With so much material available on JSTOR, finding the sources most relevant to a particular question can require more than a basic search. After inputting your keywords into the JSTOR search bar, you may get back hundreds or thousands of results, even if you used multiple keywords or Boolean operators. Some results may be useful in your research, but others may not be, and it would be extremely difficult and time-consuming to wade through every source listed.
A simple solution to make your search more effective is to use the Refine Results feature, found on the left of the results page. There you’ll find different limiters, or filters, to make your search more precise.
Refine Results Options
“Search Within Results” allows you to enrich your search by adding another keyword. When adding another keyword, make sure to click the magnifying glass, or hit Enter, to include it in your search. Doing this will retrieve sources with the additional keyword in the text and omit any that did not contain that keyword.
You can also choose the academic content type, such as journals or research reports, and you can even choose a specific type of primary source content, such as serials, documents, books, images, or sometimes even audio and video recordings.
If your results are spanning a large number of years, you can adjust the date range to further limit what you’re reading and ensure the results are contemporary with your topic. When adding a date range, make sure to click the red “Apply” button, or the results won’t be updated.
There is also a subject list that allows you to choose specific subjects within the results, such as “African American Studies” or “Economics.” Choosing a specific subject may help you get results more pertinent to your specific topic. You can even choose the language of your results!
The last option in the Refine Results list is Access Type. You can choose between “Everything,” which will list everything available on JSTOR, or “Content I can access,” which will limit your results to what’s available through your institution. Anything listed under “Content I can access” will be immediately available to you.
By adding more information to the Refine Results section, you’ll see in real time how your results are changing to suit your search.
JSTOR Advanced Search
Alternatively, you may want to use the advanced limiters when you begin your search through JSTOR’s Advanced Search.
On the Advanced Search page, type a specific keyword under “Term(s)”. Through the dropdown menu, you can choose between “all fields,” “author,” “item title,” “abstract,” or “caption.” Next, you can add another keyword, utilizing the Boolean dropdown menu, which also includes options to search for terms between a specific number of words, such as within 5, 10, or 25 words of each other. To add another keyword, click the “Add row” option and input your additional term.
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Scrolling further down on the page, under Narrow Results, you’ll see similar options to those listed in Refine Results. There you can choose a specific item type, publication date range, journal title, or subject. Once you’re finished, click “Submit advanced search.”
The results page will be the same as if you had searched through the search bar on the main page, but your results will be more specific to your refined search. And if the results aren’t specific enough, you can refine them further through the Refine Results feature to the left of the page.
Experiment with the Refine Results feature or Advanced Search feature to see which search strategy you prefer. With all of the options to enhance your search, you may be surprised by what you can find on JSTOR.
