The explosion of the Internet since the 1990’s has had a strong impact on the publishing world. While many print publications continue to publish, online resources are common. Publishers often make their publications available online, and often for a fee, or through a library subscription. Magazines and newspapers often post articles on their websites, although the articles may be revisions of the print articles.

Professional and academic journals also use the Internet to make their articles available, although most are through subscriptions. Open Access is a movement to make journal articles available online for free has developed to facilitate the sharing of new ideas. These journals are published online and available to anyone with Internet access, although there are different levels. Green Open Access articles have been accepted for publication, but the original version is posted, previous to any revisions. Gold Open Access articles are available in their published form. Although these are available for free, publishing expenses still must be addressed, and the author (or their institution) is responsible for the fees.

The Internet has made self-publishing easier as well, and the Creative Commons is a movement to encourage authors to post articles and creative works online, while retaining ownership of copyright. The author notes the limitations of using the material available to anyone with Internet access. More information about Creative Commons is available at https://creativecommons.org/about