Q. How does it work?
A. With RefAware, each user creates one or more “search profiles” consisting of a list of key terms, authors, and sources of interest. RefAware searches through tens of thousands of source material and retrieves those that may be of interest. Optional email notifications are provided when new material comes available.
Q. What do I do with the new references that I find?
A. Most references will contain a link to the full text of the article which can be viewed if appropriate subscriptions exist. If you use RefWorks or other bibliographic management software, you can also export the references of interest into your personal database.
Q. How current is the information collected by RefAware?
A. VERY current. New articles often appear within hours of publication….many pre-publication.
Q. How often are my search profiles updated?
A. Using a proprietary advanced web-scraping technology, RefAware is constantly scouring the web for new references, so updates are available multiple times throughout each day, including weekends.
Q. Can I be notified when new information is found by RefAware?
A. Yes. RefAware has two types of alerting features that you can enable in your Preferences area. You can determine the frequency of the alerts.
Q. Why should I use RefAware instead of my usual database sources?
A. RefAware provides the perfect complement to your traditional sources. Most abstracting and indexing services or databases are designed for retrospective searching, and you should continue to use them to research new areas of interest. But most of these systems are not designed specifically for current awareness. That’s where RefAware comes in…it was developed and designed specifically for keeping abreast of the areas in which you have an ongoing interest and need to have the most up-to-date information.