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JSTOR
HELP & SUPPORT

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FAQs

We offer a range of access options depending on your research needs. If you don’t have access to JSTOR through a school or public library, here are more options:

Borrow - Create a free account and read up to 3 articles every 2 weeks with Register & Read. Look for the “Read Online Free” button above the article.

Free - The free Early Journal Content is available for use by anyone, without registration and regardless of institutional affiliation. Users may choose 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.”

Download - JSTOR’s partner publishers have PDF versions of some articles available for purchase and download. Click on the purchase price if shown above the article.

Join - Want to read and download more? JPASS is a monthly or annual individual access plan that includes access to more than 1,700 archival journals.

Society membership – JSTOR works with publishers and scholarly societies to offer individual access to specific journals; online access may be a benefit of your membership.

Read for Free

Purchases & Subscriptions

Shopping Cart & Checkout

Renewals, Upgrades & Refunds

Known Issues

I want to purchase an article. Do you have step-by-step instructions?

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.

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

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.

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.

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".

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

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."

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.
How do I add an article to my shelf?

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.

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.”
Do I have to use PayPal?

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.
What is your refund policy?

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.
Can I buy this?

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.
I am logged out of my account while reading online.

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.
I do not see a “Read Online” button for an article I would like to read. Can I add it to my shelf?

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.
My country is not listed on the billing address form. How do I purchase?

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.
How do I renew my subscription?

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 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.
What content can I access with JPASS?

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.
I cannot proceed to the next page when reading online.

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.
How do I find content that can be added to my shelf?

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.
The billing address form states my postal code is invalid. How do I resolve this?

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.
I purchased a JPASS access plan. Why can’t I access a specific journal?

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.
I removed an item from my Shelf, but when I returned to JSTOR at a later time, the item reappeared on my shelf. What caused this?

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.
Can I download or print an item on my shelf?

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.
I received an error message during checkout. What do I do?

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.
How do I search for articles I can access with JPASS?

You can access the entire JPASS Collection with your MyJSTOR account. Log in to MyJSTOR to search for articles and browse journals on JSTOR.
How do I remove a shelved item?

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.
I purchased an article. How do I access it?

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.
How can users access the Early Journal Content?

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.”
I didn’t receive the access email. What do I do?

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.

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.
How do I find Early Journal Content on JSTOR?

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.
Will a paper copy be shipped to me?

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.
Will I lose access to articles that I have purchased and downloaded?

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.

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.
I am a member/subscriber with one of the societies or publishers that offer individual access on JSTOR. How do I access my individual subscription?

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.
I am a member of a society, and have access to a specific journal as a benefit of my membership. How do I search for articles in the journal on JSTOR?

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

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

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

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.

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