Scopus offers personalization features that allow users to set preferences, save searches, set up e-mail alerts, create RSS feeds of new articles from a search or topic, add applications to assist with research, and use mobile applications.

To set up an account, first access Scopus through the UIUC Library. In the upper right corner, click the "Create account" box. Fill in the information. Your email will be your username. Creating an account will allow you to do more with Scopus through personalization.

Save a search if you want to remember a particular search you performed, if you don’t have time to look at the results right away, or if you want to set up an RSS feed or alert later for that search. 

• To save a search, click “Save” from the left side of the results page, underneath the turquoise results bar at the top of the page. From the “Save this search” box, title the search, then click “Save.”
• To view your saved searches, make sure that you are signed into your account. Then click the circle with your initials on it in the top right corner. From the pop-out box, click the "Saved searches" link.

Alerts are emmail notices sent when new documents are uploaded to Scopus. To see what alerts you have saved, click “Alerts” in the navigation bar at the top of the page.

Scopus has three alert types:

1. Search alerts: Notify you when a particular search renders new results. After performing a search, these can be enabled by looking under the turquoise banner on the top left of the results page and clicking “Set alert.”
2. Author citation alerts: Notify you when a document from that author is cited in Scopus (useful for tracking citations of your own work). These can be found from an author’s page. Underneath the documentation and citation trends graph, click “Get citation alerts.”
3. Document citation alerts: Notify you when a specific document is cited in Scopus. Go to the right side of any document record to enable this alert and click “Set citation alert.”

To personalize your Scopus account after logging in, click the black circle with your initials at the top right of the page. This will open a navigation menu. From here you can view your dashboard, set or manage your saved searches, alerts, and saved lists, change your export and reference management settings, and link to the Elsevier Privacy Center. Click "view account" to change your password or other account information.

Lists are collections of documents. Create lists to set aside documents useful or relevant to research.

• To add a document to “My List,” start from a search results page. Use the checkboxes next to document records to select relevant documents. Click on  “Save to list.” Enter a list name or add to other saved list(s).
• To view your list(s), click on the circle with your initials in the top right corner of page which opens a navigation menu. Then click "Saved lists."

Once searches have been done, view search history by clicking “Search” in the navigation bar at the top of the page. Search history is located below the search box. Each prior search will be listed with the number of results that search produced. Click on the number of search results to view those results again. Use search history to combine search queries, save searches, and set alerts (to receive notifications when new materials are published).