Electronic publishing implies a change in the traditional publishing chain, for such concepts as storage and distribution of the scholarly article, going as it does from the physical to the digital archive, and affecting all processes in between. We will deal with the new trends in electronic publishing of scholarly journals, from the many and varied projects and initiatives of Open Access and Free Access. Regarding the letter, we shall speak about Open Access directories and repositories ( Open Archive Initiative) available on the Internet. When we speak of electronic publishing of scholarly journals, same points need to be clarified: 1) journals born under the Open Access model, 2) journals that combine commercial distribution with a temporary embargo period before their free distribution over the Internet. We shall see that the advantages outnumber the drawbacks with this new publishing policy and it will be the researchers themselves who must adapt to the cultural changes involved in this new form of publishing their works. The articles concludes with an analysis of how publishers, information distributors and libraries have been obliged to modify their systems of publishing, distribution and management of information.