Verifying against the live site and live WHOIS/DNS…
Common questions
Is jstor.org legit or a scam?
jstor.org was registered Feb 16, 1996 (30 years old), per public registration records. AboutUs doesn't label sites "legit" or "a scam": this page lists the dated registration, DNS, HTTPS, mail-authentication and safety checks we could verify, each with its source, so you can decide for yourself.
Who owns jstor.org?
Nobody has completed AboutUs's owner verification for jstor.org. That's true of most sites here — it isn't itself a warning sign.
When was jstor.org registered?
jstor.org's registration dates to Feb 16, 1996 (30 years old), per public registration records. Network Solutions, LLC is the registrar on record today.
Correct a description, link or other detail. Submissions are reviewed before publication.
3 of 4 safety checks passed (Oct 26, 2026).
Registered 1996 · site is live · HTTPS valid
JSTOR Home
JSTOR is a digital library providing access to academic journals, books, primary sources, and millions of images for researchers and scholars. The platform serves academic institutions and researchers seeking interdisciplinary content across humanities, sciences, and social sciences, including materials from museums, archives, and scholarly collections worldwide.
Checked in the last 30 daysOlder, dated recordFrom registration records
Registered 30 years ago · on AboutUs since 2015 · 1 registrar change since Jan 22, 2012 · 3 ownership changes since 2012 · last checked Oct 25, 2026.
Registration
RegisteredFeb 16, 1996jstor.org was registered on Feb 16, 1996.Source: RDAP, fetched Oct 25, 2026
AboutUs record
AboutUs wiki pageJun 10, 2015An AboutUs wiki page described jstor.org from Jun 10, 2015 to Jun 10, 2015 (1 edit).Source: AboutUs wiki archive, 2006–2023Said about itself in 2015Jul 1, 2015“JSTOR is a digital library of academic journals, books, and primary sources.”
Registrar
Network Solutions, LLC (R63-LROR)Jan 22, 2012 – Mar 29, 2014Registrar Network Solutions, LLC (R63-LROR) in the WHOIS and RDAP records held for jstor.org, from Jan 22, 2012 to Mar 29, 2014.Source: WHOIS / RDAP archive (who.is)Network Solutions, LLC
Ownership
Ownership recordsJan 22, 2012 – Jun 28, 2026Registration records for jstor.org are held from Jan 22, 2012 to Jun 28, 2026 (206 records). 3 changes of registrant name or organization are marked. Privacy-service and redaction changes are not counted.Source: WHOIS / RDAP archive (who.is); counted by registrant name and organization only
Zone file
Nameservers: ithaka.orgNameservers: ithaka.orgJan 22, 2012 – Jun 28, 2026Registration records listed ithaka.org nameservers (aa2ns13.ithaka.org, mc1ns10.ithaka.org, mc1ns11.ithaka.org…) for jstor.org from Jan 22, 2012 to Jun 28, 2026.Source: From registration records (WHOIS / RDAP archive, who.is)
Certificate
GlobalSign nv-saGlobalSign nv-saJun 26, 2025 – Oct 26, 2026 (latest)GlobalSign nv-sa issued 3 certificates for jstor.org from Jun 26, 2025, the latest valid until Feb 1, 2027. Seen in use on Oct 19, 2026.Source: Certificate Transparency logs (AboutUs's own certificate-log reader); TLS check, Oct 19, 2026
200020102020Jan ’26Oct ’26← last 12 months, drawn wider
Every dated fact on this lifeline (16)
Feb 16, 1996Registration: jstor.org was registered on Feb 16, 1996.Source: RDAP, fetched Oct 25, 2026
Jan 22, 2012 – Mar 29, 2014Registrar: Registrar Network Solutions, LLC (R63-LROR) in the WHOIS and RDAP records held for jstor.org, from Jan 22, 2012 to Mar 29, 2014.Source: WHOIS / RDAP archive (who.is)
Jan 22, 2012 – Jun 28, 2026Ownership: Registration records for jstor.org are held from Jan 22, 2012 to Jun 28, 2026 (206 records). 3 changes of registrant name or organization are marked. Privacy-service and redaction changes are not counted.Source: WHOIS / RDAP archive (who.is); counted by registrant name and organization only
Jan 22, 2012 – Jun 28, 2026Zone file: Registration records listed ithaka.org nameservers (aa2ns13.ithaka.org, mc1ns10.ithaka.org, mc1ns11.ithaka.org…) for jstor.org from Jan 22, 2012 to Jun 28, 2026.Source: From registration records (WHOIS / RDAP archive, who.is)
Jun 10, 2015AboutUs record: An AboutUs wiki page described jstor.org from Jun 10, 2015 to Jun 10, 2015 (1 edit).Source: AboutUs wiki archive, 2006–2023
Jul 1, 2015“JSTOR is a digital library of academic journals, books, and primary sources.”
