OnlineErstveröffentlichungen

Online-Erstveröffentlichung, commonly referred to as online-first or early online publication in English, is the practice of releasing a manuscript on a publisher's website before it appears in a later, paginated issue or volume. It is widely used by scholarly journals, magazines, and some publishers to accelerate access to new research. After acceptance and final copy editing, the article is prepared for online publication and assigned a digital object identifier (DOI). The online version is often considered a version of the record or a provisional version until the final issue is released, and in some cases, the online version remains the definitive version if no later print version is issued.

The advantages include faster dissemination, earlier discovery and citation, and improved compatibility with open access policies and funder mandates. For authors, it can increase visibility; for readers, it provides access to newer work sooner. Publisher policies vary on licensing and access, with many online-first articles becoming open access or available under standard licenses after publication, while others remain behind a paywall.

Challenges include citation ambiguity—whether to cite the online publication date or the final issue date—and version control when multiple revisions occur. Bibliographic records typically note the online publication date and the DOI, updating when the article is assigned to a specific issue.

In the scholarly ecosystem, online-first is part of broader practices such as early access and version of record management.