Publishing is changing, and some research materials may only be available
online. Government agencies have led the way in the online migration
of documents.
Many libraries no longer subscribe to the paper version of some periodicals,
but either subscribe to the online version of the journal or rely on
full text access through Web-based periodical databases.
The online version of a periodical article is no more or less reliable
than the same article found in the print version of the journal. On
the Web, however, you can't see a periodical's glossy, lurid cover,
or lack of one, so it can take more effort to distinguish among magazines,
trade journals, and peer reviewed journals. Wherever you find it,
in print or online, a source must be considered and evaluated before
you use it for research.