Web feeds

You can use Web feeds to get table of contents details for your favourite journals delivered directly to your desktop. Web feeds are also used to deliver information from news sites, discussion forums and blogs.

Advantages of using feeds:

• Save time by bringing together news and other information from Web sites which you would normally visit individually.
• Information is sent to your PC as soon as it is added to the Web site
• No need to register to receive the feeds - just look for "RSS" ,"XML" or "Atom" button, right-click on it, copy the shortcut, and paste it into your feed reader.

Feed readers

Web feeds are written in XML (Extensible Markup Language) and you will need special software (a reader or aggregator) to view them.

• Some Web browsers, including Firefox and Opera can use RSS feeds directly
• Dedicated software packages such as Feedreader are available, many of them free of charge
• Web-based services such as Bloglines can also be used

For more information about RSS and feed readers go to the BBC Web site

Some journal Web sites with feeds

Links to feeds are usually on the journal home pages

• BioMed Central
• Cambridge Journals Online
• Emerald Fulltext
• IEEE Xplore
• IngentaConnect
• Institute of Physics Journal Archive
• Sage Premier Collection
• ScienceDirect Freedom Collection
• ZETOC

Search ticTOCs to find RSS feeds for your favourite journals.

The University of Liverpool Library has a comprehensive list of journal Web sites with RSS feeds.