To publish is to make content available to the general public. While specific use of the term may vary among countries, it is usually applied to text, images, or other audio-visual content, including paper. The word publication means the act of publishing, and also refers to any printed copies.
"Publication" is a in legal contexts and especially important in copyright legislation. An author of a work generally is the initial owner of the copyright on the work. One of the copyrights granted to the author of a work is the exclusive right to publish the work. In the United States, publication is defined as: Generally, the right to publish a work is an exclusive right of copyright owner, and violating this right is a copyright infringement, and the copyright owner can demand that e.g. copies distributed against their will be confiscated and destroyed. Exceptions and limitations are written into copyright law, however; for example, the exclusive rights of the copyright owner eventually expire, and even when in force, they don't extend to publications covered by fair use or certain types of uses by libraries and educational institutions. The definition of "publication" as "distribution of copies to the general public with the consent of the author" is also supported by the Berne Convention, which makes mention of "copies" in article 3, where "published works" are defined. In the Universal Copyright Convention, "publication" is defined in article VI as "the reproduction in tangible form and the general distribution to the public of copies of a work from which it can be read or otherwise visually perceived." Many countries around the world follow this definition, although some make some exceptions for particular kinds of works. In Germany, §6 of the Urheberrechtsgesetz additionally considers works of the visual arts "published" if they have been made permanently accessible by the general public. Australia and the UK do not have this exception and generally require the distribution of copies necessary for publication. In the case of sculptures, the copies must be even three-dimensional.
Biological classification
In biological classification, the publication of the description of a taxon has to comply with some rules. The definition of the "publication" is defined in nomenclature codes. Traditionally there were the following rules:
The publication must be generally available.
The date of publication is the date the published material became generally available.
There is an enormous variety of material types of publication, some of which are:
Book: Pages attached together between two covers, to allow a person to read from or write in.
Bulletin: Information written in short on a flyer or inside another publication for public viewing. Bulletins are also brief messages or announcements broadcast to a wide audience by way of TV, radio, or internet.
Booklet: Leaflet of more than one sheet of paper, usually attached in the style of a book.
Broadside: A large single sheet of paper printed on one side, designed to be plastered onto walls. Produced from 16th - 19th cent. Became obsolete with the development of newspapers and cheap novels.
Flyer or handbill: A small sheet of paper printed on one side, designed to be handed out free
Leaflet: Single sheet of paper printed on both sides and folded.
Newsletter: A bulletin, leaflet, pamphlet, or newspaper distributed to a specific audience.
Newspaper: A publication of several pages printed with news, sports, information, and advertising. Newspapers may be published and distributed daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annually.
Magazine: A book with front and back paper covers, printed with information and advertising. Some magazines are published and distributed every week or every month.
Pamphlet: Can be a leaflet, booklet or saddle-stapled booklet.
Electronic publishing includes the digital publication of e-books, digital magazines, and the development of digital libraries and catalogues. Electronic publishing has become common. It is also becoming common to distribute books, magazines, and newspapers to consumers through digital devices, by online sources.
Content types
Types of publication can also be distinguished by content:
Brochure: an informative document made for advertising products or services, usually in the form of a pamphlet or leaflet.
Tract: a religious or political argument written by one person and designed to be distributed free, usually in the form of a booklet or pamphlet, but sometimes longer.
Monograph: a long research publication written by one person.
Unpublished works
A work that has not undergone publication, and thus is not generally available to the public, or for citation in scholarly or legal contexts, is called an unpublished work. In some cases unpublished works are widely cited, or circulated via informal means. An author who has not yet published a work may also be referred to as being unpublished. The status of being unpublished has specific significance in the legal context, where it may refer to the non-publication of legal opinions in the United States
