Email: Contact JSTOR User Support

Phone:
(888) 388-3574 toll free in the United States
(734) 887-7001 local and international

Twitter: @JSTORSupport

  • For some titles, JSTOR displays citation information and an outside link to the full-text of recently published articles that are hosted on external sites. 

    For these titles, users are able to search and browse for the title, author, and abstract information for articles in the recent issues in addition to searching the full text for the past articles in JSTOR archive. Users with a subscription to the journals held by our current issue providers, either through their library or individually, are able to follow direct links to the full-text articles available through these providers.
     
    If an institution has an OpenURL link resolver, we are able to replace these links to external content with a link back to their link resolver. If you would like us activate OpenURL linking, please send your Base URL and custimized OpenURL button image (optional) to support@jstor.org.
     
  • If an article is available for purchase, a "Download" button with the price of the article will appear in the gold preview banner at the top of the article.

    Banner Download Link

    1. Click the "Download" button and then click the "Add to Cart" button.

    Download Link Expanded

    Note:
    If the banner reads "Preview or purchase options not available", check with a librarian for other options.

    2. Choose either "Register/Login" to save the PDF to a MyJSTOR account or "Proceed to Cart" to purchase the selected article without saving it to MyJSTOR.

    Download MyJSTOR Prompt

    If you chose to use a MyJSTOR account, either login or register. You will be sent to the shopping cart afterward.

    3. Choose either "Continue Shopping" to continue searching on JSTOR or "Checkout" to purchase the selected article. Make sure the article is the one you want before continuing with the purchase.

    Shopping Cart View

    4. Fill out the required fields on the Checkout form. Please check "Use as shipping address". This is a temporary measure as nothing will be physically shipped to your address; this article will be made available electronically. When complete, click "Continue To Next Step".

    PSS Checkout

    5. Review your purchase and payment information on the confirmation page. Make sure to check the box to accept JSTOR's Terms and Conditions.

    Checkout Confirm Order

    Click "Proceed to PayPal". This will take you to the PayPal website for completion of the purchase.

    6. Review your order summary. Log in to your PayPal account or click "Pay with debit or credit card."

    PayPal Checkout

    7. Click "Pay Now" to complete the purchase.

    8. You will receive an email from PayPal confirming your purchase and providing a receipt. You will receive an email from JSTOR confirming your purchase and providing a receipt.

    9. If you chose not to save the PDF to a MyJSTOR account, you will receive an additional email from JSTOR with instructions on how to access your purchased article. Download your article from the PDF link provided in this email. If you were logged into a MyJSTOR account when you completed your purchase, go to the "Purchase History" tab in MyJSTOR to retrieve it.

    Note: If your article does not open automatically when you click "Download Article", do not click the download link repeatedly, as downloads will be subtracted with each click. Instead, RIGHT CLICK (or Control+click on a Mac) on the download link and save the article PDF to your computer.

  • We provide JSTOR metadata for books and journals, updated on a weekly basis, to the following organizations for indexing in their web-scale discovery platforms:

    EBSCO - EDS
    Ex Libris - Primo Central
    OCLC - WorldCat Discovery Service
    Serials Solutions (ProQuest) - Summon
    TDNet - TDNet Discover

  • JSTOR encourages the use of links to facilitate access to the Content by Authorized Users and Institutional Licensees, including but not limited to links to online syllabi, bibliographies, and reading lists. All Content has a stable URL that can be found in the Browse and Search interfaces of JSTOR's website as well as on the Article Information page each discrete Content item. Further information on establishing stable links to material in JSTOR may be obtained from User Support (support@jstor.org).

    Please review the JSTOR Linking Agreement or contact discoveryservices@ithaka.org for more information on generating links to the JSTOR platform.

  • There are many detailed searching tips available in our Tutorials section, from how to use quotations to search exact phrases to searching plural terms efficiently. We recommend you take a look at our advanced search documentation for some ideas.

    If you are seeking assistance with searching or finding articles on a specific topic, we encourage you to contact your local librarian. While several JSTOR employees have specialized knowledge about a wide array of topics, reference librarians are trained to guide you through the research process. If you are a student, faculty or staff member at one of our participating institutions, please contact your library directly for assistance. If you are unsure whether your question qualifies as a reference question, please feel free to contact JSTOR Support.

  • Books at JSTOR offers more than 20,000 ebooks from renowned scholarly publishers, integrated with journals and primary sources on JSTOR's easy-to-use platform. Watch this one-minute video to see how easy it is to find and integrate full-text ebook chapters into research on JSTOR.

    JSTOR In a Minute - Using ebooks on JSTOR from JSTOR on Vimeo.

  • Welcome to Discovery & Linking at JSTOR! In the Discovery & Linking section, you will find information related to content discovery and linking activities at JSTOR, for both participating libraries and discovery/linking partners. Some helpful topics include:

    -Updates on new collections, content packages, technical issues in News & Alerts.
     
    -Quick Reference Guides to assist libraries with increasing the discoverability of their subscribed JSTOR content within the major web-scale discovery services and institutional link resolvers
     
    -JSTOR metadata and web-scale discovery integration
     
    -Metasearching with the JSTOR XML Search Gateway
     
    -Linking functionality and integration on the JSTOR platform
     
    -Title lists for the JSTOR Archive Collections, Books at JSTOR Collections, and Current Scholarship Program subscription packages

    If you have any questions about the information you see in this section, please contact discoveryservices@ithaka.org.

  • As part of our continued effort to increase the convenience of access to the archive, we developed an interface to the JSTOR Search Engine called the JSTOR XML Gateway. It was created to better facilitate metasearching, which is also known as "federated searching" or "cross-database searching". As some of our participating institutions have chosen to implement a metasearch engine for their users, we recognized the need to provide both a stable, standardized method for querying the JSTOR archive and also a manner of returning results that could be easily utilized by a metasearch program. To accomplish this, we have chosen the Search and Retrieve URL (SRU) Service as the basis for the JSTOR XML Gateway.
     
    The SRU Service is a Web Services-based protocol for querying databases and returning search results and incorporates elements of the Z39.50 protocol for Information Retrieval. The JSTOR XML Gateway was designed using SRW/U Open Source Software, developed by Online Computer Library Center Research, as a basis for implementation.
     
    The SRU Service uses the Contextual Query Language (CQL) as the format for submitting search queries. Although CQL is a formal language for representing queries to information retrieval systems, it has been designed to be human-readable and writable. It allows for both very simple queries as well as complex, powerful queries involving Boolean operators, nesting, etc. The search results are returned as XML records in Dublin Core format and are listed in order of relevancy ranking. By providing the search results in XML (short for eXtensible Markup Language), the JSTOR XML Gateway transfers article metadata in a standard format to the metasearch engine for display to the user. To learn more about SRU and the related protocol of Search and Retrieve Web Service (SRW), please visit: http://www.loc.gov/standards/sru/
     
  • JSTOR has created Quick Reference Guides (QRGs) for link resolver and indexed discovery products offered by EBSCO, Ex Libris and ProQuest. Note that a Guide for OCLC's WorldCat Discovery Services will be available in the near future.
     
    These Guides are designed to help librarians configure their discovery services to most effectively surface content that is most highly valued by their users. JSTOR’s recent research shows that, unless discovery services are configured correctly, usage of content on our platform (for example) can drop significantly. 
     
    We encourage participating librarians to make the most of their investments in JSTOR by downloading and reviewing the relevant QRG(s) from our Quick Reference Guides page.
     
    The products covered by the QRGs are:
     
    EBSCO: LinkSource and EDS
    Ex Libris: Alma, Primo, and SFX
    OCLC: WorldCat Discovery Services (coming soon)
    ProQuest: 360 Link and Summon
  • Both participating JSTOR institutions and non-participating organizations may license JSTOR metadata for the JSTOR Archive, Current Scholarship Program, and Books at JSTOR.

    Participating institutions will be required to sign a JSTOR Metadata Sharing Rider in addition to their existing license agreement. 

    Non-participating institutions requests will be reviewed by our Discovery & Linking staff to ensure that we are building the most appropriate relationships for our participating libraries. As a first step, to help our staff evaluate metadata requests, please complete the Metadata Sharing Questionnaire and return it to discoveryservices@ithaka.org. Non-participating institutions are required to sign a JSTOR Data License Agreement before receiving JSTOR metadata. 

