A great way to keep current in an area of law is to use email alerts, subscribe to newsletters, and set Google Alerts. Most legal research databases include an “alerts” feature that will send updates for newly added information. Similarly, many publications provide email newsletters that announce recent developments in the law. This guide provides information on some popular alerting features and email newsletters.
Google Alerts is a customized Google search that delivers results to you automatically. Google sends you an email when it detects new content--such as web pages, newspaper articles, blogs—that matches your search terms.
1. Go to http://www.google.com/alerts.
2. Sign-in to your Gmail account or start your alert without signing in.
3. Type your search terms in the search box
4. Enter the search terms you want Google Alert to track separated by commas. Put quotation marks around words that you want searched as a phrase. Example: “probable cause”
5. Click on “Show options” to customize your alert.
6. Enter your email in the box and click “Create Alert.”
7. You will receive an email with your results according to how often you chose to receive notifications.
HeinOnline's Electronic Table of Contents (eTOC) alerts send email notification every time a title you are interested is updated. The email will include a a table of contents with direct links to referenced articles., which will include a direct link to each referenced article. Instructions on how to create eTOC alerts, including a short Youtube video, can be found here.