Step by Step with JSTOR

JSTOR is a good source for older full text journals in fields such as anthropology, literature (secondary sources and critiques), and political science. The collection is selective and it features many years worth of core journals that college students need for writing papers.

1. To search JSTOR on the library web page. Select J from the alphabet below the big search box. . JSTOR is one of a small list of options.

   

2. JSTOR presents you with a single box, but Advanced Search lets you search only articles with some choice of subject and also search with more focus. Please click on the Advanced Search text link.

   

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3. The most important part of searching with JSTOR occurs before you type. Think about your topic carefully. Many topics are made up of two concepts. To search a two concept topic, put the two main ideas together with an AND between them or "quotes around them." For example, the mythology of cats becomes catsAND myth*. The * is a substitute for multiple words endings. Here is how JSTOR sees your search statement:

   

   The AND is not a word but a computer command which tells JSTOR to give you the overlap between the two ideas of cats and myths.

   

   a) JSTOR presents you with several boxes: one for your search, another for choosing a format, and a third for subjects that fit your topic. For articles about cats in mythology, choosing Articles in the format box along with Folklore in the Journal Selector/discipline box works well.
   
   b) For searches with two concepts, place each of your concepts on a separate line. To search an exact phrase, put it on one line and "in quotes."
   
   

   c) JSTOR arranges results by relevance.This usually puts the best articles on top. It displays references to articles in groups of twenty-five (25). d) To see the first page of the article that includes your search words, click on its large print title. e) f you want to read or skim through an entire article, click the dark red Download PDF button. This brings up the article in a separate window ior tab.. f) To print a JSTOR article, click the Adobe Acrobat printer icon in the top bar of the Acrobat or browser PDF display. g) To cite an article in JSTOR, click on the white Cite button with the dark red outline. JSTOR offers less than perfect, MLA 8th edition citations.

4. To save JSTOR articles to read or print at home, you can:

   1. Save them to the desktop and email them to yourself as attachments.
   2. Upload them to OneDrive or Google Drive.
   3. Save them to a USB/flash drive.
   4. Register for MyJSTOR and save them to your MyJSTOR folder.

5. To change your search edit in the box in the area above your search results. To start a new search, click the Advanced Search tab text link, also in the area above your search.