As all Thammasat University librarians know, some research projects can take a long time. A student thesis or in-depth academic investigation can go on and on. While the student or ajarn works, there may be new developments in the subject of the work. So students may ask librarians:

How can I see updates about new research in my field?

Many of the TU library databases make it possible to request email alerts or RSS feeds. An RSS is a type of web feed which allows readers to access updates to online content in a standardized, computer-readable format. These feeds unite information from different websites into one location. We may inform students:

If you subscribe to a website RSS, there is no need to look on the website for newly posted information. You will be sent information about new updates. It is possible to request that your browser download new data automatically.

The students may reply:

I don’t want to subscribe to an RSS, but it would be useful to see updates about new articles in my field of study.

In response to this, we may ask:

What databases are you using for the research?

For example, EBSCOhost offers detailed advice online about how to use search alerts. As with any research database, students should find clear instructions and advice, along with further support offered 24/7. We might remind them if they have problems at 3am on a Saturday or holiday setting up search alert, if they click on Contact Support on the Ebsco or other database website. If the student cannot find the right lace to click, they can always Google the name of the database and the words Help or Support. Chances are there will be database employees ready to offer help. Fortunately, it is not very difficult or time-consuming to set up search alerts. Once they are set up, this can save time for the student or ajarn who would otherwise be browsing through lots of different literature, looking for articles relevant to a project. It is also possible to decide how often the student wants a search for new material to be run. The default frequency is once a day, but it is also possible to choose once a week, once every two weeks, or once a month. How the results are presented is also up to the researcher. They can be given in brief or detailed formats. If the student asks us:

How up-to-date does my research have to be?

This is a kind of question that is best answered by the ajarn who is supervising the academic research or thesis. Since search alerts may provide new material every day, there is no longer any excuse for writing a thesis that is outdated by the time it is submitted to a faculty for approval. When search results are sent, the default setting is to make available articles published with no limit. If the researcher only wants the most recent material, it is possible to change the setting to articles appearing within the past month, two months, six months, or year. It is possible to customize the search results experience to best suit what the student needs or expects for any research project. If students forget their password, it is possible to click on either I forgot my password or I forgot my user name and password for help.

For students who use the ProQuest database, it is also possible to subscribe to alerts. New items will be emailed corresponding to preferred searches. For those who use Google Scholar, a similar alert may be set up by clicking on Create Alert. All of these services should keep any researcher very current with new discoveries in a field. If the alerts are not as specific as wished, they may be redesigned by changing keywords to get more useful results.

(All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)