An accepted paper often comes with a publisher embargo, but it restricts less than most authors think. The version you hold decides what you can share today.
What an embargo period restricts
When a subscription journal accepts your paper, its policy usually lets you post a free copy of your accepted manuscript publicly, but not straight away. The wait is the embargo period: a set number of months, counted from publication, before that copy can be opened in a repository.
That definition has three limits built in, and each one tells you something you can still do:
- It applies mainly to one version, the author accepted manuscript. Preprints and published articles follow different rules.
- It applies to public posting. Sending a copy to a colleague, or depositing a file that stays closed until a release date, is usually treated differently.
- It ends. Afterwards, the policy normally lets you open the accepted manuscript in the locations it lists.
Embargo lengths are set journal by journal. They can differ between journals from the same publisher and between subject areas, and society-owned journals may have their own policies. Never assume the embargo on your last paper applies to this one.
In medical publishing the word has a second meaning, the press embargo, which controls publicity before publication and is covered further down.
When you can share each version
Most sharing questions become simple once you know which file you are holding. If you are unsure, our guide to preprints, accepted manuscripts and versions of record shows how to tell them apart. For an article in a subscription journal, the sharing policies of several large publishers follow a broadly similar pattern:
| Version | Typical position | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Preprint (submitted version) | Often shareable at any time, with no embargo | The journal's preprint policy, before you post |
| Accepted manuscript | Personal website or private sharing sometimes allowed at once; public repository after the embargo | Embargo length, permitted locations, required notice or licence |
| Published version, subscription | Usually not postable publicly at any time | Whether the publisher offers a sharing link |
| Published version, open access | Shareable at once under its licence | The licence terms, such as attribution under CC BY |
Treat the middle column as a starting point, not a rule. Preprint policies in particular vary: at least one large publisher notes that some society titles and journals using double-anonymised review have different preprint policies. For medical journals, the ICMJE Recommendations ask journals to describe their preprint policies in their instructions for authors, and ask authors to read those policies before posting. If you have posted a preprint, tell the journal and give the link.
When the embargo clock starts
Embargoes normally run from publication, not from acceptance and not from the day you deposit. Where publishers spell it out, they tend to tie it to publication of the final article, and one large publisher defines that as the date the version of record is first published online.
A worked example, using an invented paper:
- Accepted: 14 March
- Final article published online: 2 May
- Printed issue: August
- Journal policy: 12-month embargo from first online publication
The accepted manuscript can go public on 2 May the following year. Counting from acceptance would open it seven weeks early, which breaches the agreement. Counting from the print issue would keep it closed about three months longer than necessary.
Two situations need a question rather than an assumption. If the journal posts an early, unedited version online before the final article, ask which date starts the embargo. If the policy does not say which publication date counts, email the editorial office and keep the reply.
Funders can use their own definition. NIH defines the official date of publication as the date the final published article is first made available in final, edited form, in print or online.
What you can do while the embargo runs
An embargo rarely means silence. Depending on the journal's policy, you may be able to do all of this straight away:
- Deposit the accepted manuscript as a closed record. Some publishers allow deposit at acceptance, provided the file is not accessible until the embargo ends. Ask your repository to set the release date so the copy opens on its own.
- Send copies privately. Some policies explicitly allow authors to give copies to research collaborators or students for their personal use.
- Use the publisher's sharing link. Some publishers give authors free read-only links or eprints that non-subscribers can open.
- Post the accepted manuscript on your own website where the policy lists a personal website with no embargo.
- Share the DOI on your ORCID record, lab page and CV.
What usually breaches an embargo is the wrong file in the wrong place: the publisher PDF of a subscription article uploaded to an academic networking site, a repository copy opened before its release date, or an accepted manuscript on a commercial site the policy does not list. When a reader asks for the paper, a private copy or a publisher sharing link is generally the safer answer.
When your funder overrides the embargo
Some funders do not accept publisher embargoes on the work they fund. Their grant conditions require a free copy at publication, so a journal's standard embargo may not be an option for you. Examples that matter to many medical researchers:
| Funder | What it requires |
|---|---|
| NIH | Articles accepted on or after 1 July 2025 available in PubMed Central without embargo from the official date of publication |
| UKRI | For articles submitted from 1 April 2022, no publisher embargo: open access publication, or the accepted manuscript in a repository at final publication, under CC BY or another permitted licence |
| Wellcome | Original research freely available from Europe PMC upon publication, under CC BY, or CC BY-ND by exception |
| cOAlition S funders | Open access at the time of publication, with no embargo |
PubMed Central's guidance for authors explains how to check whether your journal deposits the article for you, and advises starting a manuscript deposit at acceptance. If a journal deposits the published article with an embargo, you may need to submit the accepted manuscript yourself. If another US federal agency funds your work, check its current public access policy rather than assuming the NIH rule applies.
cOAlition S developed a rights retention strategy for its funders' grantees: you add a statement at submission applying a CC BY licence to any accepted manuscript arising from it. At least one large publisher states that its subscription licence terms supersede any such earlier licence, so the statement alone may not settle a conflict.
