Examples
Worked examples
- Is an instance
A journal posts an article's online-first version in October, ahead of assigning it to its March print issue the following year; the date of online publication is the October date, which is what a repository or CV entry would generally cite as when the article was published.
Counter-examples
Looks similar, but isn't
- Not an instance
A conference paper that is presented and distributed only in print proceedings, with no separate online posting, has no meaningful date of online publication distinct from its general publication or proceedings date.
Editorial commentary
Date of online publication is the date a work was first published on an online publishing platform. It is often, but not always, the same as a print publication date — many journals post an online “advance” or “early view” version ahead of a later print issue, so the online date can precede the print date by weeks or months.
Why the online date is tracked separately from print
Because online-first publishing is now standard for most academic journals, the date of online publication is frequently the operative date for compliance and metadata purposes, even when a formal print/issue date is assigned much later:
- Many embargo periods are counted from the date of online publication rather than the eventual print issue date (see date of start of embargo).
- Citation and indexing systems typically record the online date as the article’s effective publication date, even if a journal later assigns it to a specific print volume and issue months afterward.
- For open access articles with no embargo, the date of online publication and the date of first open access are usually the same date.
Worked example
A journal posts an article’s “online first” version in October, ahead of assigning it to its March print issue the following year. The date of online publication is the October date — this is what a repository, funder report, or CV entry would generally cite as when the article was published, not the later print-issue date.
Counter-example
A conference paper that is presented and distributed only in print proceedings, with no separate online posting, has no meaningful date of online publication distinct from its general publication or proceedings date.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which date should I cite — online or print?
Most citation styles and indexing databases now default to the date of online publication when a work has one, since it reflects when the work actually became available to readers. Check the specific citation style or venue’s convention if precision matters.
Does the online publication date affect embargo timing?
Often, yes — many publisher self-archiving policies count an embargo period from the date of online publication rather than from acceptance or a later print date. Always check the specific journal’s stated policy, since practice varies.
Can the date of online publication come after the print date?
It is far less common, but possible — for example, if a print proceedings volume is issued before a corresponding online version is posted. In most journal publishing today, online precedes print rather than the reverse.
Machine-readable encodings
Use in your systems
<role vocab="credit"
vocab-identifier="https://casrai.org/dictionary/"
vocab-term="Date of online publication"
vocab-term-identifier="https://casrai.org/dictionary/term/date-of-online-publication" />{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "DefinedTerm",
"@id": "https://casrai.org/dictionary/term/date-of-online-publication",
"name": "Date of online publication",
"identifier": "https://casrai.org/dictionary/term/date-of-online-publication",
"description": "The date that a work was first published on an online publishing platform. This may be before or after the publication date of the print version.",
"inDefinedTermSet": "https://casrai.org/dictionary/domain/research-lifecycle#set",
"url": "https://casrai.org/dictionary/term/date-of-online-publication",
"sameAs": [],
"license": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"publisher": {
"@id": "https://casrai.org/#organization"
},
"dateModified": "2026-08-17T01:58:49",
"inLanguage": "en"
}
