JSTOR Translator not working (Aug. 2015)

Hi all,

It seems I can't save items from JSTOR into Zotero. The translation icon appears in the toolbar, but when I click it I get a message "an error occurred while saving this item" and I can't get it into my Zotero library. I'm accessing off campus but with rights to view articles.

I'm using Zotero for Firefox in a Mac OS. Both Zotero and Firefox are up to date.

The URL as I see it: https://libsta28.lib.cam.ac.uk:2320/stable/2599379?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
Stable JSTOR URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2599379
Zotero error Report ID: 2140009911

By the way, I think Zotero is amazing!

Many thanks,
Emiliano
  • What does it say when you mouse over the Zotero import icon? Do you have a proxy configured for JSTOR under Preferences -> Proxies?

    Could you submit a Debug ID for an attempt to import that article? https://www.zotero.org/support/debug_output
  • Thanks for the quick reply!

    It says "Save to Zotero...(DOI)" when I mouse over the import icon. I do have a proxy configured for JSTOR under Preferences - Proxies. It is a multi-site proxy (as my university told me to do), but it includes JSTOR under "hostname".

    I have submitted the Debug ID: D723556235

    Thanks again!
  • Could you also provide the proxy configuration details here? That proxy is not being recognized by Zotero
  • Sure. Here are the instructions from the University of Cambridge Library:
    (available in full here: http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/toolbox/rmt.html#Zotero)

    In the hostname field enter: ezproxy.lib.cam.ac.uk:2048
    Tick 'Multi-site' and 'Automatically associate new hosts'
    Enter the scheme 'http://ezproxy.lib.cam.ac.uk:2048/login?url=http://%h/%p'
    Uncheck 'Automatically recognize proxied resources
    Save the proxy bookmarklet 'javascript:void(location.href=%22http://ezproxy.lib.cam.ac.uk:2048/login?url=%22+location.href)', available
    The first time the user visits a journal website, they must click this bookmarklet to proxy the page. Zotero will then recognise the proxy or that site, and on subsequent visits use it automatically
    Zotero will use this information to route URLs through our proxy server, making access to full text online easier for users 'off campus'
  • The first time I visited JSTOR I clicked the bookmarklet and since then Zotero seems to recognise the proxy for that site (it hasn't asked for my username and password again). I just can't save the references directly to Zotero.
  • edited August 25, 2015
    It's possible that they have a separate proxy for JSTOR, or maybe their proxy details have changed, but as you can see, the scheme they provide does not match the hostname you see (https://libsta28.lib.cam.ac.uk:2320) and that's what is important for translator detection.

    Create a new proxy configuration. Try using "www.jstor.org" for hostname and "%h.libsta%a.lib.cam.ac.uk:%a/%p" for scheme

    (edit: sorry, the %s should have been %a)
  • I'll try to ask them about it, perhaps they haven't updated their proxy details.

    I tried with the new proxy configuration you suggested and it still doesn't work. One question though: the scheme should be "https://%h.libsta%a.lib.cam.ac.uk:%a/%p" or "http://%h.libsta%a.lib.cam.ac.uk:%a/%p"? (that is, with http or https at the beginning?).

    Thank you!
  • edited August 25, 2015
    Is this simply the problem listed at https://www.zotero.org/support/known_translator_issues ?

    I find that the JSTOR translator only works for me if I'm not accessing through the EZproxy server *and* I change the protocol to https. It's been like that for about half a year now.
  • I think it's not that same problem... I'm not using the Safari extension.

    You're right, though. It does work if I'm not accessing through my university's proxy.

    Thanks for the heads up!
  • No, that's not the same issue. Zotero is simply not recognizing the proxied URL, or it would say "Save to Zotero (JSTOR)" (rather than DOI).
    One question though: the scheme should be "https://%h.libsta%a.lib.cam.ac.uk:%a/%p" or "http://%h.libsta%a.lib.cam.ac.uk:%a/%p"? (that is, with http or https at the beginning?)
    Hmm, yes it should (we should not require that in theory though and that's something we'll address in the future). I also made a mistake above (you shouldn't have the "%h." part). Use "https://libsta%a.lib.cam.ac.uk:%a/%p" Make sure to _not_ use "multi-site", but instead enter the "www.jstor.org" for hostname.
  • I've tried with the scheme "https://libsta%a.lib.cam.ac.uk:%a/%p" with "www.jstor.org" for hostname (in lieu of using the "multi-site" one) and Zotero still doesn't recognise it.

    I guess I could simply use JSTOR without accessing through the proxy when I need to save references... even if it isn't very practical (because it implies going on and off the proxy for reading and saving references).
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