Follow websites with RSS feeds
Find official feeds, organise subscriptions by topic and keep links to original articles so that you can read updates in context.
Follow the method ↓
The answer in 30 seconds
A useful reading routine starts with a manageable selection. Try three well-chosen sites before importing a long list that you cannot realistically review.
An RSS reader collects new entries from websites that provide feeds. Subscribe to the publisher’s feed, organise it by purpose and open the original article before quoting or sharing it.
Examples to adapt
The publisher may have changed its address or stopped updating it; check the website directly.
The received excerpt may not contain the correction. Open the current version.
Follow the method
- 1Find the feed
Look for RSS or Atom on the publisher’s website. Copy the feed address, which differs from the homepage address. Compare the feed title and recent items with the section you want to follow. Some sites offer separate feeds by subject or publication type. An address that opens successfully is not necessarily the feed for your chosen section.
- 2Add a subscription
Paste the address into your reader and check the publisher and incoming entries. Some feeds contain only excerpts.
- 3Organise your sources
Create a small number of folders by purpose. Include original sources as well as clearly identified analysis. Keep a small priority list and a reading schedule that suits your needs. If two feeds publish the same articles, retain the one that best matches your purpose. No new items may mean a publishing pause; check the source before assuming the feed is broken.
- 4Maintain the list
Remove unused subscriptions, investigate silent feeds and export subscriptions when your reader supports it.
Workshop: build a readable source feed
Pick three sources with different roles, such as an institution, a specialist journal and a newsroom. Subscribe to their feeds in a reader and group them by subject. Check whether each feed contains full text or just a headline and excerpt.
A reader reports a new item; it does not validate the claim. Open the original page for corrections and update dates. Export subscriptions periodically so you can change tools.
A closer look
A feed item may not contain the full article
Fictional case: your reader shows three new items. Inspect what they actually let you retrieve before citing them.
| Check | Observation in this example | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| Title | Two items have the same title. | Compare links and identifiers rather than title words alone. |
| Description | The reader shows two sentences and a link. | Open the article for its full context. |
| Missing date | No publication date is supplied. | Record your reading date without calling it publication. |
| Identifier | The guid is declared not to be a permalink. | Navigate using the article link rather than inventing a URL. |
In RSS 2.0, pubDate is optional and guid identifies an item. A guid with isPermaLink="false" need not be an address you can open.
Does a new feed item mean its content was just created?
Not necessarily. It may be a republication or revision. Compare the source page, its displayed date and previously recorded item before drawing that conclusion.
Supporting documentation : RSS Advisory Board · RSS 2.0 Specification · Consulted on 2026-10-29. Examples and calculations are illustrative.
A checklist to keep
Use these checks to record your observations. They are a reading aid, not an automatic assessment.
| Check | What to examine | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Source | Name and domain | Identify |
| Feed | RSS or Atom address | Test |
| Folder | Topic followed | Organise |
| Maintenance | Last useful entry | Review |
Read the checklist directly in the table.
What to check
Not every website provides a feed.
An entry may be an excerpt.
Feed dates and event dates can differ.
Common questions
Does RSS replace a browser?
It collects entries; a browser remains useful for reading full sources.
Do I need an account on every website?
That depends on the publisher’s content and access rules.
Sources and documentation
Documentation consulted on . Examples are illustrative; interfaces and results may change.