Modern scientists are busier than ever. Their typical days are filled not only with experimental work, but also with teaching, supervising, mentoring, grant applications, budget planning… The list goes on and on. No wonder there is barely any time left to stay on top of the field. Keeping track of published literature is made easier by following these simple tips:
Newest first
Don’t get lost in the long list of publications. To find the most recent articles on Europe PMC, sort results by date. If you want to limit your search to a specific date range – last week or last month – set this in the advanced search.
Focus on what’s important
Citations are the currency of the academic world. Familiarise yourself with the most cited papers in your area by using “Times cited” as a sorting order. For your convenience, citation counts are displayed for each publication in the search results on Europe PMC.
Follow your colleagues
Are you already familiar with the experts in your field? Check for publications from a specific author by typing their last name into the search bar. For scientists with common last names, such as Smith or Wu, paste their unique ORCID ID into the search bar to match the author exactly.
Automate repetitive tasks
Don’t waste your time on a job that your computer can do for you. Doing the same search every now and then? Instead of typing a long query into the search bar every time, save your search and recall it with one click. In Europe PMC all of your saved searches appear in your account. Create an account or log in with ORCID or Twitter.
Stay alert
With a busy schedule, it is easy to miss an exciting discovery. Any search, including those by keywords, author, or scientific journal, can be turned into an RSS feed on Europe PMC. This way, once an article on your topic is added to the database, you will be notified immediately.