A publication is something made to communicate with the public, usually in a printed or electronic form. It can refer to text, images, or other audio-visual content, including paper, and can take many forms, such as newspapers, magazines, catalogs, books, and online publications. The act of publishing is the act of making content available to the general public, and also any copies issued for public distribution. In legal contexts, publication is a technical term and especially important in copyright legislation. An author of a work generally is the initial owner of the copyright on the work, and one of the copyrights granted to the author of a work is the exclusive right to publish the work.
Different types of publications include:
- Magazine: a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content
- Monograph: a long research publication written by one person
- Newsletter: a bulletin, leaflet, pamphlet, or newspaper distributed to a specific audience
- Newspaper: a publication containing news and information, usually printed on large sheets of paper and distributed daily or weekly
In scientific contexts, a publication refers to a scientific paper that has been deemed to be published once it appears in a paper journal.