  • JSTOR is dedicated to providing a trusted electronic archive of scholarly journals. In balancing the interests of publishers, libraries, and users, JSTOR archival collections do not include access to the most recent issues of journals to ensure that publisher interests are not undermined. However, the digital environment offers opportunities to link together disparate and related resources, and we have been working hard to develop a program that joins the back issues with the more recent issues in a way that makes the experience for users as seamless as possible. For this reason, JSTOR supports and encourages its participating institutions’ use of link resolvers. 

  • Institutional Holdings: download a delimited file of your journal holdings on the JSTOR platform

    Quick Reference Guides to Discovery Products: libraries can download Quick Reference Guides to the indexed discovery services and link resolvers offered by EBSCO, Ex Libris, ProQuest, and (soon) OCLC.

    JSTOR Fact Sheet: provides a summary of the collections/packages available for the different content types on the JSTOR platform: JSTOR Archive, Books at JSTOR, JSTOR Current Scholarship Program, and JSTOR Primary Source.

    JSTOR Title Lists: download KBART compliant title lists for the collections and content packages available on the JSTOR platform.

     
  • We have created a JSTOR Fact Sheet that provides a summary of the collections/packages available for the different content types on the JSTOR platform: JSTOR Archive, Books at JSTOR, JSTOR Current Scholarship Program, and JSTOR Primary Source.

    Please contact discoveryservices@ithaka.org if you have any questions about this information.

  • Participating institutions are required to sign a JSTOR Metasearch Rider in addition to their existing Institutional Participation Agreement before we will enable access to the XML Gateway. If you are a current JSTOR Participant, please complete the Metasearch Rider and return to discoveryservices@ithaka.org. The JSTOR Discovery team will then contact you with additional information about using the search API. 

    Requests to access the search API from non-participating institutions will be reviewed by our Discovery & Linking staff to ensure that we are building the most appropriate relationships for our participating libraries. If approved, non-participating institutions will be required to sign a JSTOR Metasearch Agreement. Please review the Agreement and contact discoveryservices@ithaka.org, including the following information in your request:

    -Parent company/organization
    -Name of your product/service
    -Link to user interface or demo
    -Primary technical contact
    -Overview of your search product

    Once the proper Agreement has been signed, we will provide a copy of the JSTOR XML Gateway Usage Guide and enable your IP addresses.

  • A KBART file of your institutional journal holdings can be downloaded from Collections Avaiable at Your Institution.

    We are also in the process of developing a service that will allow institutions to requests holdings files for their licensed Books at JSTOR content. An announcement will be made when book holdings files are available to request.

  • After the JSTOR Metadata Sharing Amendment or JSTOR Metadata Sharing License Agreement has been signed, our Discovery staff will set up a metadata deposit to be delivered via FTP. Upon completing the appropriate metadata license agreement, please review the JSTOR Metadata Recipient Information document and submit the required information to discoveryservices@ithaka.org

  • JSTOR supports OpenURL linking for all content. Users at institutions that have activated a link resolver for use with JSTOR will see OpenURL links for all content in collections not licensed by their institutions, as well as for links to current issues content on partner sites.
    To activate OpenURL links for your institution, please send the following information to JSTOR User Support:
     
    + The Base URL for your linking server (for example, http://sfxserver.uni.edu/sfxmenu, http://ab12cd34ef.search.serialssolutions.com/)
     
    + (optional) If you would like a customized button to appear instead of the generic JSTOR button, then please send us your .gif or .jpeg image as an attachment, or a URL from where we can download the image. For accessibility and formatting reasons, your image must be at least 20 pixels in height and have a maximum width of 150 pixels.
  • In addition to accessing content directly from your library’s site, users might also find, through Google Scholar results, JSTOR content that you license. This process is possible due to a partnership between JSTOR and Google Scholar. JSTOR compiles the IP addresses and corresponding licenses of our participating institutions and makes them available in a space that Google Scholar regularly crawls. When Google Scholar sees a user coming from an IP address that is associated with a participating institution, and that user’s search returns results to which they have access on JSTOR, that user will see a link to JSTOR next to the result.

    In some cases, our database may be out of sync with your institution's IP addresses. This may happen if your ISP has recently changed, or if your network layout or infrastructure has been modified. Please contact JSTOR Support if you have updated IP addresses, or if you have any questions about what users are or aren’t seeing based on this relationship.
  • The XML files for each of Archives, Current Journal content, and Books were created from data JSTOR has in its delivery system.  An effort has been made to both use specific tag sets (JATS 1.0 Archiving for journals, and the draft BITS 0.2 for books), and to make the data more consistent.  JSTOR's journal content, and CSP content in particular, represents a variety of practice and markup philosophy across publishers and time.

  • The following content is available in the XML Gateway search index:

    -JSTOR Archive Collections

    -Books at JSTOR

    -JSTOR Current Scholarship Program Journals

    -19th Century British Pamphlets

    Please note that the two Aluka Collections, Cultural Heritage and Struggles for Freedom, and Global Plants content are not available in the API search index.

  • Journals + Primary Source Content
    JSTOR creates and enters new cataloging records or updates existing cataloging records in OCLC for each title, current or previous, in the archive. The records include the URL for each title in the 856 MARC field.
    Currently, the only way to locate all the cataloging records for each title in a JSTOR collection is to conduct a title-by-title search in OCLC. When reviewing records for potential downloading to your local system, please ensure that there is not a MARC field indicating “Record reported for deletion.” In such cases, a different record should be located and reviewed for downloading.

    Books at JSTOR
    Books at JSTOR offers free, high-quality MARC records from OCLC. The MARC records are available to all participating institutions, regardless of whether they are OCLC affiliates. 

    You can download sample MARC records here (in .mrc format).  A detailed guide to setting up OCLC Collection Manager to receive MARC records for Books at JSTOR titles is available here.

  • Base URL for JSTOR:
     
    Supported OpenURL v0.1 parameters:
     
    title- Book/Journal title
    aulast- author last name
    aufirst - author firstname
    volume- This is applicable for article
    issue- This is applicable for article
    spage- start page
    issn - journal
    isbn - book
    date - Publication date (YYYY or YYYY-MM or YYYY-MM-DD)
    id=doi:XXXX - DOI (where XXXX is the ID value)
     
    Supported OpenURL v1.0 parameters:
     
    rft_id=info:doi - identifier
     
    Sample OpenURL link to journal article:
     
    Sample OpenURL link to book:
  • New to JSTOR and need an introduction to the format of the content and key platform features?

    JSTOR Overview (Powerpoint)
    JSTOR Overview (PDF)
    "How to Use JSTOR" Poster
    JSTOR Overview Handout (Word)
  • JSTOR has created Quick Reference Guides (QRGs) for link resolver and indexed discovery products offered by EBSCO, Ex Libris and ProQuest. These Guides are designed to help librarians configure their discovery services to most effectively surface content that is most highly valued by their users. JSTOR’s recent research shows that, unless discovery services are configured correctly, usage of content on the JSTOR platform (for example) can drop significantly. We encourage participating librarians to make the most of their investments in JSTOR by downloading and reviewing the relevant QRG(s) from our Quick Reference Guides page.
  • The JSTOR platform supports linking to journal articles via the SICI standard. While we will continue to support SICI linking, we advise that linking partners use OpenURL syntax for the most reliable linking experience. Wikipedia provides a sufficient explanation of the SICI elements:

    Details

    The SICI code is composed of three segments, intended to be both human-readable and easy for machines to parse automatically. The following example SICI is explained below:

    Item

    The Influence of Reflection Coefficient Statistics on the Seismic Method: Scattering Attenuation and Transmission Wavelets
    J. W. J. Hosken, S. K. Mayo and A. T. Walden
    Proceedings: Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Vol. 439, No. 1905 (Oct. 8, 1992), pp. 1-23
    Published by: The Royal Society
    Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2646874

    SICI: 0962-8444(19921008)439:1905<1:TIORCS>2.0.CO;2-D

    Item segment

    0962-8444

    This is the ISSN for the periodical, in this case Proceedings: Mathematical and Physical Sciences.

