Creating personal accounts in the Library’s databases is not necessary to access the database content. A number of Library databases do give you the option of creating accounts. But why bother creating accounts if you can access the content without them? There are a number of benefits to creating personal database accounts, particularly within databases you frequently utilize. Personal database accounts may allow you to save and organize resources, retrieve your search history, set up various alerts, and more.
This page will explain why you may want to set up an account within each of the Library databases. It will also detail how to set up each personal account should you choose to do so.
Personal Accounts with Roadrunner Search & EBSCOhost Databases
When accessing Roadrunner Search or any of the Library's EBSCOhost databases, a NEW MyEBSCOhost account will be automatically created for you using your university email address and password. You will be automatically signed into this personal account each time you access the search tool or databases.
A MyEBSCOhost account provides access to the following features:
In order to access Roadrunner Search and EBSCOhost databases as well as manage your personal accounts, you should consent to EBSCO's Personal Data Retention and Usage policy. You will be presented with a consent form when accessing Roadrunner Search or EBSCOhost databases for the first time. You may choose to withdraw consent but note that you cannot use any of the personalization features offered with a MyEBSCOhost account. You will also need to withdraw consent each time you access these resources as your personal information is not stored to remember this setting. More information is available in this FAQ.
NOTE: If you maintained one or more MyEBSCOhost accounts prior to July 1, 2021, then you have the option to access your old account and view content by clicking on the Switch Accounts link in the top-right menu of any EBSCO database; however, you will NOT be able to save any new content to previous accounts. More information is available in this FAQ.
Please note that following graduation you will no longer have access to your EBSCOhost account. Your personal EBSCOhost folder can only be accessed by logging in through the account of the institution in which the folder account was created. You will not have access to EBSCOhost or Roadrunner Search following graduation. You can, however, export your saved EBSCOhost content to RefWorks using the steps outlined in this FAQ. Additionally, you do have access to a number of other Library databases following graduation. Please see our Alumni Access FAQ for more information.
Personal Accounts with Academic Video Online & Psychotherapy.net Collection (Alexander Street Press)
Why create an account
Any user accessing the site through NU Library will be able to create a personal user account that can be used to save clips and playlists for as long as the user has access to Academic Video Online, including Psychotherapy.net Collection.
How to create an account
To create a new account, click the person icon at the top right-hand corner of any page on the site and select Sign Up. You will need to select and enter a display name, email address, and password to complete the setup of your account. You will then be sent an email containing a link to click on in order to confirm your account.
If you already have a user account but have forgotten your password, click the Forgot your Password link on the sign-in page to reset it. If you wish to change any of the information associated with your account, including user image and short bio, you can do that from the My Profile tab once you have signed in.
Note that there are no options to create alerts or RSS feeds for video content.
Personal Accounts with ACM Digital Library
Why create an account
Registering an account in ACM Digital Library allows you to create binders that contain custom collections of citations from the ACM Digital Library. Binders can be shared with other users of the ACM Digital Library.
How to create an account
Click on the Register link in the upper right-hand corner of the page, as shown below. Enter your email address and click the Continue button. Complete the registration form, which requests your name, a password, and a security question and answer. Be sure to write down the username which will be automatically assigned to you as well as the password you selected. An email message with a link to confirm your request for the account will be sent.
Personal Accounts with Annual Reviews
Why create an account
Registration is free and registered users enjoy the following benefits:
How to create an account
Click the Register link located in the upper right-hand corner of the page, as shown below. Complete the registration form. You will receive a confirmation email. NOTE: Do not attempt to access Annual Reviews via the web address link provided in the confirmation email. You will need to continue accessing the database through the NU Library. You may then login using the username and password you just created. You will know you are properly logged into the database if you see Welcome Your Name at the very top of the page.
Click on your username to access your personal account profile within My Account. Within the Profile section, you can:
Personal Accounts with BioMed Central
Why create an account
Registration is free and registered users enjoy the following benefits:
How to create an account
Click the Login link located in the upper right-hand corner of the page, as shown below. Then, click on the Register tab. Complete the registration form. You will receive a confirmation email with a link to complete your registration.
Personal Accounts with Credo Reference
Unfortunately, Credo Reference does not provide the option to create a personal account. However, you can save results for your current browsing session.
Click the Saved Items tab located on the top right-hand side of the blue navigation bar to view My Saved Results, as shown below. This page is for emailing, printing, or exporting the entries that you collected during your Credo session.
To create a collection of saved entries, you can do any of the following:
1. Click the Save icon at the top of any topic page or entry to add to your temporary folder.
2. Click the Save icon beneath each search result.
When done, return to the My Saved Results page where you will be able to easily email, print, or save the entire set of collected entries. Selected entries are remembered only for the duration of your session. NOTE: If you close your browser or start over, the list of marked entries will be cleared.
