How to Use JSTOR

• Is all journal content on JSTOR peer reviewed? Nearly all of the journals collected in JSTOR are peer-reviewed publications, but the archives also contain primary sources and content that is much older than today's standard peer-review process. 
• Why can't I access the full-text of all content on JSTOR? Libraries can select different collections on JSTOR, and your library may not subscribe to all collections. Contact your librarian for more information.
• What is the "moving wall?" Much of the journal content on JSTOR has a "moving wall," a set period of time (usually three to five years) between a journal issue’s publication date and its availability as archival content on JSTOR. 

The “view” page for each item on JSTOR provides many ways to explore the full-text content. These features are available for all types of content on JSTOR:

Evaluating relevance: Items located by searching JSTOR will include an option to view a list of search term occurrences at the top of the article page image. This enables you to jump to the pages to see your search terms in context.

Reading the content: For all articles, ebook chapters, and pamphlets, researchers may choose to read or browse the item online, get pre-formatted citations, or immediately download a PDF copy. 

More searching options: Depending on the format of the items you are viewing, the Basic Search box at the top of the screen enables searching within the journal or journal issue (for articles), book (for book chapters), pamphlet collection (for pamphlets), or running a new search across all content (all formats).

Citations: Citations may be emailed, exported, or copied from the item view page. JSTOR provides pre-formatted citations in MLA, APA, and Chicago styles for quick copying and pasting. Export options include direct export to RefWorks, RIS format, and text format.

Stable URL: The stable URL listed with the item citation is the best URL to use when linking to content from library and course web pages.

Format-specific features:

Journal articles

• The “References” tab on an article view page provides the abstract (if one was published with the original item) and list of references from the article. Where possible, JSTOR provides links from the references to other articles on JSTOR or links to CrossRef for cited content.
• The “Thumbnails” tab enables you to quickly scan all pages in an article.

Ebooks

• Use the Table of Contents link to move from the book chapter to the table of contents for the entire book, or click on the title link under "From the Book" to do the same. The Table of Contents page contains introductory text snippets for each chapter in the book, as well as  a fast “Download Chapter” (PDF) option for each chapter in the book.
• The “Thumbnails” tab enables you to quickly scan all pages in a book chapter.

Pamphlets

Pamphlets are formatted in the same ways as journal articles and ebooks, and may be read online or downloaded in PDF format. Be aware that some pamphlets are quite long (50+ pages).