    (19921008)

    The chronology part is in parentheses and identifies the date of publication. In this case, it is signified by year, month, and date: 1992, October 8

    439:1905

    The enumeration part signifies the volume and number; Vol. 439, No. 1905

    Contribution segment

    <

    Signifies the start of the contribution segment

    1

    Location code: signifies the page number, frame number, reel number, etc. In this case, page 1

    TIORCS

    Title code: based on the title of the article. In this case, an initialism: "The Influence of Reflection Coefficient Statistics…"

    >

    Signifies the end of the contribution segment

    Control segment

    2

    Code Structure Identifier (CSI) for the type of SICI being constructed

    0

    Derivative Part Identifier (DPI) identifies a part of the contribution, such as a table of contents or abstract

    CO

    Format identifier two-letter code signifying the way content is presented. In this case, CO = online

    2-

    Standard version number

    D

    Check Character: an alpha-numeric character calculated from the SICI string

    Here is the SICI link to JSTOR for this article:

    http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0962-8444(19921008)439:1905<1:TIORCS>2.0.CO;2-D

    OR

    http://www.jstor.org/sici?sici=0962-8444(19921008)439:1905<1:TIORCS>2.0.CO;2-D

  • If an article is available for purchase, a "Download" button with the price of the article will appear in the Preview banner at the top of the article. 

    In some cases, the publisher has chosen not to make the article available for individual purchase.  However, the article may be part of JPASS.  We recommend checking the JPASS Collection page to see if the journal is available that way.

  • We are aware that some users are logged out of their MyJSTOR accounts while using the “shelf” feature to read online.  Our technical team is currently investigating this issue and working on a long-term fix.  In the meantime, we recommend clearing your browser cookies/ cache and restarting your browser as an interim solution.  If you're not sure how to do this, or simply would like a refresher, instructions are available here.

  • We use PayPal to process payments for all article and issue purchases made through our webshop. Unfortunately, we cannot accept payments for single article or JPASS plan purchases outside of PayPal. 

    Please note that you do not need a PayPal account in order to submit payment. There is an option on the PayPal site to pay as a guest with a debit or credit card.

  • JSTOR has released a new Archive Collection called Iberoamérica. The JSTOR Iberoamérica Collecton is a multidisciplinary collection of journals published within or about the Ibero-American world. The collection serves scholars across the humanities and social sciences in Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain, Portugal, and beyond. A title list for this collection can be found here and on our JSTOR Title Lists page. Discovery partners licensing metadata for the JSTOR Archive will receive a notification when metadata for this collection is available. Please contact discoveryservices@ithaka.org with any questions.

  • When you find an article that’s part of Register & Read, click on the “Read Online Free” button in the Preview banner.  Register for a free MyJSTOR account, or log into your account if you already have one.

    Read Online Free

    Add the content to your shelf to read the full-text online. After 14 days, you may remove it and add new items to your shelf.

    PDF versions of some articles are also available for purchase and download. If you purchase articles from your shelf, the PDF versions may be stored and accessed in your MyJSTOR account under “Purchase History.”

  • Single article or issue purchases:

    We do not offer exchanges or refunds for single articles or issues purchased through this service. All purchases are considered final.

    Note: JSTOR contains reviews as well as full-length articles. Reviews do not contain the original content of the works they review.

    JPASS access plan purchases:

    The 1-year JPASS plan is refundable within two weeks of purchase if no more than 10 downloads are used during that time. Simply contact JSTOR Support to let us know you'd like a refund.
    Please include the following information when you contact us:

    1. Your name and preferred contact information
    2. The PayPal Transaction ID for your JPASS purchase
    3. The reason for your refund request

    Upon receipt, we'll review your request to verify that the terms of the policy are met and issue a full refund in the original form of payment. Refund requests received more than 14 days following purchase will not be eligible.

    Please note the 1-month JPASS plan is not eligible for a refund.

  • A great way to check your authentication status is to look for a line of text in the top right corner of any JSTOR page. Underneath the JSTOR logo you will see a line of text that reads

     “Your access to JSTOR provided by X.”

     If you don’t see this line of text, you are not authenticated and will need to follow the access methods established by your institution.

  • JSTOR has recently launched a new Archive Collection: Arts & Sciences XIII. A KBART title list for this Collection has been posted to the JSTOR Title Lists page. Additionally, metadata for ASXIII has been sent to our discovery partners set up to receive this content. Our discovery and linking partners have been notified of this new Collection. Libraries should soon see Arts & Sciences XIII available in their knowledge base management tools for A-Z lists, link resolvers, and discovery indexes.

  • List coming soon....

    We are continuing in our efforts to make access to the JSTOR archive as convenient as possible for all of our participants. As part of this ongoing work, we are working with various organizations to enable article-level linking into JSTOR from their electronic journals, products, and databases. Institutions that subscribe to these resources may need to contact the providers directly in order to establish or "turn on" links to the JSTOR archive.

  • How to Use the Institution Finder
    Doing research from an off-campus location? Try the Institution Finder for easier log in while you're on the go.
  • JSTOR has recently improved our search API, also known as the JSTOR XML Gateway service, in order to better facilitate metasearching (also known as federated or cross-database searching). Please refer to the Metasearching section in Discovery & Linking for more information. If you are interested in utilizing our new search API, please contact discoverservices@ithaka.org

  • A KBART title list for the recently launched Hebrew Journals Collection is now available for download on the JSTOR Title Lists Page. For more information regarding the launch of the Hebrew Journals Collection, please see the press release.

  • JSTOR has developed a new metadata sharing service that will allow us to more flexibly and reliably distribute metadata to our various discovery and linking partners. For more information on receiving metadata for JSTOR content, please see the Metadata Sharing pages in Discovery & Linking.

  • Register & Read
    Register & Read offers free, read-online access to individual scholars and researchers who register for a MyJSTOR account.
  • As a member of a participating institution, you might have access to JSTOR from an off-campus location. This is something that you will need to check with your library, although you can sometimes check through our Institution Finder feature. In many cases, in order to access licensed library resources like JSTOR from an off-campus location, it is necessary to log on via your library's web site. Check for a link to your library's remote access option on the JSTOR login page, or visit your institution's website and look for links to the library, online databases, or electronic resources to find options for access to JSTOR. If you are unable to locate this option at your institution, or if you need additional assistance, please contact your librarian or electronic resources administrator to learn about getting remote access to JSTOR.

    Athens and Shibboleth Access

    If your institution uses Athens or Shibboleth to provide access to resources remotely, you may access JSTOR from off-campus using a personal Athens username and password or your university username and password (this might also be known as a "single sign-on" or "Shibboleth" username), which you can obtain from your campus library.

    To log in to your Athens or Shibboleth account on JSTOR, please go to www.jstor.org and click Login at the top-right. You may then search for your institution name and click Login, which will direct you to the JSTOR Athens or Shibboleth login page. You may also browse to your institution by selecting the appropriate country from the list, clicking search, and choosing your institution from the list that appears.

    Please note that Athens and Shibboleth usernames and passwords are not managed by JSTOR. If you are having trouble with your Athens or Shibboleth account, please seek assistance from your library.

    Shared Activation Links

    If your institution uses a shared activation link for remote access, you will need to contact your librarian directly. This link enables you to access JSTOR by registering for an authorized MyJSTOR account.

    If you are a new user:

    Follow the link you receive from your librarian.

    You will be directed to the Login/Register for MyJSTOR page. Click on the "Register" link to go to the MyJSTOR Registration page.

    Complete the required fields to register a unique username and password. A unique email address is required, but the email address may be of any type (Gmail, Hotmail, a school-issued account, etc.)

    Click "Submit" to register your account. You will be redirected to the new JSTOR main page, where you may use JSTOR as usual.

    If you already have a MyJSTOR account:

    Follow the link you receive from your librarian.

    You will be directed to a Login/Register for MyJSTOR page.
    Enter your username and password in the Login fields, and click the “Login” button
    Your account is now activated for access to JSTOR from anywhere. 

    For all subsequent accesses, go directly to www.jstor.org and select "Login" at the top of the page to access JSTOR with your personalized username and password. You may access JSTOR via this account from any location.

  • JPASS includes the archives of the more than 1,500 journals listed in the JPASS Collection and is continually expanding to include new journals. The JPASS Collection represents a large portion of what is in the JSTOR digital library (approximately 83%), but not all of it.

    Content not in the JPASS Collection includes scholarly books, primary sources, current and more recent journal issues, and, in some cases, journal archives. If you come across this content in your use of JSTOR, please be aware that it may be available for limited, free reading, for purchase as an individual article, or available through an interlibrary loan from a JSTOR participating library.

