Join JUSP: publishers and suppliers
Improve your customers' experience by joining the academic shared service for usage reports
The Journal Usage Statistics Portal (JUSP) is a shared service which responds to academic libraries' demands for more efficient access to e-resource usage data, by providing them with a single point of access to COUNTER usage reports from participating publishers and content suppliers. JUSP is used by the majority of higher education institutions and an increasing number of further education institutions in the UK. JUSP is also used internationally, and the full list of participating data providers and institutions can be viewed on our Participants page.
Joining and technical requirements
Who can join JUSP?
JUSP is open to all publishers and content suppliers who can supply COUNTER-compliant reports using the SUSHI protocol.
Is there a cost involved in signing up?
There is no fee involved for you.
What is the process for joining JUSP?
Step 1: Sign a Jisc Data Provider Data Sharing Agreement, which outlines the responsibilities of the respective parties and the permitted uses and activities.
Step 2: We'll ask you to put us in touch with a technical contact to provide information about accessing your SUSHI service.
Step 3: We'll test your reports and provide feedback if required.
Step 4: We will do an initial bulk harvest of historial data (where available) and then collect reports as they are released each month. As new institutions join JUSP, we will collect their historical data and add them to our regular data collection processes.
Please contact the helpdesk at help@jisc.ac.uk, mentioning JUSP in the subject line, for more information about the agreement or processes.
Is there a lot of work involved?
No. If you are providing COUNTER-compliant reports via SUSHI, all we need from you is access to your SUSHI service and credentials to enable us to collect data for all participating institutions. We can discuss options for providing this information.
If we identify non-compliance issues during our testing, we will need these to be resolved before we can collect reports.
How data is used and viewed
What data does JUSP collect?
COUNTER-compliant usage reports form the basis of the service. JUSP collects them on behalf of participating institutions using the SUSHI (Standardised Usage Statistics Harvesting Initiative) protocol. Currently, JUSP collects COUNTER Release 5 (R5) Platform (PR), Title (TR), Database (DR) and Item (IR) reports.
Will I be able to see the data my subscribers can view?
Upon request we can provide you with an account that enables you to view the COUNTER standard reports for your platform for each institution.
How is access to the portal managed?
Access to the portal is provided via secure authentication and controlled by user roles profiles. Each institution can only view its own usage statistics. Jisc member institutions can also view anonymised usage for similar institutions in groupings where permitted by the publisher. Consortium reports are available to consortia for publishers where they have a current agreement. We recognise that usage data is commercially sensitive and the need to safeguard all stakeholders' confidentiality. More detail can be found in the Data Provider Data Sharing Agreement.
Are subscription costs stored in the portal?
No, JUSP does not hold any financial data. JUSP does not display cost-per-use metrics.
Do you make any changes to the data you gather?
No. We harvest COUNTER reports as provided by the publisher or platform provider. If we spot any errors or discrepancies, we refer these back to you to be corrected at source and we then re-harvest the data. In doing so, we perform an additional quality check on your data.
COUNTER
Why should we use COUNTER?
COUNTER compliance enables publishers and content providers to supply reliable, consistent, and comparable usage and access denial data to their library customers.
COUNTER provides a 'level playing field' ensuring that allows all publishers and content providers to supply usage in the same way, even though their platforms may differ in terms of user experience and how content is delivered.
R5 works for a wide range of use cases, as it:
- Supports journals, books, databases, and multimedia content
- Covers both subscribed and open access content
- Counts different types of usage including full requests, investigations (views and interactions), access denials (turnaways), and searches
- Provides a flexible report structure to support emerging reporting requirements
These standardised reports save libraries time and effort because they meet the most common library reporting needs and fit with their systems and workflows. Libraries use COUNTER reports to:
- Inform renewal, purchasing, and collection management decisions
- Demonstrate value and impact of library resources and justify expenditure
- Inform targeted promotion of underused and well used resources
- Evaluate whether their collections are meeting the needs of their students, staff, and learners
Most consortia licence agreements, and an increasing number of procurement tenders, include a requirement for the provision of COUNTER usage statistics.
For more information see COUNTER for publishers & vendors on the COUNTER website.
What is involved in becoming COUNTER compliant?
COUNTER have produced several written and video guides in multiple languages for publishers and vendors that explain the COUNTER audit process and what publishers and vendors need to do to prepare to become COUNTER compliant. These are available via the Project COUNTER Media Library.