How to Read JSTOR Articles for Free, Legally

JSTOR is a digital library of academic journals, books and primary sources, best known for the humanities and social sciences. It is run by a not-for-profit organisation and holds long back runs of journals, often to the first issue. Most of it is licensed to libraries, but there are several legal ways to read it on your own.

1. Create a free account

Anyone can register for a free personal JSTOR account, with no university affiliation needed. It lets you read a limited number of articles online at no cost. Since 1 September 2026 the allowance is 10 articles every 30 days; it had been 100 since the pandemic. You read in the browser and cannot download the PDF.

For occasional reading this is the simplest route.

2. Look for open content

A part of JSTOR is free to everyone without an account:

• Open-access journals and books, which are labelled as such.
• Early journal content, meaning very old articles that are out of copyright.

Open content does not count towards the free account's allowance.

3. Check for a free copy elsewhere

An article on JSTOR may also be free somewhere else, because the author placed a copy in a university repository. Paste the JSTOR link, the DOI or the title into the finder on our home page. Many JSTOR articles have DOIs beginning with 10.2307, and the finder recognises JSTOR links.

This route works less often for JSTOR than for science publishers. Much of JSTOR is older material in the humanities, where repository copies are less common.

4. Use a library

• University libraries. If you are a student or member of staff, sign in through your institution. Many university libraries also let visitors use JSTOR on computers in the building.
• Public libraries. Some public library systems subscribe to JSTOR and give access with a library card. Ask at yours.
• Alumni access. Many universities include JSTOR in what they offer former students. Check your university's alumni or library pages.

Our guide to getting papers through a library goes into more detail.

5. Pay for a personal pass

If you need more than the free allowance and have no library access, JSTOR sells a personal subscription called JPASS, with unlimited online reading and a set number of downloads. It is the only paid option in this guide and is worth it only for sustained research.

Why recent issues are often missing

JSTOR is an archive. For many journals the most recent few years are not on JSTOR at all, because the publisher keeps them on its own site first. If you are looking for a recent article, check the publisher's site and run the title through the finder.

If none of these works

Email the author if they are still active, or ask a library to obtain the article by inter-library loan. Our guide to reading research papers for free lists every route.