  • This issue is caused when reading certain articles (usually in Internet Explorer) using the “shelf” feature. We recommend trying the following workarounds:  (1) if possible, try a different browser such as Firefox or Google Chrome, or (2) choose the "View Full Screen" option.

  • The PayPal service is not available in some countries, which is why the country does not appear as an option on our Billing Address form.

    Another option is Register & Read, which provides free, read-online access to a subset of archival journals. When you encounter an item that is part of Register & Read, you may sign-up for a free MyJSTOR account to read the item online.

  • About 75 percent of the archival journals on JSTOR are available for free read-online access.  You can browse a list of journal titles that are part of Register & Read here.  Current journals are not available for read-online access, with some exceptions.

  • To renew a JPASS:

    Your 1-month or 1-year plan is eligible for renewal one week prior to its expiration date. Click the "Renew" button in the JPASS Downloads section of your MyJSTOR account to renew your access to JSTOR with JPASS.

    Renew a JPASS

    Renew a single title subscription or society membership:

    In most cases, society memberships and single title subscriptions must be renewed through the publisher or society directly.

    Individual subscriptions to titles published by Indiana University Press can be renewed through JSTOR’s webshop.

  • 19th Century British Pamphlets
    This collection, created by RLUK (Research Libraries UK), contains the most significant British pamphlets from the 19th century held in UK research libraries. Pamphlets were an important means of public debate, covering the key political, social, technological, and environmental issues of their day.
    Tempo on Aluka
    Tempo (Time), a weekly publication and Mozambique's first illustrated news magazine. Tempo played an important role in the transition from colonial rule, giving strong support to the Mozambican Liberation Front (FRELIMO). In effect, Tempo became Mozambique's journal of record for key political events not only in Mozambique but across the entire region. Explore this journal in Struggles for Freedom in Southern Africa at www.aluka.org.
    Mapungubwe on Aluka
    Mapungubwe is a 30-meter high, steep sided sandstone hill situated some three kilometres south of the Shashe-Limpopo confluence, a landform that defines the modern borders of South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana. Explore this Cultural Heritage site at www.aluka.org.
  • When you visit www.jstor.org/action/showLogin the right side of the page is dedicated to our Institution Finder feature, which allows you to login remotely through your institution.

    1. Look for the name of your institution on the geographical list of institutions on the login page. There may be a link to your library's remote login page. If not:
    2. Go directly to your participating library's website and click on their JSTOR link.

    Note: Search for "JSTOR" or look under "databases," "off-campus access," "proxy server," or "Virtual Private Network" (VPN).

    1. You should be prompted to log in using your student username and password.
    2. After logging in to your library's system, you should be taken to the JSTOR website.

    Note: Not all institutions offer remote access. You might only have access to JSTOR from a campus location. If you have problems accessing JSTOR remotely, please contact your librarian for help.

  • The JPASS Collection consists of more than 1,700 journal titles in the JSTOR digital library, but not all of them.

    In some cases, the publisher of the journal has decided not to include their content in JPASS. To view a list of which journals are available to download with your JPASS plan, please visit the JPASS Collection page.

  • Some users have reported that an item reappears on their shelf after they have removed it in a previous session.  This can occur if a bookmark or link from your browser history is used to navigate to your Shelf.  To avoid this issue, we recommend going directly to the JSTOR home page and navigating to your Shelf from the MyJSTOR drop-down menu at the top of the page.

  • Our check out system requires that postal codes be entered in a specific format for each country.  If you receive a postal code error during checkout, JSTOR Support can assist you with determining the correct format for your postal code to ensure a successful purchase.

  • To find out if the article is available for free reading, go to the article page and look for the “Read Online Free” button in the gold Preview banner at the top of the page.  At this time, we do not have a way to mark this content in search results.

    You can also view a list of publishers and journals that participate in our free online reading program.

  • Some participating universities and colleges offer online access to JSTOR for alumni. Alumni from participating institutions gain full access to the same set of archive collection content available to all current students and faculty at their institutions. Find out if your alma mater participates in this program.

  • You can access the entire JPASS Collection with your MyJSTOR account. Log in to MyJSTOR to search for articles and browse journals on JSTOR.

  • In most cases, errors can be easily resolved.  If an error occurs during checkout, please contact JSTOR Support and provide the full text of the error with your message.  This will assist us in identifying the cause of the error.

  • Articles on your shelf are not eligible for download or printing.

    If you need to print the article, PDFs of some articles are available for purchase and download. If you purchase articles from your shelf, the PDF versions are stored and can be accessed in the “Purchase History” section of your MyJSTOR account.

    You may also wish to speak with your librarian to see if the article is one you can access through Interlibrary Loan.

    The article may also be available with JPASS.  We recommend checking the JPASS Collection list for the journal title.

  • JSTOR offers a variety of access options for individuals, and they are all covered in our Individual Access Support section.

  • I do not have a MyJSTOR account: If you were not logged in to a MyJSTOR account at time of purchase, you will receive an access email with a token for the purchased content. 

    I have a MyJSTOR account:  If you were logged in to a MyJSTOR account at time of purchase, you may access the article through your account.  To access the article, log in to your account and choose "Purchase History" from the MyJSTOR drop-down menu at the top of the page.   Click the title of the article and choose "View PDF" from the Tools box to download the article.

  • Items may be removed from your shelf after 14 days. If an item is eligible for removal, a "Remove" button will appear next to the item on the shelf. Click the button to make a shelf slot available for another item.

    Remove a Shelves Item

  • The free Early Journal Content is available for use by anyone, without registration and regardless of institutional affiliation. Users may chose to browse the free Early Journal Content (journal content published in the U.S. before 1923 and before 1870 elsewhere) or use the Advanced Search to search across all content and limit results to “Only content I can access.”

  • JSTOR works with publishers to offer access to specific titles for society members and independent researchers. Individual access to journals in the JSTOR archive can also be provided by participating publishers. Information on how to access your individual journal subscription is covered in our Individual Access Support section.

  • If you were not logged in to a MyJSTOR account at the time of purchase, a download link for the article will be emailed to you. After placing your order online, you should receive three emails: a receipt from PayPal, a receipt from the JSTOR Webshop, and a final email from JSTOR which contains a link to the article in PDF form.

    PSS Access Email

    If you did not receive this final message from JSTOR, it is possible your email client identified it as spam. We recommend adding support@jstor.org to your safe sender's list to ensure future messages reach you.  JSTOR Support is happy to send you a PDF of the purchased order, if needed.

  • Searches for “only content I can access” will search the Early Journal Content as well as other content that may be free for promotional or other reasons and any licensed content available to you. A “FREE” badge will show next to the Early Journal Content as well as other content that may be free for promotional or other reasons, in the list of search results and on Table of Contents pages, if the content is not otherwise available to you through a licensed collection.

  • You will receive electronic access to the purchased article in the form of a PDF download. A print copy will not be mailed to your postal address.

    Our webshop also processes orders for subscriptions to journals published by Indiana University Press, which may include print issues.  For this reason, we need to request a mailing address.

  • JPASS gives you personal access to a library of more than 1,500 academic journals on JSTOR. If you don’t have access to JSTOR through a school or public library, JPASS may be a perfect fit.

    With JPASS, a substantial portion of the most influential research and ideas published over centuries is available to you anywhere, anytime. Access includes a vast collection of archival journals in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences. Coverage begins for each journal at the first volume and issue ever published, and extends up to a publication date usually set in the past three to five years. Current issues are not part of the JPASS Collection.

    Get a 1-month or a 1-year JPASS access plan and start your research today. For specific questions regarding the use and maintenance of your JPASS, please visit our Individual Access Support section.

  • No. You will have permanent access to downloaded PDFs through your MyJSTOR account.  They can be downloaded to your mobile device or desktop at any time.

    Single article purchases are listed in the “Purchase History” section.

    Purchase History

    Articles downloaded with a JPASS access plan are listed in the “JPASS Downloads” section of your MyJSTOR account.  If your JPASS plan expires, you will have permanent access to the articles downloaded when your plan was active.

    JPASS Downloads

  • There are two access methods for individual subscribers.

    Password access:

    Individual subscribers authenticate using their MyJSTOR accounts on JSTOR.  Publishers send membership/subscriber information to JSTOR, and then JSTOR creates an activation link and sends access instructions to each member/subscriber.

