What is an embargo period?

An embargo is a period during which access to academic articles is not allowed to users who have not paid for access (or have access through their institution). The purpose of this is to ensure publishers have revenue to support their activities.

Therefore, in Green Open Access, an embargo period refers to the period of time in which the allowed version of the manuscript must remain closed in the institutional repository after publication. Once the embargo period expires, the manuscript is released and available to everyone.