JSTOR Resources for Licensing Representatives

With the release of this tool, we aim to equip students, faculty, researchers, and librarians with innovative tools that facilitate engagement with complex content and enrich research and learning. This early release harnesses the power of AI to help users:

• Identify relevant material faster by surfacing key points and arguments from the text being viewed. 
• Discover new topics and content within the JSTOR corpus, enabling exploration of additional possible paths of inquiry.
• Be conversational by asking questions about the text being viewed.
• Search JSTOR in a new way with a semantic search-powered capability that works better for natural language queries than traditional keyword search.

Rather than referring to the tool as “JSTOR’s generative AI tool,” as we’ve done in the past, our revised language leads with what the tool is (interactive) rather than the underlying technology. We therefore refer to the tool as, JSTOR’s interactive research tool (beta)

We've taken an iterative approach to introducing the research tool to users, mindful of both evolving attitudes toward the use of AI and to the fluctuating cost of LLMs.

1. We started in Q3 2023 with an individual beta, meaning only invited, individual users who were authenticated at an institution were able to use the research tool by requesting access and joining a waitlist.
2. In Q3-Q4 2024, we began building to institution-level access, starting with a higher-touch institutional beta program with 14 institutions in Q3 2024, and scaling to over 300 early-access institutions by the end of Q4 2024.
3. In March 2025, we begin a broader rollout to about 1,600 JSTOR institutions, with the option to opt-out. (Eight institutions opted-out due to their institution's AI policy/)
4. In July 2025, we will rollout the the tool to all remaining institutions (~14,000), with the option to opt-out. After the rollout, a webinar about the tool will take place July 24.

Phases:

1: We'll began providing access to a batch of ~1,600 institutions on March 26, 2025. We communicated with these institutions on March 5, 2025, offering an opt-out option (open through March 19, 2025).

2: We are rolling out access to the rest of the JSTOR participating community between July 7-18, 2025. We are communicating to all institutions on May 29th, with option to opt-out. There are also plans for banner alert on the JSTOR admin portal.

Details: Key additional information shared with participants during rollout

1. The tool will be accessible to all users at an institution, but only when they are signed into a personal JSTOR account. Additionally, users can hide the tool for their own work at any time via a toggle on item pages. 
2. The institution will automatically receive access—no action is required. The interactive research tool will be an integrated part of the JSTOR platform. When institutions become JSTOR participants, that will include the tool. When institutions withdraw, they will also lose access to the tool.
3. Administrators can disable or enable the tool for all institutional users at any time within the JSTOR Admin portal. Turning access off means that users at your institution will not see the option to use the tool.
4. If an institution does not wish to have access starting in July 2025, they may opt out by completing a form: Opt-Out Form
5. If an institution selects to opt-out, the tool will be disabled for their institution and the institution's JSTOR administrators can choose to enable it anytime after that.

These are yours to pull from in answering questions from our community, and to share with participants as needed. You'll also find tips below on where and when each asset might be most helpful to you!

Core asset:

JSTOR’s interactive research tool - a landing page serving JSTOR’s interactive research tool. It aims to provide multiple audiences with both the information they seek about the tool specifically, and, more broadly, the use of and approach to emerging technologies, including AI, at ITHAKA. This should answer most of your and participants' questions, though the assets below provide more detailed information!

Best for... finding answers to questions you may receive; sharing with participants who are looking for more information 

Other assets: Refer to and use the below for more detailed, nuanced, and/or thorough information and for participant meetings:

• JSTOR’s interactive research tool promotional toolkit - Designed to help institutions build awareness and engagement with JSTOR’s interactive research tool with ready-made resources, including training materials and social media posts to customizable web copy.
• Video introduction to the interactive research tool.
• Blog posts: To develop a tool that is of value to our community, we know we need to thoughtfully engage a range of audiences throughout the development process, soliciting and incorporating feedback as we go. This intentional, ongoing engagement will help us achieve several key outcomes: 1) build a sense of genuine co-creation with our community; 2) build a tool in alignment with community needs and values; 3) strengthen relationships and position ITHAKA as a leader in the learning-oriented AI landscape. By leveraging the JSTOR blog to spotlight the transparent, community-driven, and collaborative nature of our approach, and promoting this content across multiple channels, we aim to make progress toward the outcomes above.
• Approaching AI and advanced technologies together  (Aug 14, 2023) - Speaks to our mission-driven approach to deploying new technologies to improve the learning and research experience for JSTOR users. 
  Best for... understanding how our AI fits into our mission; sharing with participants who want to understand how we are approaching AI in more detail than the on-platform landing page provides
• Empowering research with JSTOR’s interactive research tool (Nov 30, 2023) - Overview of the tool, what it does, and how it can be used, all in terms of the user problems it solve
  Best for... understanding to user problems the tool aims to address; sharing with participants who want to understand what the tool does in more detail than the on-platform landing page provides
• From Berkeley to beta: How students helped bring AI and advanced technologies to JSTOR
  Best for... Demonstrating how the tool has been developed in partnership with our community, and with researcher needs front and center.
• Empowering educators, engaging students: How one teacher used JSTOR’s interactive research tool to boost student engagement, teach key skills, and streamline workflows
  Best for... Providing a real example of a teacher using JSTOR's tool in the classroom to improve learning outcomes and streamline her own work
• AI and other advanced technologies on JSTOR: What we’re learning from early usage, real-world applications, and user feedback
  Best for... A clear overall narrative of why we're developing this tool, how it works, what it does, and what we are learning about how it deepens engagement, serves researchers, and expands research. This blog post is based on Kevin Guthrie and Beth LaPensee's presentation at CNI – watch the video here.
• What’s new at JSTOR: Enhancing access and engagement with innovative technologies
  Best for... introducing the full array of JSTOR's initiatives to enhancing accessibility and engagement through innovative technologies, including the research tool, the collections processing tool for digital collection stewardship, Constellate for text analysis, and Hypothesis for social annotation—each designed to improve how users interact with and utilize scholarly materials
• Training and support resources
  Support resources:
  • Searching for content
  • Evaluating and exploring content
  • Video tutorial: How to use JSTOR’s interactive research tool

By incorporating AI features into the JSTOR platform, we aim to empower students, faculty, researchers, and librarians to deepen their research, comprehend complex content, and unearth new avenues for discovery. Please see Approaching AI and advanced technologies together for a robust statement on our broad approach.