    Scripted access:

    Some publishers and societies create and maintain the individual accounts to JSTOR for their members.  You may need to first login at the website of the society or publisher.  The site will pass your authentication to JSTOR for access to their content.

  • MyJSTOR is a free account that allows you to customize your experience with JSTOR. Anyone can register for an account to:

    + Save, email and export citations
    + Save and automate searches
    + Receive email alerts for saved searches, tracked journals (eTOC), and tracked citations
    + Read Items via MyJSTOR Shelf
    + Access articles purchased through our Publisher Sales Service
    + Manage your JPASS

  • Let’s consider Anthropology Now as an example.  Here are some quick tips to find content in that journal using our browse and search functions.

    Basic Search

    To search for articles in Anthropology Now using Basic Search on the JSTOR home page, you’ll need to use the journal title field abbreviation "jo:" to restrict your search for content in that journal.

    Consider the example below:

    jo:"anthropology now" gender

    Journal Title Search

    This query will return results in Anthropology Now with a match on the keyword "gender."

    Advanced Search

    To restrict an Advanced Search, you’ll want to narrow by publication title.  This can be done two ways.

    1. Type the journal title in the Publication title field

    Advanced Search Option

    2. Expand discipline and check "Anthropology Now" from journals listed

    Advanced Search Option 2

    Browse by Title

    Select “Anthropology Now” from the titles listed.  You’ll be directed to the journal page on JSTOR where you can use the "Search In This Title" field to locate articles of interest.

    Search in This Title Option

    We recommend bookmarking the journal link in your browser for ease of access later.

  • You can create a MyJSTOR account by hovering over the MyJSTOR tab in the top-center of any JSTOR page and selecting "Profile" from the drop-down menu. This page will prompt you to register if you are a new user.

    MyJSTOR Registration

    Once you have completed the registration information and received a confirmation email, you will be able to log in to your personalized MyJSTOR account.

  • A MyJSTOR account lets you save important searches and citations and track journals in the course of your research. If you are not logged into your account when performing these actions, you will be prompted to login or register.

    Save Citations
    You can save a citation from an individual article page by clicking the blue "Citation Tools" button in the upper right corner of the page view:

    Citation Tool Box

    You can also save a citation on a Table of Contents or search results page:

    Citation Tools

    Once you save the citations of interest, you can access them again and manage them by selecting “Saved Citations” from the MyJSTOR drop-down menu in the top-center of any JSTOR page.

    MyJSTOR Citations

    Save Searches
    Once you run a search, you can use the “Save This Search” box in the top-right corner of the results page to save it and set it to run at a regular interval and notify you of relevant matches.

    Save a Search

    You can manage your saved searches by selecting “Search Alerts” from the MyJSTOR drop-down menu in the top-center of any JSTOR page.

    MyJSTOR Searches

    Track Journals
    When viewing a journal article or list of volumes and issues, a Journal Tracking box appears on the right side of the page. Selecting “Receive updates by email (eTOC)” will save the journal to your MyJSTOR account, which will send you eTOC alerts when new content is added to the journal.

     MyJSTOR Journal Tracking

    You can manage your tracked journals under the “Journal Alerts” tab.

    MyJSTOR Journal Alerts

  • In most cases, logging into MyJSTOR does not provide access to JSTOR content. For some users at small institutions and secondary schools, or alumni association members, MyJSTOR accounts may also be configured to provide JSTOR access in addition to providing the functions described above.  If you are not sure if this describes your situation, it is always a good idea to contact your librarian or electronic resources coordinator for more information.

    MyJSTOR accounts provide access to free content through Register & Read. They also provide access to single article purchases, individual subscriptions, and to JPASS content.

  • You can make administrative updates to your MyJSTOR account, such as email changes or password updates, by selecting “My Profile” from the MyJSTOR drop-down menu in the top-center of the screen. The only exception is your MyJSTOR username. Once you create an account, the username cannot be updated.

    MyJSTOR Administrator

    Deleting Your Account
    If you would like to delete your MyJSTOR account for any reason, please contact JSTOR Support with your request.

  • In order to download or print most JSTOR PDFs, you will need to follow the prompt to accept JSTOR’s Terms and Conditions. You need to do this only the first time you interact with a PDF in any given session. If you have any additional questions not covered here, please contact JSTOR Support for assistance.

    Saving + Downloading

    To download or save a JSTOR PDF, click the blue “Download PDF” button in the top right corner above the page view.

    A prompt to accept the Terms and Conditions of Use will pop up. When you click the link that says “Accept JSTOR's Terms and Conditions and proceed to PDF,” a PDF viewer will pop up.

    Terms + Conditions

    Once the article PDF is loaded in the viewer, you will have the option to save a copy by selecting the download icon in the grey navigation bar (Firefox).

    PDF Navigation Bar

    If the item does not open in PDF format, right click (or control click for Mac) on the PDF link, and save the file. Then open it in a PDF viewer.

    Note: If you have not yet accepted the Terms and Conditions of Use in a session, the download will produce a corrupted file. Simply click on the "PDF" link (which opens the Terms and Conditions of Use window), select "Proceed to PDF," and then follow the steps to save the PDF file.

    Printing

    Because JSTOR uses high-resolution images to store and display pages, you cannot print item pages by using the "Print" button on your web browser. To print an item, you must first open the item in your PDF reader by following the instructions above under "Saving + Downloading". Once the article PDF is loaded in the viewer, you will have the option to print a copy by selecting the print icon in the grey navigation bar (Firefox).

    PDF Navigation Bar

    Note: If you use your web browser to print your item, the printout will be of poor quality, parts of it may be cropped, and the printed copy will contain all of the web page objects that appear around the item.

  • If you get an error message that your PDF is corrupted, it generally means that the download timed out. This could be due to a slow internet connection or a large file download size. Sometimes articles with images contained in them will cause the download to time out.

    You can right click on the "PDF" button and select "Open in New Window" (or "Open Link in New Window" for Firefox). Then right click on the link "Proceed to PDF" and select "Save Target As..." (or "Save Link as..." for Firefox). This lets you save the PDF directly to your computer and allows for a successful download.

  • To view the citation information for any JSTOR content, click “View Citation” in the Tool box above the page view.

    Citation Tool Box

    These citations do not adhere to any particular style manual. Instead, we provide the most complete information about the piece of content so that users may format the citations as dictated by the style to which they adhere. If you have questions about how to cite a particular article in APA style, or how to format an article in a Chicago style works cited page, we recommend that you contact your professor or ask a librarian for assistance.

  • While we host journal and book content in the JSTOR archive, JSTOR does not publish these journals or books or have full rights to the materials contained in the JSTOR archive. We recommend that you contact the publisher of the journal or book for permission information. See a current list of our partner publishers. Contact information, if available, can be found by following a publisher’s name link on that page.

    You may also gain permissions through the Copyright Clearance Center sometimes, if the publisher opts to manage the process this way. In the right rail of any given journal article, there is a link that says “More Rights Options.” This link takes you to the Copyright Clearance Center, where you may have the option to purchase the rights to the article. If the link does not resolve to these options, then you will need to contact the publisher directly with your request. 

  • While nearly all of the journals collected in JSTOR are peer-reviewed publications, our archives do contain some specific primary materials (like some journals in the Ireland Collection and the 19th Century British Pamphlet Collection). Also, some journal content is much older than today's standard peer-review process. This means that, though all the information in JSTOR is held to a scholarly standard, not all of the publications are technically "peer-reviewed." At the current time there is no way to search JSTOR for only peer-reviewed publications. We often find that if you have questions concerning the academic legitimacy of a particular journal or book, your institution's librarian or your course instructor may be best able to answer those inquiries.

  • While JSTOR provides access to journals in the archive, we do not publish these journals. JSTOR is an organization that works with publishers to digitize the back files of scholarly journals. If you are looking to publish your work, you may be interested in contacting one of our participating publishers directly. See a list of our participating journals and links to publisher contact information.

  • It is a priority for JSTOR to ensure that our website and the content we archive is available and accessible to all of our users. We have made every effort to ensure that our image-based PDF files are accessible and can be read with screen readers like JAWS. These files are tagged at a high level using an automated process. While this method is not exact, it dramatically increases the accessibility of the files as compared to an untagged version.

