A new digital edition
At the end of 2021, we transitioned to a new digital edition to provide you with a better digital experience, including:
- Immediate access to the current issue with one-click reading on up-to-five-unique devices
- Email notifications with a convenient link to the latest content—no app to download, no login required
- Optimized experience that automatically adjusts to the size of your screen
- Library of back issues
- Read-aloud feature allows you to listen to articles
So if you receive American Scientist in digital format, then you'll receive an email notice when each new issue becomes available. Starting with the January-February 2022 issue, that email comes from delivery@mail.emagazines.com. So please add that email address to your list of contacts.
When you get the link, simply click it to view the issue on your desktop, laptop, tablet, or mobile device. On a desktop/laptop, you can also download the issue as a PDF. But the digital edition will no longer be available via the iPad app, which is being discontinued.
Not an app, a link
Because the digital edition is mobile-ready, a separate mobile app is no longer required. The same link that you receive via email can be opened on a mobile device.
Most mobile/tablet devices allow you to create a link/icon on the home screen, allowing you easy access to the digital edition. To do so, go to the American Scientist digital edition landing page. From there, select the share or more icon (on iOS devices, it's a rectangle with an arrow pointing up out of it, on Android, it's ellipses). Then select Add to Home Screen. The page requires only the email address that you use for your American Scientist subscription, so no password.
Link to the library and archive of back issues
If you no longer have the email from our digital partner, eMagazines, simply click here and type in the email address associated with your American Scientist subscription and a new link to the library will be sent to you.
Downloading the issue as a PDF
Desktop instructions
Depending on the size of your browser window, you might see a three-horizontal-line icon in the upper left-hand corner.
If your browser window is larger, then these icons are available.
When expanded, the icons show the available actions. Click the download icon to save a PDF to your computer.
Internet-capable device (smartphone, tablet) instructions
When viewing the eMagazine on your internet-capable device, swipe up or down to reveal the "contents" icon in the lower left corner of the screen. Touch the icon to navigate to the contents page.
Scroll to the bottom of the contents page to find two links. You can either
- download immediately, or
- view the desktop version (and have access to all the desktop actions, including download).
Either way, if the PDF opens in your device's browser, then you can easily save it to files for off-line viewing. For Android devices, the link for doing so is usually three dots. Below is the expanded icon and the steps for renaming the file and saving it on an iPad/iOS device.
Simply touch "Save to Files" and decide where to save it on your device.
Note that before saving, you can rename the file by clicking the name itself.
Using other e-readers
If your e-Reader has an internet connection and modern browser (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari, etc.) , then you can enjoy the digital edition just as you would on a smartphone or tablet, getting the full digital experience (though devices that do not have speakers or a headphone jack will not be able to play the audio). Otherwise, you can download the issue as a PDF from a desktop computer and transfer it over to your e-reader the way you would any other PDF, or by following the instructions above.
The American Scientist website does not host a complete PDF of each issue. Note all the past PDFs from our former digital partner eventually will be ported over to the new digital edition partner. That said, the library is launching with a year of back issues available.
Full digital experience on five devices
Your digital edition subscription allows you simultaneous access on up to five devices. So if you have previously been able to access the digital edition on a device but are no longer able to, it may be because there are five other devices already accessing it through your account. The account is not tied to a device, so no need to register/de-register devices. Instead, the limit is tied to the number of devices that are using each account simultaneously. So if you shared your link with friends or family members, their use may be preventing your access.
Please note: The Text View of the digital magazine is not supported on the desktop version of Firefox.
Data use and cookies
Each digital edition is less than 50 Mb of data, though reading audio will require more data use. So if you're on a limited data plan, you may want to be sure you're connected via WiFi before accessing the digital issue.
Internet "cookies" are not placed on your device, and they are not required to access the digital edition. However, if you are on a desktop/laptop (or are viewing the desktop version on a mobile device) and you click "Save my Place" at the left-hand side of the screen (the icon looks like a bookmark) then the eMagazines site will attempt to place a cookie on your computer (and it likely will succeed if you do not have "cookies" blocked).
Having troubles with the digital edition? Please visit our digital edition partner for answers to Frequently Asked Questions as well as customer service and support.
Have a question about your subscription or something else? Please contact us.