Publishing costs, including article processing charges (APCs) for open-access articles, are essential research expenses. Maastricht University Library negotiates advantageous publisher agreements that allow UM researchers to publish open-access in quality journals either for free or at significant discounts within our allocated budget. Some agreements include caps on the number of fee waivers available per year.
Please note that only corresponding authors from Maastricht University can claim these APC discounts or waivers. When submitting your manuscript, ensure a UM researcher is designated as the corresponding author to benefit from these publisher deals.
Maastricht University strongly supports open science through two primary routes: publishing directly in open-access journals (Gold OA) or allowing the library to share your paywalled articles through the Taverne amendment (Green OA).
Open Access Journal Browser
The Maastricht University/MUMC+ Open Access Journal Browser is an essential tool for identifying journals covered by our publisher agreements. With a simple search, you can discover available APC discounts and access detailed publishing information specific to each journal.
While we regularly update the Browser, publishers’ arrangements change frequently throughout the year. We strive for accuracy, but always verify critical information directly with the publisher or contact our team if you’re unsure about a particular journal’s status.
Overview of our Open Access deals and APC discounts
Below, you’ll find detailed information about each publisher agreement, including the steps you must take during the publication process to secure your Open Access discount or waiver.
To benefit from these publisher deals, you must be the corresponding author who submits the manuscript and use your Maastricht University or MUMC+ email address in all correspondence with the publisher. This is essential for the publisher’s system to recognise your eligibility.
Each publisher has different requirements and workflows for applying discounts. The following overview provides specific information about availability, eligibility criteria, and the process for each publisher.
Capped agreements
Some of our publisher agreements include annual limits (caps) on the number of open-access publications. The agreements no longer cover APC costs when we reach these caps before year-end. If your manuscript is accepted after we’ve reached the cap, publishers will still offer to publish your article Open Access, but you (or your department) will need to cover the full APC costs.
To receive timely updates about the status of capped agreements, follow us on UMployee or subscribe to our Research Support Update newsletter.
American Chemical Society (ACS)
-
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
- Deal type: National consortium deal (Capped deal!)
- Cap status information: Max. 544 articles; accepting publications
- Discount percentage: 100%
- Validity period: 2022-2025
- Eligible journals: see the selection in our Open Access Journal Browser
- How to claim the discount: see OpenAccess.nl for conditions and workflows
- Special conditions:
- Use your UM/MUMC email address during the submission process.
BioMed Central (BMC)
-
Publisher: BioMed Central (BMC)
- Deal type: Local UM/MUMC+ deal
- Cap status information: no cap
- Discount percentage: 15%
- Validity period: 2025
- Eligible journals: see the selection in our Open Access Journal Browser
- How to claim the discount: When you select Maastricht University or MUMC+ as your affiliation, the discount will be applied automatically.
- Special conditions:
- Find additional information about this arrangement on the BioMed Central website.
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
This deal includes hybrid and selected full open-access journals.
-
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
- Deal type: National consortium deal (Capped deal!)
- Cap status information: Max. 1400 articles; accepting publications
- Discount percentage: 100%
- Validity period: 2024-2026
- Eligible journals: see the selection in our Open Access Journal Browser
- How to claim the discount: see OpenAccess.nl for conditions and workflows
- Special conditions:
- Use your UM/MUMC email address during the submission process to claim the discount.
Cogitatio Press
-
Publisher: Cogitatio Press
- Deal type: Local UM/MUMC+ deal, funded by the Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences and the Faculty of Law
- Cap status information: No cap
- Discount percentage: 100%
- Validity period: 2025
- Eligible journals: All (5) journals. See the selection in our Open Access Journal Browser
- How to claim the discount: see OpenAccess.nl for conditions and workflows
- Special conditions:
- All articles are published under a Creative Commons license: Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY)
- Use your UM/MUMC email address during the submission process
The Company of Biologists (CoB)
-
Publisher: The Company of Biologists (CoB)
- Deal type: Local UM/MUMC+ deal, funded by MUMC+ and MRLN/M4I
- Cap status information: No cap
- Discount percentage: 100%
- Validity period: 2025
- Eligible journals: See the selection in our Open Access Journal Browser – Three-journal package (hybrid journals Development, Journal of Cell Science and Journal of Experimental Biology.
- How to claim the discount: See the Guide for corresponding authors.
- Special conditions:
- Use your UM/MUMC email address during submission; the corresponding author must be affiliated with Maastricht University. The publisher will check this via the email address and affiliation stated in the manuscript and notify Maastricht University about each case.
Elsevier
Publish open access (OA) in more than 22000 hybrid and full open access Elsevier journals at no direct APC cost to the author.
