Path to Open is a community-supported model to publish scholarly ebooks in the humanities and social sciences sustainably and equitably.

As part of nonprofit ITHAKA, JSTOR shares a mission with libraries and presses to bring about equitable access and impact for the entire scholarly community. This is why we are collaborating with university presses on Path to Open, a new, multi-year pilot program designed to increase access to diverse ideas and research. It offers sustainable open access solutions, supports the nonprofit university press community, and invests in authors and their scholarship, increasing the impact of their work.

  • What is the maximum number of university presses JSTOR is looking to secure to participate in the Path to Open pilot?
    We have exceeded our original goal of at least 30 university presses to participate prior to launch in October 2023, and we continue to work with publishers interested in joining the program. Our goal is to support all university presses interested in joining, but during the course of the pilot, we plan to limit this to 50 publishers.
    • What are the minimum and maximum number of titles a university press can contribute to the pilot each year?
      It will depend on the number of publishers that join the program, as our target is 300 titles to be published each year after the initial launch year in 2023. Based on feedback from publishers, there was an expressed desire to provide titles in ranges of 5-15 each year. We are not setting a minimum number of titles, as we understand that the number of titles published may vary each year and some smaller publishers may not be able to meet the requirement.
      • Are there requirements to the publication/copyright year date that can be published in this program?
        JSTOR will accept titles based on the copyright year in the current calendar year they are published for the first time. If the copyright year is later than the current calendar year, the title will be released in the calendar year that aligns to the copyright year.
        • When will a title published in Path to Open be made available as an open access title to the public?
          There will be a three-year embargo to titles published in this program prior to them becoming open access. For example, a title released with a 2023 copyright year released in the 2023 calendar year will become open access and available to all users on any supporting platform in January of 2026. The open access flip date will always be in the month of January 3 years after the selection year.
          • When can a university press expect to get paid for titles that are published in the Path to Open program?
            Per the Path to Open Rider, JSTOR will pay each publisher $5,000 per title published in the program by March 31 of the following calendar year the title was published in. For example, a title with a 2023 copyright year released in the 2023 calendar year will be paid by March 31, 2024. However, we strive to pay publishers earlier than this timeline, and will notify appropriate parties ahead of said payments.
            • Do I need to pay my authors royalties using my Path to Open payment?
              JSTOR does not have any set parameters or guidelines on how to use or issue your $5,000 payment, as it will depend on each publisher’s agreements with their authors. We recommend discussing this with colleagues in your organization or with other publishers participating in the program.
              • How are published titles made available to libraries under the Path to Open model?
                Institutions will be required to pay an annual subscription fee to be able to access the current copyright year the publishers release in Path to Open each year, in addition to the titles that have not yet converted to open access. After the selected books are sent to JSTOR and go live per their publication schedule, libraries will gain automatic access to them. Please ensure that these books are tagged correctly in your metadata and sent in a timely manner so that there is no delay in libraries gaining access to them.
                • When should a university press register titles for inclusion in the program? Will there be a deadline?
                  We are asking publishers to submit any title they know will be published in a specific calendar year and with rights cleared to submit the title at either the end of September or the end of November, prior to the upcoming publication year with a final opportunity to submit titles by the end of March in the calendar year they are published. If publishers need to know if a book is accepted to the program ahead of these deadlines, please follow the instructions in our Toolkit for Submitting Titles for Review.
                  • What is the workflow for submitting titles for inclusion to Path to Open?

                    Publishers provide books for potential inclusion throughout the year, and during various intervals JSTOR will review these submissions. Titles are submitted for review on this rolling basis using a Path to Open Submission Template (previously called the Pre-Delivery Metadata Template) which is given to each publisher during onboarding for Path to Open. This is a link to an excel sheet that can be used by anyone on staff at the press for submitting titles. For more information, please see this Toolkit for Submitting Titles for Review. Once the selection process has concluded, JSTOR will notify publishers in their Submission Template and via email. At this point, chosen books must be removed from standard library ebook distribution channels, while the rest can proceed through normal workflows as per usual. Once books are available/published, metadata, PDFs, and covers must be sent to JSTOR using a publisher specific SFTP space. Please note that the act of filling out the Path to Open Submission Template does not deliver books to JSTOR, so please follow our delivery specifications. To summarize:

                    1. Publishers submit their titles for potential inclusion in their Path to Open Submission Template.
                    2. Once the March/Sept/Nov deadlines come to pass, JSTOR will review all titles submitted and select which ones across all publishers will be included over the course of two weeks.
                    3. Publishers are notified via email and in their Path to Open Submission Template which books were chosen and can be included in the program.
                    4. Publishers can then send metadata, PDFs, and covers for the selected books once it is available, using the metadata specs provided here.
                  • Are there best practices that can be shared for the ISBN registration of these titles?
                    It should follow the same process as other titles made available today.

          Disclaimer. This document was last updated January 2025.