How can RSS Feeds help me in my research?

For websites that change often, such as article databases and current journal table of contents, RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is a technology that can automatically deliver updated information to you. All you have to do to keep informed is subscribe to your desired RSS feeds of journal table of contents and/or saved searches in article databases using an RSS reader. This is a web or desktop application that allows you to view all of your RSS feeds in one, convenient location.

Step One: Select an RSS Reader

In order to read and organize your RSS feeds, you'll need to set up a RSS Reader. There are many RSS readers to choose from, and which will work best for you depends on which browser and operating system you use most. In the descriptions and video tutorials given here, the free open-source RSSOwl reader is used. Once downloaded and installed, RSSOwl can be set as your default RSS reader in your browser. RSS compendium lists many other RSS readers by operating system. Some of the most common are:

Desktop-based Readers Web-based Readers
Feed Demon  (Windows) Bloglines
Mozilla Thunderbird  (Windows, Mac) Google Reader
NetNewsWire  (Mac) Netvibes
RSSOwl  (Window, Mac, Linux)

Step Two: Select Sources for Research

RSS feeds are available from a growing number of sources, including most journal publishers and article databases. Consult the table below for avaiable RSS feeds, along with guides and (in many cases) video tutorials on how to subscribe. One of the most convenient ways to subscribe to RSS feeds is to use the TicToc Service that has feeds to the tables of contents of over 13,600 journals. When you see one of these commonly used RSS icons, it means an RSS feed is available for subscription:

RSS Feed Icon Images

Step Three: Use the RSSOwl Reader to Further Refine Searches

The RSSOwl reader has a useful feature that allows saved searches of your feeds. This can be used to set up continuous keyword searches of table of contents or other feeds so that important articles are not missed. View a video tutorial that shows how to save searches as new feeds here. View additional RSSOwl tutorials from the vendor website here.

Table of RSS Feeds, RSS Guides, and Video Tutorials

Instructions for subscribing to RSS feeds for some of the most common science databases are shown in the table below.  This table highlights UC Berkeley resources, so many of these links are only available to those with proper authorization.

Database, Vendor, or Publisher Sample Databases Covered Vendor Guide to RSS Feeds Links to RSS Feeds Step by Step Guide to Subscribing to Feeds Video Tutorial
ArXiv.org Physics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Quantitative Biology, Quantitative Finance and Statistics Vendor Help N/A How To Subscribe to Feed Not Yet Available
ACS Journals American Chemical Society Journals Vendor Help RSS Feeds How To Subscribe to Feed Simple, One Step Process
AIP Journals American Institute of Physics journals Vendor Help No Direct Link to RSS Feed. Perform Search and Save RSS from Search Screen How To Subscribe to Feed Create RSS Feed from Saved Search
CSA (Cambridge Scientific Abstracts) GeoRef, AGRICOLA ToxLine, Environmental Science, and more How-To Guide Vendor Help RSS Feeds How To Subscribe to Feed Create RSS Feed from Saved Search
FirstSearch / WorldCat Alternative Press, Geobase, WorldCat,and more RSS Not Available RSS Not Available RSS Not Available RSS Not Available
Engineering Village Compendex Vendor Help N/A How To Subscribe to Feed Create RSS Feed from Saved Search
IEEE IEEE Explore Vendor Help N/A How To Subscribe to Feed Not Yet Available
ISI Web of Knowledge Web of Science, BIOSIS, CAB, Inspec, Zoological Record, and more Vendor Help N/A How To Subscribe to Feed Create RSS Feed from Saved Search
PubMed PubMed, MEDLINE, PreMEDLINE Vendor Help N/A How To Subscribe to Feed Create RSS Feed from Saved Search
ScienceDirect More than 2500 journal titles Vendor Help RSS Feeds How To Subscribe to Feed Create RSS Feed from Saved Search
TicToc Table of Contents Service More than 13,600 journal table of contents N/A N/A How To Subscribe to Feed Export RSS Feeds in Bulk