Library  »  Learn with the Library  »  How To: Learn About New Research Articles

How To: Learn About New Research Articles

Do you ever browse the magazine racks in a bookstore? Sometimes we want an idea of the latest news, but aren’t looking for updates on a particular story. We may not even know what would interest us until we see the headline! Like flipping through magazine pages, new content alerts can raise your awareness of research trends and studies about victimization and victim services. New content alerts are useful when you don’t have a specific research question or study in mind, but you want to keep up with new findings in the field.

New content alerts (also called “table of content” alerts) are free services from subscription journals that send you a list of their latest articles and link to the abstracts or summaries. Usually these alerts only go out every three months, so your inbox won’t be flooded.

When you start receiving these alerts and reading an article summary, you may want to dive into the full report. There’s no need to pay for full-text articles – the CVR Library already offers you subscription access, at no cost to your program. You can read all the articles you want! To find full-text articles, log into VictimResearch.org and search the article title in the CVR Library searchbox. If the article doesn’t show up in your search, contact the CVR Research Librarian to request the full text.

Follow along with the video below to sign up for new content alerts from SAGE publications, which provides many journals relevant to victim services. Other publishers like Taylor & Francis and Elsevier provide similar free alerts from their journal homepages. Find screenshots and step-by-step instructions for these three publishers below the video. Want more specific alerts? Check out other alert ideas.

You can also do a quick scan of who has published articles on your topic by searching Journals TOC (Table of Contents). The website includes the latest titles from thousands of journals, including some freely available open access journals.

Video instructions

Steps to sign up for SAGE alerts

1. 1. Visit journals.sagepub.com.
   2. Search the title of the journal you want alerts from, like Trauma, Violence, and Abuse.
   3. From the search results page, select the Journals tab and click the title of the journal.
   4. On the journal publication page, select the About menu and then click Email Alerts.
      
   5. From the pop up window, select New Content and click Add Alerts.
      
   6. Register for a free account and start receiving alerts!
      

The CVR Library subscribes to the following journals on SAGE: Crime and Delinquency, Journal of Interpersonal Violence, Justice Research and Policy, Trauma, Violence, and Abuse, and Violence Against Women. Also, the CVR Research Librarian is able to purchase some articles from SAGE upon request.

Steps to sign up for Taylor & Francis alerts

1. Visit www.tandfonline.com.
2. Search the title of the journal you want alerts about, like Journal of Human Trafficking.
3. From the search results page, select the Journals tab and click the title of the journal.
4. On the journal publication page, select the New content alerts button.
5. Register for a free Taylor & Francis account.
6. Once you’re logged in, you can add more new content alerts and change how frequently you receive email updates.

The CVR Library subscribes to the following journals on Taylor & Francis: Journal of Elder Abuse and Neglect, Journal of Human Trafficking, and Journal of School Violence.

Steps to sign up for ScienceDirect (Elsevier) alerts

1. Visit www.sciencedirect.com.
2. Search the title of the journal you want alerts about, like Child Abuse & Neglect, in the Journal/book title search box.
3. From the search results, select the journal by its cover page.
   
4. On the journal publication page, select the Sign in to set up alerts option.
   
5. Register for a free ScienceDirect account.
6. Once you register, a pop up window offers Save journal alert options. Select Tables of contents type and click Save to start receiving alerts in your email inbox.

The CVR Library does not subscribe to journals on Elsevier, but the CVR Research Librarian is able to purchase some articles upon request. Suggested journals on Elsevier that may be useful for new content alerts include (but are not limited to!): Aggression and Violent Behavior, Child Abuse and Neglect, Children and Youth Services Review, Evaluation and Program Planning, Forensic Science International, Journal of Affective Disorders, Journal of Aging Studies, Journal of Criminal Justice, or The Lancet.

Other alert ideas

• To keep up with articles on specific topics or by specific authors, you may want to set up search alerts.

Tags: content alerts, journal alerts, keeping up with research, new research, search alerts, search tips, subscription journals, table of contents