    In the event that the PDF tagging described above is not sufficient for your use, we can perform manual tagging on a limited number of articles for you. If this is a service you need, please contact JSTOR Support with your request. Please include the citations for the articles you need tagged.

    Limit of three articles per request
    Turn around time is three days per request

    We are continually seeking to improve our website and enhance accessibility. Please let us know if you have any comments or suggestions. Read more about JSTOR accessibility policies and procedures.

  • In order to set up direct, IP-based access for your institution, you will need to provide JSTOR Support with a list of the public (external) IP addresses that your institution uses to access electronic resources. These IP addresses should be static, as opposed to dynamically-assigned by your Internet Service Provider, and should not be shared with other organizations.

    Please note that addresses of the type 10.*.*.*, 172.[16-31].*, and 192.168.*.* are reserved for use in internal networks, such as computers that are behind a firewall or a proxy server, and are not useful for authentication purposes.

    Whenever your institution makes any changes to the IP addresses it uses to access JSTOR, you can submit these updates to JSTOR Support.

  • All participating institutions have the option of setting up remote access to JSTOR for their users along with onsite access. The main methods of remote access that we support are proxies, federated options like OpenAthens and Shibboleth, and shared activation linksWe do offer several other remote access options when the main supported methods will not work for your institution. Please contact JSTOR Support for assistance selecting and setting up the best remote access method for you.

  • You are welcome to authenticate users to JSTOR through a proxy server, as long as access to the proxy server is restricted to only authorized users at your institution. On our end, the only configuration necessary would be to ensure that the IP address for your proxy is enabled to access JSTOR. In order to enable a proxy server for your institution, please submit your proxy server IP address to JSTOR Support.


  • In order to enable your JSTOR access via EZProxy, all we typically need from you is the IP address of your EZProxy server. Feel free to send it to JSTOR Support and we will make the necessary changes.

    OCLC's support team should be able to help you with your EZProxy set-up, however the configuration we typically recommend for JSTOR access is as follows:

    1. The JSTOR database definition should be:

    Option DomainCookieOnly

    Title JSTOR

    URL http://www.jstor.org/

    Domain jstor.org

    Option Cookie

    2. In addition, EZProxy must be explicitly configured to handle https. If https handling is not already set up, users will lose proxying when they arrive at the JSTOR login page, and the connection will be lost. If this is the case, SSL configuration must be performed using the information provided by OCLC.

  • JSTOR supports authentication through both the OpenAthens MD and OpenAthens LA services. Once we have enabled OpenAthens authentication for your institution, users will be able to access JSTOR by signing in through with their institutional login from the JSTOR login page.

    OpenAthens MD is a centrally hosted identity management service available through Eduserv, and you can read more about it on the Eduserv website. To enable access to JSTOR through OpenAthens MD, the JSTOR resource must be allocated as a resource for your institution. Please contact JSTOR Support to request that we enable OpenAthens MD as your access method and include your Org ID in the request.

    OpenAthens LA is a locally-hosted single sign-on (SSO) service, and you can read more about this service on the Eduserv website. JSTOR partners with OpenAthens-enabled institutions to allow users to access JSTOR by signing in with their institutional login from the JSTOR login page. If you would like to enable access to JSTOR through your OpenAthens LA identity, please contact JSTOR Support with following information:

    + Your institution's Shibboleth Identity Provider ID

    Once this information is in our records, your Attribute Authority can authorize users into JSTOR by asserting the eduPersonEntitlement attribute with a value of urn:mace:dir:entitlement:common-lib-terms.


  • Shibboleth is open source software that provides institutions with Single Sign-on, a system of authentication procedures, protocols, and technologies that enable end users to access multiple online resources with one set of credentials. The Shibboleth system allows organizations to exchange information about users securely and privately. More detailed information may be found on the Shibboleth website.

    JSTOR partners with Shibboleth-enabled institutions to allow users to access JSTOR by signing in through their institution from the JSTOR website. However, in order for an institution or organization to access JSTOR through Shibboleth, JSTOR and the organization must be a member of the same Shibboleth federation. A list of federations may be found on the Shibboleth Federations website.

    If you would like to enable access to JSTOR through your institutional Shibboleth identity, please contact JSTOR Support with following information:

    + Which federation (or federations) your institution is a member of
    + Your institution's Shibboleth Identity Provider ID (entity ID)
    + The list of campuses (if more than one) the Identity Provider serves

    Once this information is in our records, your Attribute Authority can authorize users into JSTOR by asserting the eduPersonEntitlement attribute with a value of urn:mace:dir:entitlement:common-lib-terms.

    Please note that while JSTOR is currently a member of the following Shibboleth federations, we'll be happy to explore joining other federations as necessary:

    + DFN-AAI
    + InCommon
    + SWITCHaai
    + UK Access Management
    + OpenAthens
    + eduID.cz
    + SWITCHaai
  • A shared activation link allows an individual's MyJSTOR account to be connected with their institutional affiliation. It also provides an elegant access option for small institutions and those with limited technical infrastructure or IT resources. Just a few steps are needed to set up access with a shared activation link, described below.

    1. JSTOR Support sends an email with the link and instructions for you to share with your institutional users. The link looks something like this:

    www.jstor.org/token/123testlink456

    2. A user follows the link and lands on the MyJSTOR Registration page, where they are prompted to register for a personal MyJSTOR account.

    Shared Activation Link Registration Pages

    3. After filling out the registration page, they will see a confirmation message that confirms their access. Notice at this stage that they see a Provider Designation Statement for your institution (circled in red) where none was displayed before.

    Shared Activation Link Confirmation

    For all future visits, users can go directly to JSTOR from anywhere without using the shared activation link. When they login to their MyJSTOR account, they will have access to both the citation management benefits of a MyJSTOR account and the full-text access of your institutional participation.

    You are free to distribute the provided link to authorized users at your institution with the understanding that it would be for their exclusive use. If you maintain a password protected site, this would be an acceptable location to publicize the JSTOR shared activation link and instructions. However, please note that the link itself must not be posted on public web pages, where it might become available to unauthorized users.

    To set up a shared activation link for your institution, please contact JSTOR Support.

  • JSTOR’s Institution Finder assists unauthenticated users at your institution to access full-text content on JSTOR. Here's how it works:

    1. A user arrives on a JSTOR article page from a Google search or other referring page

    2. An on-campus user will get automatic access to the full-text, but users outside of the institution’s IP range will be denied access

    3. When denied access to the full-text, the user is presented with options for accessing JSTOR, including a link to the JSTOR login page and the Institution Finder

    4. From there she can search for their institution and follow a link to your proxy login page

    5. After logging in, she is authenticated to JSTOR and will be automatically redirected to the original full-text article

    If you are interested in this functionality for your library, we need only to confirm your EZProxy prefix, which should look something like this:

    http://server.university.edu/login?url=

    You can send this information to JSTOR Support.

  • Title lists for your institutional holdings are available for download as text delimited files.
    Please note: IP authentication is required to access institution holdings lists.

    Journals

    If you participate in Archive Collections, Current Journals, or 19th Century British Pamphlets, you can access a list of titles available at your institution via the following link:

    Journal Holdings Available at My Institution

    To view the definitions of the descriptive headers in the delimited list, please review this guide.

    Books

    If you participate in the Books at JSTOR program, including single-title purchases, subject collections and demand-driven acquisition, you can access a list of titles available at your institution via the following link:

    Book Holdings Available at My Institution

  • For cancellations made to subscriptions ending after the start date of the Publisher's participation in the Current Scholarship Program (2011) and later, libraries will have the following Post-Cancelation Access (PCA) options:

    Libraries may purchase PCA for 10% of the then-current list price of the title, and JSTOR will provision and maintain access on its platform as long as this fee, called the Annual CSP PCA fee, is paid. JSTOR will provision PCA on the JSTOR platform from the Digital Availability Date (DAD) through the last issue purchased. For Digital Availability Dates, go to the Current Scholarship Program title list.

    However, if the library participates in a JSTOR archive collection that includes the title being claimed, or the library is a Portico participant, JSTOR will provision PCA on the JSTOR platform at no charge, from the DAD through the last issue purchased, as long as the library continues to participate in the collection or remains a Portico participant.

    Please refer to 7.3 Section of our Terms and Conditions for full description of the policies.

