The most commonly used open source licenses for journal articles are those developed by a volunteer organization, Creative Commons. They provide options that can insure that your work is not resold for profit, that you get proper attribution, and/or that your work cannot be modified. They also offer a public domain license, that allows any use of your work without restriction.
Nat Angell, Ony Anukem, Cyra Copeland, Kathryn Drew, Libby Ebeling, Camille Francoise, Monica Granados, Cable Green, Mari Moreshead, Alison Pearce, Marlena Reimer, Catherine Stihler, Anna Tumadottir, Brigitte Venzina, Kat Walsh, Jennryn Wetzler, Timid Robot Zehta. Creative Commons. Available in html format