RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is a web feed format that provides the full text of web content together with links to the original source.

Many websites allow you to set up RSS feeds for their content. RSS feeds are also commonly available from databases which allow you to subscribe to feeds for journal articles on a specific topic. In this way you can be alerted whenever new content is added to your favourite websites or when a new issue of an e-journal is published.

To set up RSS feeds, you need a feed reader or aggregator - software that checks RSS feeds and displays updated content. Free web-based readers, e.g. Google Reader, let you check RSS feeds from any computer whereas downloadable desktop clients, e.g. FeedDemon, let you store them on your own computer.

Continue to Thing 5 to learn more about RSS feeds.