  • We are able to support referring URL as an authentication method to JSTOR under the following circumstances:

    -The referring URL must be password-protected, meaning users must authenticate in some way in order to gain access to the referring page, via username and password, library number, barcode ID or similar.
    -The referring URL begins with http, as opposed to https, which won’t work for JSTOR authentication.
    -The referrer does not include embedded code (such as JavaScript) to open a new window.
    -Users do not have security software on their computers (personal firewalls and the like) that strips the referrer information from the headers. In these cases, referring URL authentication will not work.
    -Sometimes library server configurations on a website result in the HTTP referrer header not being sent. If this is the case on your website, then referring URL authentication will not work for any users.

    If these conditions are possible and you would like to explore whether referring URL will work as an authentication method for your library, then all we typically need is the referring URL itself, i.e. the URL of the page that includes the link to JSTOR. Referring URLs often look something like:

    http://www.exampleuniversity.edu/library/databases/

    Please note that referring URL is not a fully-secure authentication method as the referrer can be manipulated in the HTTP header (at least one Firefox extension exists to do just this). It is important that participating institutions ensure that only authorized users are allowed access to JSTOR. Please contact JSTOR Support for assistance with setting up referring URL authentication for your institution.

  • 1) JSTOR participants should contact JSTOR Support, giving the title and the subscribed years and volumes.

    2) Support staff will verify this information with the publisher, check the library’s Portico participation status if applicable, and check the status of the subscription to the relevant archive collection.

    3) If the claim is verified, support staff will provision access, advise the appropriate person in the library that this has been done, and, if appropriate, send an invoice.

    *** Subscription agents are welcome to send this document to their customers to answer PCA questions, but PCA claims must come directly from the library to the support team.


  • While we have tested and fully support the versions listed below, JSTOR works with all web browsers and operating systems. If you have any questions regarding compatibility or supported software, please feel free to contact JSTOR Support.

    Operating System and Recommended Versions

    Windows: Version 7 and above
    Mac: Latest Version

    Supported Web Browsers and Recommended Versions

    Chrome: Latest version
    Firefox: Latest version
    Safari: Latest version
    Internet Explorer:  Versions 9-11 (subject to change over time)
  • Journals + Primary Source Content

    JSTOR creates and enters new cataloging records or updates existing cataloging records in OCLC for each title, current or previous, in the archive. The records include the URL for each title in the 856 MARC field.

    Currently, the only way to locate all the cataloging records for each title in a JSTOR collection is to conduct a title-by-title search in OCLC. When reviewing records for potential downloading to your local system, please ensure that there is not a MARC field indicating “Record reported for deletion.” In such cases, a different record should be located and reviewed for downloading.

    Books at JSTOR

    Books at JSTOR offers free, high-quality MARC records from OCLC. The MARC records are available to all participating institutions, regardless of whether they are OCLC affiliates. 

    You can download sample MARC records here (in .mrc format).  A detailed guide to setting up OCLC Collection Manager to receive MARC records for Books at JSTOR titles is available here.

  • We've compiled various forms relevant to your participation with JSTOR here, including a Sole Source Statement, W-9s, a Tax Exempt Letter, Accessibility Standards, and various payment documents. If you need something that isn't listed below, please contact JSTOR Support with your request.

    Sole Source .pdf: While there are many online resources for scholarly content, JSTOR is the sole provider of the collections in the JSTOR Archive. This content is not being provided in JSTOR's aggregated format from other sources.

    Form W-9 (JSTOR) .pdf, Form W-9 (Portico) .pdf: Form W-9, Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification, is an official statement from JSTOR of its Tax Identification Number. Participants may rely on the information on the form for their records and/or reporting needs. ITHAKA's Employer Identification Number is 133857105.

    Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Letter .pdf: This letter, dated March 13, 2000 from the Internal Revenue Service, establishes JSTOR as a tax exempt organization and as a public charity under Sections 501(c)(3) and 509(a)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code.

    Payment instructions:  for institution participants paying by check or wire transfer.

    Accessibility Standards: the JSTOR Platform is compliant with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act and W3C WAI Priority 1 accessibility standards.

  • It is necessary for your browser to be set to accept cookies in order to browse and search the JSTOR site, as well as to improve the response time and performance of the site. Click here for instructions on enabling cookies in your browser. Any personal information, other than what is voluntarily submitted, is not extracted in this process, and we do not use cookies to identify what other websites or pages you have visited. Please visit the page on JSTOR’s Use of Cookies for more information.


  • JSTOR is dedicated to providing a trusted electronic archive of scholarly journals. In balancing the interests of publishers, libraries, and users, JSTOR archival collections do not include access to the most recent issues of journals to ensure that publisher interests are not undermined. However, the digital environment offers opportunities to link together disparate and related resources, and we have been working hard to develop a program that joins the back issues with the more recent issues in a way that makes the experience for users as seamless as possible. For this reason, JSTOR supports and encourages its participating institutions’ use of link resolvers. 

  • JSTOR supports OpenURL linking for all content. Users at institutions that have activated a link resolver for use with JSTOR will see OpenURL links for all content in collections not licensed by their institutions, as well as for links to current issues content on partner sites.

    To activate OpenURL links for your institution, please send the following information to JSTOR User Support:

    + The Base URL for your linking server (for example, http://sfxserver.uni.edu/sfxmenu, http://ab12cd34ef.search.serialssolutions.com/)
    + (optional) If you would like a customized button to appear instead of the generic JSTOR button, then please send us your .gif or .jpeg image as an attachment, or a URL from where we can download the image. For accessibility and formatting reasons, your image must be at least 20 pixels in height and have a maximum width of 150 pixels.

  • As a librarian, you have several ways of branding the JSTOR experience for your users. Our provider designation statement is displayed to authenticated users on the top right corner of the screen. It reads:

     "Your access to JSTOR provided by [your institution name]"

    You may indicate to JSTOR Support what you would like to display here, whether it is a donating organization that has made JSTOR access possible or your university’s name with a link to your library website.

    You can also brand the JSTOR experience by implementing a link resolver. This offers you the ability to use a specialized image and link text for OpenURL links available to your users. You may read more about setting up link resolvers here. At this time, these are the main ways of branding your users' experiences on JSTOR. If you would like to change or update what we currently have on file for your institution, please contact JSTOR Support for assistance.

  • JSTOR® and the JSTOR logo are trademarks of JSTOR, and are Registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

    As requested by JSTOR participants, we have created digital logos that may be downloaded and used in print or online materials. You are welcome to use the JSTOR logo on materials distributed to your users or on your institution’s web pages to announce your participation in JSTOR. We ask that you be aware of the following restrictions on the use of the JSTOR name and logo:

    + You may not use JSTOR's name or logo for any purpose other than as set forth above, except as specifically approved by JSTOR. Under no circumstance may JSTOR's name or logo be used in a way likely to cause confusion as to the origin of JSTOR's or other services.

    + You may not alter the appearance of the logo. JSTOR reserves the right to review your use of JSTOR's name or logo, and you agree to provide JSTOR with access to your site to review your use of the name or logo. JSTOR may require you to discontinue any such use.

    Three logo sizes are available for download:

    Small Logo

    Medium Logo

    Large Logo

    If you have any questions about this policy, please contact JSTOR Support.

  • The JSTOR Search Widget code is available on the following page. Please be sure to read the legal text regarding usage of the JSTOR Search Box, which is embedded in the code.

    Your use of the JSTOR Search Widget indicates your acceptance of JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Service. In particular, please be aware of Sections 9 and 11.1 of our Terms and Conditions of Service, as these pertain to Access Software.

  • JSTOR relies on a number of sources to support our goal of providing online access to a complete back run of every participating journal.

    Publishers provide issues they have available and we make every reasonable effort to acquire any remaining issues through purchases from third-party vendors. However, in some instances there are still issues missing and in these cases libraries, societies, and individuals have been invaluable in helping to complete journal back runs through donations and loans.

    We very much appreciate the generosity of libraries and other sources willing to donate and/or lend needed materials for digitization. If you are in a position to help, or have any questions about a particular issue that you believe is missing, please write to issues.needed@jstor.org.

  • Access to the JSTOR usage statistics reporting tool is managed through MyJSTOR accounts. This tool allows administrators to manage staff access to usage statistics, schedule recurring reports, and email or export reports in a variety of formats. In order to be set up as an administrator for your institution, you will need to contact JSTOR Support. Once you have an administrator account, you will be able to grant the same privileges to other staff members at your institution if necessary.

