A ProQuest session begins when you click your institution’s link to ProQuest, or when you log into ProQuest with a username and password. In a library setting, a session commonly extends across the experience of more than one user, as one person finishes and walks away, and another takes their place. A ProQuest session can end in one of two ways:
- Timeout: After 30 minutes of no user interaction, ProQuest will automatically end your session. 5 minutes prior to the session ending, a count-down prompt displays, providing you with the opportunity to continue working.
- Exit link: This link, at the right of the blue toolbar at the top of all ProQuest pages, provides users with a way to end their current session immediately. Using the Exit link can help protect your privacy, as the next user won’t be able to see your search history.
Sessions and My Research
My Research is an area of ProQuest where you can store and save documents and searches. You can add documents and view your search history for the current session. However, nothing is saved when the current session ends unless you create a My Research account. A My Research account also provides a place for you to manage any alerts or RSS feeds that you might create.
Like any site where you might have an account, it’s good practice to always sign out of your My Research account when you finish a ProQuest session. If you fail to sign out, and your session has not ended, the next user will be able to access your My Research account.
If you are using a My Research account to access ProQuest, you have the option of pausing a session for up to 4 hours and returning to it later, as well as ending your session using the Exit link.
When your session ends
When a ProQuest session ends, a page titled Session Ended displays.
- Click Begin a new session to start a new ProQuest session using your normal connection method.
- Librarians and other support personnel can use the Go to the ProQuest Login page link for testing, configuration, and other administrative purposes.
- If you have paused a session and logged back in using the same My research account, you have the option of restarting your previous session or starting a new one.
Important to know: You can use your My Research account username and password to log into ProQuest anywhere, anytime that you can access the ProQuest Login page.