
  • Go to Log in located in the upper right hand corner
  • Create an account or sign in if you already have one
  • You will need to have a Google, Facebook, or ORCID account to set up your PubMed account
  • Create your search in PubMed
  • Select "Create Alert" located under the search box
  • Edit the name of your saved search
  • Select "Yes" to receive email updates of new search results
  • Confirm your email is correct
  • Select the desired frequency to receive results
  • Select which day you would like to receive
  • Select which format you would like to receive the results 
  • Select the maximum number of results you would like to receive
  • Decide if you want to receive an email if there are no new results
  • Click on "Save"
  • On the Advocate Health - Midwest Library page go to Quick Links and select Medline (Ovid)
  • Click on "My Account"
  • Create a personal account or login if you already have one
  • Go back to "Search" and create your search strategy
  • The last statement of the search history is the one that will be used for the update
  • Click on "Save All" located beneath the search history
  • Enter a search name
  • From the "Type" dropdown menu choose AutoAlert (SDI)
  • Use the radio buttons to select how frequently you want to schedule the search
  • Email Address & Subject: Add your email and an email subject
  • Email Options: select "Inline"
  • Output Type: select "ASCII"
  • Check the box "Include external resolver link"
  • Report Type" select "Email includes records only"
  • Fields: select "Citation, Abstract"
  • Result Format: select "Ovid Labeled Citation"
  • Click on "Save"
  • On the Advocate Health - Midwest Library page go to Quick Links and select CINAHL
  • Click on "Sign In" located in the upper right hand corner
  • Create a personal account if you do not already have one and sign in
  • Formulate a search strategy
  • Click on the "Create Alert" link located next to the "Search" button
  • Edit the name of the email subject and add an email address
  • Under General Settings select the frequency which you want to receive results
  • Select the format you would like to receive results and articles published within what time frame
  • Click on "Save Alert"
  • From the Advocate Health - Midwest Library page go to Resources and select A-Z Resource Listing
  • Locate Google Scholar
  • Sign in or create an account if you do not already have one
  • Create a search
  • Click on the "Create Alert" envelope icon 
  • Select the number of results you would like to receive
  • Click on the red "Create Alert" button