Skip to Main Content

Library Search: Alerts, Save & Cite

Learn about signing into your account, search options and tips, getting to resources and working with citations.

Saving search results

There are two ways to save search results in Library Search, both require you to be logged in.

Save a query

To save a query (search), click on the pushpin underneath the search bar. When a query has been successfully saved, a yellow banner will appear at the top of the page. This banner also contains the option to set up an email alert (see "Creating search alerts," below).

My Favorites

To save specific search results to a list within Library Search, click on the pushpin icon to the right of the reference you would like to save. To view references placed in your favorites, select the pushpin icon near the top of the page, next to your name.

Creating search alerts

The Library Search enables you to create search alerts, which will inform you of any new additions to the Library's collections that match your search. To create a search alert in Library Search, you must first login. This can be done before or after you run your search. Next, select the pushpin icon underneath the search bar that says "save query." A yellow banner will appear towards the top of the page with the option to "turn notification on for this query." After selecting the option to turn on notifications, enter your preferred email and click "save query". 

Working with citations

There are two ways to gather citations in Library Search: formatted and by downloading an RIS file.

Formatted Citation

To gather a formatted citation, select a reference after running a search in Library Search. Then, scroll down and select the double quote icon marked "Citation"  under "Send to" to view the citation and to select your preferred format. Then click on "copy citation to clipboard" and paste the formatted citation into your document.

RIS File

There are two places to download an RIS file, from the main search page and from a reference's page.

Downloading an RIS file from the main search page allows you to download references in bulk. First, select your references by clicking the checkbox next to the reference entry. Then, click the three dots next to the pushpin icon on the right-hand side of the screen below the search bar. Finally, click Zotero/RIS and download to download your references.

To download an RIS file from a reference's page, scroll down to send to and select Zotero/RIS file. Without changing the drop-down option, click download.

For more information on Zotero and other citation managers, see the Citation Resources: Reference Management Software guide.