Personal Accounts with Ebook Central
There is no registration required for an Ebook Central account. Your Ebook Central account is linked to your NU school login and you are automatically signed in when you directly access the database. Your Bookshelf in ProQuest Ebook Central keeps track of your downloads, loans, and saved books. To access your saved content, click on the Bookshelf link in the top right-hand corner, as shown below.
Bookshelf features include the following:
- Downloads and Loans: Easy access to the books you’ve downloaded or have on loan, and a reminder of how many days are remaining.
- Recently viewed: Up to 10 titles that you’ve recently viewed are displayed here.
- Annotated books: Easy access to all the books that you have bookmarked, highlighted, or added notes to. Click on Annotated Books on left, and then click on the Annotations link under each book to view annotations.
- Saved to Bookshelf: This is where you access your saved bookshelf items and create folders. Organize your books into as many folders as you would like. Your bookshelf comes with a Research folder and you can add more folders as you need them.
Personal Accounts with Films On Demand
Why create an account
A personal user account gives you the ability to create playlists, save links to favorite videos, and create folders to organize playlists and favorites. Playlists and favorites are saved to your personal user account. Once you create a personal user account, you can also set user preferences, including defaults for search results and closed captioning.
How to create an account
Personal Accounts with GALE Databases
GALE allows you to connect a personal Google or Microsoft account by signing in using the options provided in the top right-hand corner. Connecting your personal Google or Microsoft account allows you to save documents, citations, and highlights.
GALE is a Google for Education Partner, which means that after accessing the database, you can sign in with your Google account credentials to share, save, and download articles or annotations to Google Drive or Google Docs. Using a Microsoft account, you can store, sync, and share files by downloading GALE content to your Microsoft OneDrive account in the cloud.
This short video demonstrates how to download, save, and share content from GALE databases to your personal Google or Microsoft account.
Personal Accounts with Google Scholar
Why create an account
Google Scholar is a freely accessible web search engine that indexes the full text of scholarly literature across an array of publishing formats and disciplines. It provides a simple way to broadly search for scholarly literature. From one place, you can search across many disciplines and sources: articles, theses, books, abstracts, and court opinions, from academic publishers, professional societies, online repositories, universities, and other websites. Google Scholar helps you find relevant work across the world of scholarly research.
With a Google Scholar personal account, you can save articles from the search results page, organize content by topics in your personal library, and create and manage search alerts.
How to Create an Account
You can sign up for a personal Google and Gmail account, or you can create a personal account using a non-Gmail address instead.
To create a personal Google/Gmail account:
1. Go to the Google Account sign in page.
2. Click Create account.
3. Enter your name.
4. In the "Username" field, enter a username.
5. Enter and confirm your password. Tip: When you enter your password on mobile, the first letter isn't case sensitive.
6. Click Next. Optional: Add and verify a phone number for your account.
7. Click Next.
To create a personal account using an already existing email/non-Gmail:
1. Go to the Google Account Sign In page.
2. Click Create account.
3. Enter your name.
4. Click Use my current email address instead.
5. Enter your current email address.
6. Click Next.
7. Verify your email address with the code sent to your existing email.
8. Click Verify.
Personal Accounts with HeinOnline
Why create an account
MyHein is HeinOnline’s personal research tool that helps you personalize your search experience and save time. With a MyHein personal account, you have access to the following features:
How to create an account
To set up a MyHein account, click the MyHein Profile option from the toolbar on the upper right side of all pages in HeinOnline. Then select Create an Account.
Fill out the form provided. You can choose your preferred username and password.
Once the form is completed, you will be brought directly to your MyHein account where you can begin to organize your research. To return to the welcome page to start searching for resources and content on your topic, simply click the Hein house in the upper left-hand corner of the page.
Personal Accounts with Homeland Security Digital Library
Why create an account
Individual account-holders have access to the following features:
How to create an account
Your login and password will be the same for both www.chds.us and www.hsdl.org and passwords are valid for 6 months. Note that passwords cannot be reused for three years. You can add more than one email address to your account, but please do not create multiple accounts as it can create issues with access.
If you have trouble with your account, please email techsupport@chds.us for support.
Personal Accounts with IEEE Xplore Digital Library
Why create an account
Anyone can sign up for a free IEEE account on IEEE Xplore. A personal account allows you to do the following:
How to create an account
To create an account with IEEE Xplore, click on the Create Account link in the upper right-hand corner of the page as shown below.
Fill out the form with your first name and last name. Then, specify a username (email address) and password. Passwords must follow these guidelines:
Click on the Create Account button to finalize your account. IEEE Xplore will display a confirmation box and will sign you into your personal account.