Settle it before you submit:
- Read your grant's open access conditions and note the version, repository, timing and licence they require.
- Look the journal up in Jisc's Open Policy Finder, which records the embargo for each version and offers a tool to check a journal against a funder's policy.
- If the journal offers only an embargoed deposit, choose between its open access option, if it has one, and another journal. If a fee is the obstacle, our guide to APC waivers and funding language explains what to ask for and when.
- When the options are unclear, ask your library or research office before you sign anything.
Press embargoes: a separate clock
A press embargo controls publicity, not posting. The ICMJE Recommendations describe embargo systems in which authors agree not to publicise their work while it is under consideration or awaiting publication, and journalists agree not to run stories before the article appears.
The risky window is between acceptance and publication. ICMJE notes that sharing the scientific information in an accepted but unpublished paper with public media, government agencies or manufacturers violates the policies of many journals. Exceptions may be warranted for major therapeutic advances, reportable diseases, or public health hazards such as serious adverse effects of drugs, vaccines or devices, and should be agreed with the editor in advance where possible.
Practical points for medical authors:
- Conference talks are generally not a problem. ICMJE says publicity limits should not apply to media accounts of meeting presentations or abstracts. If a reporter asks, stick to what you presented; offering more detail can lower the priority an editor gives the paper.
- Brief trial registry results are not prior publication under ICMJE, if limited to a brief structured abstract or tables in a registry that meets its criteria.
- Public health emergencies are different. In an emergency defined by public health officials, ICMJE says information with immediate public health implications should be shared without concern that it will preclude later journal publication.
- Coordinate press releases. Give your institution's press office the journal's embargo time so the story and the article appear together.
Before you share anything
- I know which version this file is
- I have read the journal's policy for that version and checked it against my publishing agreement
- I know the embargo length and which date starts it
- The place I am posting is a location the policy lists
- My funder's conditions on version, repository, timing and licence are met
- Any required notice, licence statement or DOI link is on the first page
- If the paper is accepted but not yet published, I have checked the journal's publicity policy
Open Policy Finder summarises policies; it is not your contract. Where the two differ, the agreement you signed decides, so ask the journal before you post.
Plan the release on acceptance day
Authors caught out by embargoes rarely break rules on purpose. They post the handiest file, count from the wrong date, or discover their funder's conditions after signing. A few minutes on acceptance day prevents all three: save the accepted manuscript, confirm the embargo and its start date, set up a closed deposit with the release date, and note what your funder requires.
If colleagues still assume open access always means paying a fee, our piece on open access myths sets out the routes that do not involve one. If you are considering a Directive Publications journal, read the open access and copyright information linked from the For Authors page before you submit, so you know what you can share, and when.
Frequently asked questions
Does an embargo apply to the author accepted manuscript?
Usually yes, because publisher embargoes are aimed mainly at the accepted manuscript. For subscription articles, many policies allow public posting of that version in a repository only after the embargo ends, although some allow a personal website or private sharing sooner. Check the journal's policy for the accepted version and the publishing agreement you signed.
Can I share my paper privately with colleagues during an embargo?
Often, yes. Some publisher policies explicitly allow authors to give copies to research collaborators or students for their personal use, and some publishers provide read-only sharing links. What the embargo restricts is public posting, so check the private sharing terms in your agreement before you send copies widely.
Do embargo periods apply to preprints?
Publisher embargoes are generally about the accepted manuscript, and several large publishers let authors share the submitted version at any time. Preprint policies still vary by journal, and some journals restrict them, so read the journal's preprint policy before you post. If you do post one, tell the journal at submission and give the link.
Can a funder require immediate sharing with no embargo?
Yes. NIH requires articles accepted on or after 1 July 2025 to be available in PubMed Central without embargo from the official date of publication, and UKRI, Wellcome and cOAlition S funders also require open access at publication. Check your grant conditions before you submit, because a journal with only an embargoed route may not let you comply.
When does an embargo period start?
An embargo normally runs from publication of the final article, not from acceptance or from the day you deposit. At least one large publisher defines this as the date the version of record is first published online. If the policy does not define publication, ask the journal in writing and keep the reply.