Automated safety checks
DNS (passed)
HTTPS (passed)
Page metadata (passed)
Security headers (failed)
Add the HSTS, Content-Security-Policy, and X-Frame-Options response headers.
AboutUs has not vetted this site. Everything below is what we could measure automatically. Anything you do on the site — paying, sharing personal details, downloading — is between you and the site, not AboutUs.
Current facts
Latest available measurements; dated entries retain their dates. These are measurements, not an endorsement of the site.
latest result
Source: AboutUs wiki archive, 2015
Current AboutUs recordJun 23, 2026 – Oct 25, 2026 (latest)Authority and Safety last refreshed Oct 25, 2026.Source: AboutUs checks
Network Solutions, LLC
Jul 26, 2016 – Oct 19, 2026 (latest)
Registrar Network Solutions, LLC (IANA 2) in the registration data recorded, first on Jul 26, 2016 and most recently on Oct 19, 2026.
Source: RDAP, fetched Oct 25, 2026
Ownership change
Aug 13, 2018
The registrant name or organization in the registration record changed; first recorded Aug 13, 2018. Who it changed to is in the full report.
Source: WHOIS / RDAP archive (who.is); counted by registrant name and organization only
Ownership changeJul 1, 2020The registrant name or organization in the registration record changed; first recorded Jul 1, 2020. Who it changed to is in the full report.Source: WHOIS / RDAP archive (who.is); counted by registrant name and organization only
Ownership changeFeb 26, 2025The registrant name or organization in the registration record changed; first recorded Feb 26, 2025. Who it changed to is in the full report.Source: WHOIS / RDAP archive (who.is); counted by registrant name and organization only
3 ownership changes, 2012–2026
GoDaddy.com
Jan 30, 2026 – Oct 26, 2026
GoDaddy.com issued 5 certificates for jstor.org from Jan 30, 2026, the latest valid until May 1, 2027.
Source: Certificate Transparency logs (AboutUs's own certificate-log reader)
AmazonApr 6, 2026 – Oct 26, 2026Amazon issued 3 certificates for jstor.org from Apr 6, 2026, the latest valid until Mar 22, 2027.Source: Certificate Transparency logs (AboutUs's own certificate-log reader)
Let's EncryptApr 17, 2026 – Oct 26, 2026Let's Encrypt issued 37 certificates for jstor.org from Apr 17, 2026, the latest valid until Jan 17, 2027.Source: Certificate Transparency logs (AboutUs's own certificate-log reader)
DigiCert IncJul 23, 2026 – Oct 26, 2026DigiCert Inc issued 2 certificates for jstor.org from Jul 23, 2026, the latest valid until Feb 6, 2027.Source: Certificate Transparency logs (AboutUs's own certificate-log reader)
AboutUs record:
Source: AboutUs wiki archive, 2015
Jul 26, 2016 – Oct 19, 2026Registrar: Registrar Network Solutions, LLC (IANA 2) in the registration data recorded, first on Jul 26, 2016 and most recently on Oct 19, 2026.Source: RDAP, fetched Oct 25, 2026
Aug 13, 2018Ownership: The registrant name or organization in the registration record changed; first recorded Aug 13, 2018. Who it changed to is in the full report.Source: WHOIS / RDAP archive (who.is); counted by registrant name and organization only
Jul 1, 2020Ownership: The registrant name or organization in the registration record changed; first recorded Jul 1, 2020. Who it changed to is in the full report.Source: WHOIS / RDAP archive (who.is); counted by registrant name and organization only