Personal Accounts with IGI Global
Why create an account
Creating an IGI Global account allows you to easily do the following:
How to create an account
1. Use the following direct link to create your account: https://www.igi-global.com/login/create-account/
2. Enter your email address and proceed to complete the registration information.
Personal Accounts with JSTOR Open Content
Why create an account
A registered personal account is a free account that enables you to access, cite, and return to JSTOR Open content. Your personal account may support your research in a variety of ways:
Please note that the NU Library does not currently subscribe to the JSTOR database; however, to support researchers, JSTOR offers the ability to read up to 100 online articles for free.
More information about JSTOR accounts and obtaining access to open content is available here:
How to create an account
To register for a new free account, visit the JSTOR registration page. You may use any e-mail address to register. The e-mail you choose to register your account will be your default username.
Items marked with asterisk (*) are required to register.
To stay logged in, select the checkbox Keep me Logged In. To opt-into updates from JSTOR and/or JSTOR-participating publishers, select the checkbox JSTOR Updates.
Personal Accounts with LinkedIn Learning
Why create an account
LinkedIn Learning lets you learn at your own pace. You can select courses relevant to your current role or degree program in areas like Business, Technology, and Marketing. The content is focused on job skills and can be good for those wanting to learn software platforms specific to their job, but you can also pursue other passions! With courses on financial literacy, social media, even drawing and music theory, you’ll be able to grow and develop in the areas you care about both at and outside of the University.
How to create an account
Before you can access LinkedIn Learning, you need to activate your account. Click this link to activate your account.
Enter in your NU student email address or NU staff/faculty email address and wait for the activation email to be sent. Once you receive the activation email from LinkedIn Learning, click the Activate your account button from within that email.
This will take you to the NU organizational landing page, which you will click to continue to.
After signing in with your NU credentials (just like you would access NCUOne), you should be able to access LinkedIn Learning. When accessing LinkedIn Learning for the first time, you will be prompted to log in or create a LinkedIn account which will be paired with your LinkedIn Learning account. Pairing your account is optional, but if you choose not to pair a LinkedIn account, there is a potential that you may lose any progress, history, or customization. It is highly recommended that you pair a LinkedIn account with your LinkedIn Learning, but you will be given the choice to do so.
If you experience issues with logging in, please contact Service Desk at servicedesk@ncu.edu.
Personal Accounts with National Academies Press Free eBooks
Why create an account
Creating a personal MyNAP account allows you to do the following:
How to create an account
Create a personal MyNAP account by going to the Register For An Account page and entering your email address and creating a password.
Personal Accounts with OVID
Why create an account
Creating a personal account with OVID allows you to save searches, create alerts, and manage your research.
How to create an account
For more details about Personal Accounts, see Modify Your Personal Account and Reset Your Personal Account Password.
If you have any questions or problems with your personal account, please contact OVID Technical Support by emailing support@ovid.com.
Personal Accounts with ProQuest
Why create an account
My Research is a tool that you can use to save, manage, and organize the content and supporting materials you find and create in ProQuest. You can include documents, searches, search alerts, RSS feeds, and more in My Research. Setting up a My Research account is simple and free to all ProQuest users.
How to create an account
1. Click on the profile icon and select the Sign into My Research link (located in the upper, right-hand corner of any page in the ProQuest platform) to create an account or sign into an existing account.
2. The link to Create a My Research account is below the link to Sign Into My Research
3. To create an account, just fill in the required fields: email address, password, and confirm password.
4. Once you create a My Research account, you will have access to the following items (located in tabs when you are signed in):
Important to know: My Research accounts will be permanently closed after three (3) years of inactivity.
Personal Accounts with PsychiatryOnline
Why create an account
Register for a free account to get alerts about new PsychiatryOnline content and take advantage of personalization features like creating search alerts, saving searches, and bookmarking favorite resources.
How to create an account
1. Click the Sign In link located in the upper right-hand corner of the page.
2. Select New User.
3. Fill in the form information and click on Create Customer to finalize your account.
Personal Accounts with PubMed
Why create an account
Creating a My NCBI account in PubMed will allow you to collect and store search results in personal collections, create a bibliography, and set up email alerts. You'll also have access to recent activity searches and records for six (6) months and the ability to display your format references.
How to create an account
1. To create an account, click on the Log in button in the upper right-hand corner.
2. Create an account using one of the third-party sign-in options, such as linking a Google Account or a Microsoft Account.
Personal Accounts with ReferenceUSA
Why create an account
With a personal account, users can create custom user profiles, save searches and maintain search criteria for future list building.
How to create an account
Click the Register button located at the bottom of the database homepage.
After submitting the registration form, you will need to verify your email address. An automated email will be sent to your account containing an activation link. After clicking the activation link, you can log in and begin using the personalization features.
