How to / 01
Let Vellum come to you
Set up a topic once, then receive new matching records by email. Use your trial to build a monitoring routine around work you already do.
You will need: a signed-in account with trial or paid access for saved searches and email alerts.
Start with your topic
Open Search, type age assurance and press Enter. Scan the results: are these the publications you would want to hear about again? Begin with a clear topic, then refine it.
Refine the matches
Use Scope to choose a jurisdiction, such as the UK. You can also narrow by regulatory system, publishing regulator or organisation. Use Topics where useful. Review the results before creating the alert.
Choose your email update
Select Set up alerts above the results. Choose daily or weekly, then links only or links + summary, and save your settings. You can also add an alert when saving a search.
Keep the setup useful
Use Save search to keep a query you will reuse. Find saved queries in My Space → Saved searches. Manage or switch off email alerts in My Space → Alerts & reminders.
Look for these search controls
- Share
- Export
- Pin
- Save search
- Set up alerts
- Summarise
Save search keeps a reusable query. Set up alerts adds scheduled email updates for matching records.
Your first result
One useful topic, one saved search and one email alert. New matching records will come to your account’s email address.
Try it: UK age assurance
This is a suggested setup you can adapt to your own work. It does not create an alert until you save the settings in the app.
Worked example
- Search
- age assurance
- Scope
- Jurisdiction: United Kingdom
- Date
- Start without fixed date limits for ongoing monitoring.
- Saved-search name
- UK age assurance (suggested name)
- Email frequency
- Weekly for a roundup; daily for a closer watch.
- Email content
- Links + summary for a briefing alongside the links.
What will arrive?
Daily alerts are sent in the morning; weekly alerts are sent on Mondays. Matching alerts are combined into a digest. If there are no new matching records, no email is sent.
Choose the level of detail
Links only gives you the matching records to open. Links + summary adds a briefing; document summaries are included where available. Open the source links when you need the full detail.
Adjust the signal
If the matches are too broad, narrow the scope. If they are too sparse, remove a filter. Fixed date limits can exclude future publications, so check them when setting up ongoing monitoring.
Know what you have saved
A saved search reruns your query against the current record. An alert emails new matches. A pinned record keeps an individual item for reference; pinning alone does not set an email alert.
Check your setup
Open My Space and check that your saved search and alert are listed. Keep the first alert focused on a topic you already follow, so you can judge how useful it is.
Next: Find the evidence you need · Turn a search into a briefing · All guides · Help & Resources · Open Vellum Search
Companion to Vellum’s Help & Resources. Controls and availability may vary by plan. Desktop workflow · October 2026
