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2 years ago in Publishing and Access By Anuj Patel

What are "embargo periods" in open access, and why do they exist?

My funder mandates open access, but the journal's policy says there's a 12-month embargo. What does this mean? Why would a journal have an embargo if the goal is open access?

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By Jayanthi J Answered 1 month ago

An embargo period is a compromise between immediate open access and traditional subscription models. It allows publishers to maintain exclusive distribution (and thus attract subscribers) for a set time (e.g., 6 months in STEM, 12-24 months in humanities). After the embargo expires, you can usually self-archive the accepted manuscript (postprint) in a repository (Green OA). Embargoes exist because publishers argue that immediate free availability would cannibalize subscription revenue needed to fund peer review and editing. However, many funders (like NIH, ERC) now mandate immediate public access and require publishers to comply or offer alternative routes. Always check your funder's specific rules—they may override a journal's standard embargo, or the journal may have a compliant pathway.

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