Personal Accounts with RefWorks
Why create an account
RefWorks is a web-based research management tool designed to help you gather, organize, store, annotate, and share all types of resources used in your research, assignments, or dissertation. RefWorks is NU Library's preferred research management tool since comprehensive support is provided. It is also FREE for all NU students, faculty, staff, and alumni.
With RefWorks, you can do the following:
NOTE: When using RefWorks, you must always check your content and citations for accuracy and proper formatting.
How to create an account
To create a new account with RefWorks, use the following steps:
1. Access RefWorks using the following link https://shibboleth.refworks.proquest.com/authenticate?provider=https://idp.ncu.edu/openathens and sign in with your NU institutional credentials.
2. You will be routed to the RefWorks sign-up page to enter your NU school email address to begin.
3. Complete your RefWorks profile to begin using RefWorks.
4. Next, set up an alternate password for your RefWorks account. Click on your name in the top right corner and go to Settings.
NOTE: Choosing an alternate password for your account will allow you to login to RefWorks for Google Docs and RefWorks for Microsoft Word using your NU school email and this password. Currently, these integrations do not sync with NU's institutional sign-in page.
5. Scroll to the Alternate Password section and click on Set alternate password.
6. Create an alternate password that is at least 6 characters for your RefWorks account and click on Save.
Personal Accounts with SAGE Journals
Why create an account
With a SAGE Journals personal account, you can do the following:
How to create an account
1. To create an account, click on the Sign In icon in the top navigation.
2. Under Access Options, click Create Profile in the My Profile box.
3. Fill out the required information on the form and click Submit to finalize your personal account.
4. Check your inbox for an email from SAGE Journals and click the link to complete the registration process and finalize your account.
Personal Accounts with SAGE Knowledge, SAGE Navigator, SAGE Research Methods & SAGE Videos
Why create an account
Creating a My Profile account allows you to complete the following in SAGE Knowledge, SAGE Navigator, SAGE Research Methods and SAGE Videos:
NOTE: Creating a My Profile account is valid for SAGE Knowledge, SAGE Navigator, SAGE Videos and SAGE Research Methods. A separate account is required for SAGE Journals.
How to create an account
Click on the Profile button located in the upper right hand corner of the page to create your account and select Create Profile. Fill out the required form and click save.
Personal Accounts with Science Direct
Why create an account
Registering with ScienceDirect gives you access to personalization features and alert services. With a personal account, you can do the following:
How to create an account
To register for a personalized account with ScienceDirect, use the following steps:
Personal Accounts with SpringerLink
Why create an account
Creating a personal account with SpringerLink offers a personalized experience. With your personal account, you can sign up for journal content alerts.
How to create an account
Click on the Sign up/Log in link located in the upper right hand corner of the page. Scroll down to the Don’t have an account? section and fill out the registration form. Click Create Account to begin using the personalization features of SpringerLink.
Personal Accounts with Taylor & Francis Online
Why create an account
Creating a personal account with Taylor & Francis Online allows you to do the following:
How to create an account
To create an account, click the Register button in the top navigation.
Fill out the required registration form. To complete the registration process and activate your account, please click on the confirmation link sent to your email address.
NOTE: Once you have confirmed your account, close out of your browser window and re-launch your access to Taylor & Francis Online directly from the NU Library. This will ensure that you are properly authenticated to access all subscribed library resources on the platform.
Personal Accounts with Ulrichsweb
Why create an account
With a My Ulrich’s personal account, you can create and manage lists of journals, retrieve search history, and create and manage alerts in the Workspace section of Ulrichsweb.
How to create an account
To create a My Ulrich's account, use the following steps:
1. Click the Log in to My Ulrich’s link located in the upper right hand corner of the page.
2. Click Create a New Account and fill out the form with a chosen username, password, first and last name, and email address.
3. Once you have submitted your registration, a confirmation will be sent to your email address. Click on the link to consent and proceed with your account creation.
4. You can now access the Workspace area in Ulrichsweb to view marked titles, search history, lists, and alerts.
Personal Accounts with Web of Knowledge
Why create an account
As a registered user, you can take advantage of these convenient features in Web of Knowledge:
How to create an account
To create a personal account in Web of Knowledge, use the following steps:
1. Click Register in the top navigation bar.
2. Fill out the registration form with your first and last name, email address, and a chosen password.
3. A registration confirmation will be sent to your email account. Click on the link to verify your account.
Personal Accounts with Wiley
Why create an account
A personal account with Wiley Online Library allows you to do the following:
How to create an account
To create a personal account with Wiley Online Library, use the following steps:
1. Click on the Login/Register link in the upper right-hand corner of the page.
2. Select New User and fill out the required information on the registration form.
3. Check your email for a message with a link to verify your account.