Feb 26, 2025Ownership: The registrant name or organization in the registration record changed; first recorded Feb 26, 2025. Who it changed to is in the full report.Source: WHOIS / RDAP archive (who.is); counted by registrant name and organization only
Jun 26, 2025 – Oct 26, 2026Certificate: GlobalSign nv-sa issued 3 certificates for jstor.org from Jun 26, 2025, the latest valid until Feb 1, 2027. Seen in use on Oct 19, 2026.Source: Certificate Transparency logs (AboutUs's own certificate-log reader); TLS check, Oct 19, 2026
Jan 30, 2026 – Oct 26, 2026Certificate: GoDaddy.com issued 5 certificates for jstor.org from Jan 30, 2026, the latest valid until May 1, 2027.Source: Certificate Transparency logs (AboutUs's own certificate-log reader)
Apr 6, 2026 – Oct 26, 2026Certificate: Amazon issued 3 certificates for jstor.org from Apr 6, 2026, the latest valid until Mar 22, 2027.Source: Certificate Transparency logs (AboutUs's own certificate-log reader)
Apr 17, 2026 – Oct 26, 2026Certificate: Let's Encrypt issued 37 certificates for jstor.org from Apr 17, 2026, the latest valid until Jan 17, 2027.Source: Certificate Transparency logs (AboutUs's own certificate-log reader)
Jun 23, 2026 – Oct 25, 2026AboutUs record: Authority and Safety last refreshed Oct 25, 2026.Source: AboutUs checks
Jul 23, 2026 – Oct 26, 2026Certificate: DigiCert Inc issued 2 certificates for jstor.org from Jul 23, 2026, the latest valid until Feb 6, 2027.Source: Certificate Transparency logs (AboutUs's own certificate-log reader)
Domain registered Feb 16, 1996 — 30 years old.
latest result
Registrar on record: Network Solutions, LLC — unchanged since AboutUs began tracking (Sep 8, 2026).
latest result
HTTPS request succeeded for www.jstor.org.
checked Sep 29, 2026
The live front page reads as an education or reference site that sells software or a subscription, mainly for specialists in its field.
Authority 94/100— ahead of 94% of the August 2026 scored sampleClear
Why this authority score
94 is a percentile: higher than 94% of sites we score.
How it's calculated
Prominence (Tranco rank #1,315)+11
Verified continuity: 30.7 years (RDAP registration)+11
Security & email hygiene+5
Calibration adjustment (published map)+21
Model score: 48/99 — what these reason lines add up to.
Published Authority (percentile): 94/100 — this site's rank against the August 2026 scored sample. Public Authority is capped at 99.
Safety evidence
Retained threat-feed result (recorded about 1 days ago); name-similarity check available (recorded about 1 days ago); 3/3 transport and email checks available (oldest recorded about 1 days ago). This is evidence coverage, not a probability that a website is safe.
No caution flags in the available scoring observations; this is not a complete safety assessment
What jstor.org said about itself, 2015
Quoted from the site's AboutUs wiki page in each year it changed (1 version). These are the page's own words at the time, not AboutUs's assessment. New words · dropped words
2015
JSTOR is a digital library of academic journals, books, and primary sources.
Now
JSTOR is a digital library providing access to academic journals, books, primary sources, and millions of images for researchers and scholars. The platform serves academic institutions and researchers seeking interdisciplinary content across humanities, sciences, and social sciences, including materials from museums, archives, and scholarly collections worldwide.
AboutUs summary of the current website, Sep 30, 2026.
Site history
Dated record — historical facts always carry their date.