  • JSTOR offers a variety of usage reports to meet your various needs as a librarian. The following reports adhere to Release 4 of the COUNTER code of Practice for Journals and Databases and are available for 2015 usage data:
    + Journal Report 1 (JR1): This report shows the number of successful full-text article requests by month and journal
    + Journal Report 2 (JR2): This report shows the number of turnaways to full-text articles by month, journal and category
    + Journal Report 5 (JR5): This report shows the number of successful full-text article requests by year-of-publication (YOP) and journal
    + Platform Report 1 (PR1): This report (formerly the Database Report 3) shows the number of total searches, result clicks and record views by month and platform
    + Book Report 2 (BR2): This report shows the number of successful section requests by month and title
    + Book Report 3 (BR3): This report shows the number of turnaways to content items by month, title and category
    + Database Report 1 (DB1): This report shows the number of total searches, result clicks and record views by month and database
    + Database Report 2 (DB2): This report shows the number of turnaways by month, database and category
    + Consortium Report 1 (CR1): This report shows the number of successful full-text journal article or book chapter requests by month and title
    You can also download a complete FAQ on COUNTER 4.
    JSTOR also offers the following COUNTER 3 reports for usage data through 2014:
    + Journal Report 1: This report shows the number of successful full-text article requests by month and journal for your institution.
    + Journal Report 1a: This report shows the number of successful full-text article requests of archival content by month and journal.
    + Database Report 3: This report shows the total number of searches and sessions by month and the type of service to which your institution subscribes.
    + Books Report 2: This report shows the number of successful chapter requests by month and title
    + Books Report 3: This report shows the number of turnaways by month and title
    + Books Report 4: This report shows the number of turnaways by month and the type of service to which your institution subscribes
    The following reports are also available to administrators:
    + Journal Report 1b: This report (not COUNTER compliant) shows the number of successful full-text article requests for current subscriptions by month and journal. This report is useful for looking at current usage separately from archival usage.
    + Summary Usage Report: This report details the usage statistics specific to your institution compared to those in your category (Very Large, Large, Medium, Small, etc.), as well as to all institutions.
    + Detailed Usage Report: This report provides usage statistics with a variety of perimeters available for inclusion. You can group the report by publication or JSTOR discipline (Biological Sciences, History, Sociology, etc).
  • COUNTER Reports abide by information industry standards for reporting online usage statistics in a consistent and compatible way. These reports serve librarians, publishers, and others interested in learning about the institutional use of a resource like JSTOR. Explore the definitions of terms relevant to COUNTER reports.

    The terms used in a Summary Usage Report are defined as follows:

    Mean: average use of your institution as compared to other institutions in your category, as well as institutional use overall.
    Median: use of your institution compared to another institution in your category representing the exact middle of usage. This is useful if there are extreme values that would otherwise skew the comparison of institutional usage.
    Minimum: use of your institution compared to the institution in your category with the lowest recorded usage of JSTOR.
    Maximum: use of your institution compared to the institution in your category with the highest recorded usage of JSTOR.

    The terms used in a Detailed Usage Report are defined as follows:

    List of All Volumes and Issues: refers to the issues of each publication being accessed.
    List of pamphlets: refers to the pamphlets being accessed from the 19th Century British Pamphlets Collection.
    Summary: refers to the Summary pages being accessed. The Summary page was previously named "Item Information."
    Table of Contents: refers to the table of contents for a particular issue that is accessed.
    Full-Text PDF (PDFs Viewed): refers to the number of times a PDF is accessed and viewed.
    Full-Text HTML (Articles Viewed): refers to the number of times an article is accessed and viewed in JSTOR (not downloaded as a PDF).
    Full-Text Page HTML (Pages Viewed): refers to the number of pages of the article being viewed in JSTOR (not downloaded as a PDF).


  • At present, all COUNTER 3 reports may be harvested via SUSHI. SUSHI Service Information is available in the Administration tab of your MyJSTOR account, which can be used to set up statistics harvesting. We're working on getting the requestor ID back into the SUSHI Service Information area. Meanwhile, the Requestor ID is the MyJSTOR username of the administrator who is set up for your account to pull statistics.

    Please note, however, that we are experiencing time-out issues with larger reports. These time-out issues will be resolved with our release of COUNTER 4 on January 1st, 2015. We apologize for any inconvenience this causes in the interim. If you have additional questions, please contact us at support@jstor.org.

  • To access JSTOR usage statistics from 1997-2009, you will need to use our original usage statistics tool at http://stats.jstor.org/. Unlike the current usage statistics reporting tool, which is tied to an authorized MyJSTOR account, access to this tool is IP-based. In order to access these usage statistics successfully, you have to access this site through an IP address that we have on file for your institution.

    When you go to http://stats.jstor.org, select either of the links under the "Individual Institution Statistics" heading, and you will be able to access your statistics without entering a username and password. Our server automatically looks at the IP address of your machine, determines your site affiliation, and returns statistical data for your specific institution.

    Once you have submitted your request, the usage statistics report is processed immediately. Help files accessible from the form and the report contain detailed explanations of the form options and report results. If you have any questions about these statistics, please contact JSTOR Support.

  • If your institution has any subscriptions hosted by JSTOR through our Current Scholarship Program, you will now use the JSTOR usage statistic reporting tool to track usage. JSTOR took over usage statistic tracking for our partner presses when the Current Scholarship Program began in 2011. Usage statistics for these journals are automatically included in all JSTOR reports with the exception of Journal Report 1a, which is limited to archival content accesses.

    The JR1b report contains usage statistics for current content in JSTOR. This is a supplementary report (not a COUNTER report) that, along with JR1a, is useful for institutions participating in both the JSTOR archive collections and the Current Scholarship Program. JR1a shows the number of successful full-text article requests for archive content – in this case, all content that is not included in a current subscription. JR1a and JR1b are mutually exclusive reports.

    The separation between current content and archive content is determined by the Digital Availability Date of each title. This is the fixed date from which current subscriptions grow. In some cases, the moving wall for titles within the JSTOR archive collections overlaps with the Digital Availability Date, so some usage from your institution may appear on the JR1b report even if your institution does not have a current subscription to these specific titles.

    If you are interested in your organization's overall usage, you will likely want to continue running the JR1 COUNTER report, which will provide you with a complete view of your usage statistics that is not divided between current and archive content.

  • If you are looking for pre-2011 usage statistics of Current Scholarship Program titles, you will need to contact JSTOR Support directly. The statistics are not included in our usage statistics reporting tool, but JSTOR Support can often send them to you upon request.

  • You may schedule reports to be viewed online or delivered automatically in a variety of file formats to as many people as you want. The last step of the usage statistics reporting tool before submitting a request is the Report Scheduler. This step allows you to name a report and choose a repeat option, from one time to monthly. You can also choose to view the report or have it sent in an email to yourself in HTML, tab delimited, and XML formats.

  • Usage statistics for consortia are available upon request. In order to receive these reports, you will need to contact JSTOR Support.

    JSTOR offers several usage reports for consortia to meet your various needs as an administrator. The following reports adhere to Release 3 of the COUNTER code of Practice for Journals and Databases:

    + Consortium Report 1 – This report shows the number of successful full-text journal article or book chapter requests by month, broken down by individual institution and the publication.
    + Detailed Usage Report – This report shows the total searches and sessions by month and service, includes totals for all institutions within the consortium.

    The following reports are also available to administrators:

    + Summary Usage Report – This report details the usage statistics for specific institutions that are within the consortium compared to those in your category (Very Large, Large, Medium, Small, etc.), as well as to All Institutions. The Summary Usage Report is broken down by institution.
    + Detailed Usage Report – This report provides the summary usage statistics for the consortium with a variety of perimeters available for inclusion. You may group the report by publication or JSTOR discipline (Biological Sciences, History, Sociology, etc.)

  • When you run a COUNTER 4 usage report and select either a TSV or XML format, it will be generated as a .zip file. This file has to be opened and the contents extracted in order for you to view the report in Excel. The links below provide information about zip files depending on your operating system, as well as instructions for opening text files in Excel:

    Windows
    Mac
    Opening tab (.tsv) or comma (.csv) delimited text files in Excel

    Any additional questions you have about opening COUNTER 4 reports in Excel can be directed to JSTOR Support.