JSTOR
Indispensable for humanities and social sciences research with deep historical journal archives.
OVERVIEW
What is JSTOR?
JSTOR is a digital library operated by the nonprofit ITHAKA, providing access to academic journals, books, and primary sources across the humanities, social sciences, and sciences. Its archive spans complete back-issues of more than 12,000 journals from over 1,200 publishers, including 19th-century historical materials and current issues. JSTOR also offers curated primary source collections, research tools, and a generous free tier for independent researchers. It is widely used by universities and libraries, especially for fields where historical scholarship is essential.
KEY FEATURES
What JSTOR does well
Historical Archives
Complete back-issues spanning 19th-century scholarship to today.
Humanities Focus
Strongest coverage of humanities, arts, and social sciences.
Primary Sources
Curated collections of images, artifacts, and historical documents.
Free Access Tier
Up to 100 free articles per month for independent researchers.
12,000+ Journals
Comprehensive journal coverage from over 1,200 publishers.
Teaching Resources
Built-in tools for course assignments and classroom use.
Subjects Covered
Media included
Document and content types you can find in JSTOR.
- Journal articles
- Books / book chapters
- Reports / white papers
- Multimedia
- Full text
TOP TOOL COMPARISONS
JSTOR Alternatives
| Tool | Coverage | Subjects Covered | Open Access / Pricing | Citation Features | One-line Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JSTOR | 12,000,000 | Multidisciplinary, Social Sciences, Arts & Humanities... | No · Freemium | References list, related items | Indispensable for humanities and social sciences research with deep historical journal archives. |
 Project MUSE | 1,355,342 | Social Sciences, Arts & Humanities, Education | No · Freemium | References list, related items | The premier digital library for humanities and social sciences books and journals from university presses. |
 ProQuest | 6,200,000 | Multidisciplinary | No · Paid | Cited by, references, citation export | The go-to source for dissertations, theses, and primary sources alongside scholarly journals. |
 Academic Search Complete | 13,000,000 | Multidisciplinary | No · Paid | Cited references search, citation export | Reliable general-purpose subscription database for early-stage graduate research across disciplines. |
 Google Scholar | 389,000,000 | Multidisciplinary | Yes · Free | Cited by counts, h-index, i10-index, related articles | Fastest free starting point for any topic. Great for discovery, weak for systematic literature searches. |
 SpringerLink | 10,000,000 | Multidisciplinary | No · Freemium | Cited by counts, reference linking, citation export | Springer Nature's full-text platform. Broad multidisciplinary coverage with strong STM and humanities reach. |
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