-
Publisher: Elsevier
-
Current deal: 2020-2024 (awaiting new arrangements for 2025)
-
Collection: Selected hybrid and full open-access journals
-
Journal titles, discounts and details: see the Elsevier selection in our Open Access Journal Browser
-
Conditions and workflows: go to the Elsevier consortium page on OpenAccess.nl.
-
Always check the Open Access Journal Browser for an overview of available open-access discounts. (Discounts can change throughout the year.)
-
Use your UM/MUMC email address during the submission process.
-
Select open access after acceptance and choose a Creative Commons licence.
-
Consult the consortium page on OpenAccess.nl for information on each publisher’s submission procedures and the accepted publication types.
-
Direct link to this section: https://umlib.nl/oa-elsevier
Emerald
Publish open access (OA) in subscribed hybrid and full open access Emerald journals at no direct APC cost to the author.
-
Publisher: Emerald Publishing Group
-
Current deal: 2021-2024
-
Collection: Subscribed hybrid and full open-access journals
-
Journal titles, discounts and details: see the Emerald selection in our Open Access Journal Browser
-
Conditions and workflows: go to the Emerald consortium page on OpenAccess.nl.
-
Always check the Open Access Journal Browser for an overview of the open-access discounts available (discounts can change during the year).
-
Use your UM/MUMC email address during the submission process.
-
Select open access after acceptance and choose a Creative Commons licence.
-
Consult the consortium page on OpenAccess.nl for information on each publisher’s submission procedures and the accepted publication types.
-
Direct link to this section: https://umlib.nl/oa-emerald
IOP Publishing
Publish open access (OA) in selected hybrid and full open access IOP journals at no direct APC cost to the author
-
Publisher: IOP Publishing
-
Current deal: 2025-2027
-
Collection: selected IOP hybrid and full OA journals
-
Journal titles, discounts and details: see the IOP selection in our Open Access Journal Browser
-
Conditions and workflows: go to the IOP consortium page on OpenAccess.nl.
-
Always check the Open Access Journal Browser for an overview of available open-access discounts. (Discounts can change throughout the year.)
-
Use your UM/MUMC email address during the submission process.
-
Select open access after acceptance and choose a Creative Commons licence.
-
Consult the consortium page on OpenAccess.nl for information on each publisher’s submission procedures and the accepted publication types.
-
Direct link to this section: https://umlib.nl/oa-aip
IOS Press
Publish open access (OA) in all hybrid and full open access IOS Press journals at no direct APC cost to the author
-
Publisher: IOS Press
-
Current deal: 2023-2025
-
Collection: IOS Press hybrid and full OA journals
-
Journal titles, discounts and details: see the IOS Press selection in our Open Access Journal Browser
-
Conditions and workflows: go to the IOS Press consortium page on OpenAccess.nl.
-
Always check the Open Access Journal Browser for an overview of the open-access discounts available (discounts can change during the year).
-
Use your UM/MUMC email address during the submission process.
-
Select open access after acceptance and choose a Creative Commons licence.
-
Consult the consortium page on OpenAccess.nl for information on each publisher’s submission procedures and the accepted publication types.
-
Direct link to this section: https://umlib.nl/oa-ios
Karger
Publish open access (OA) in all hybrid and full open access Karger journals at no direct APC cost to the author
-
Publisher: Karger
-
Current deal: 2025-20274
-
Collection: Karger hybrid and full OA journals
-
Journal titles, discounts and details: see the Karger selection in our Open Access Journal Browser
-
Conditions and workflows: go to the Karger consortium page on OpenAccess.nl.
-
Always check the Open Access Journal Browser for an overview of available open-access discounts. (Discounts can change throughout the year.)
-
Use your UM/MUMC email address during the submission process.
-
Select open access after acceptance and choose a Creative Commons licence.
-
Consult the consortium page on OpenAccess.nl for information on each publisher’s submission procedures and the accepted publication types.
-
Direct link to this section: https://umlib.nl/oa-karger
Lippincott Williams & Wilkins - LWW
Publish open access (OA) in approximately 250 hybrid LWW journals at no direct APC cost to the author
-
Publisher: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins – LWW
-
Current deal: 2024-2026
-
Collection: Selected LWW hybrid journals
-
Journal titles, discounts and details: see the LWW selection in our Open Access Journal Browser
-
Conditions and workflows: go to the LWW consortium page on OpenAccess.nl.
-
Always check the Open Access Journal Browser for an overview of the open-access discounts available (discounts can change during the year).
-
Use your UM/MUMC email address during the submission process.
-
Select open access after acceptance and choose a Creative Commons licence.
-
Consult the consortium page on OpenAccess.nl for information on each publisher’s submission procedures and the accepted publication types.
-
Direct link to this section: https://umlib.nl/oa-lww
MDPI
UM and MUMC+ corresponding authors receive a 10% discount on the APC.
MDPI is a pioneer in scholarly open access publishing and has supported academic communities since 1996.
How does it work?
- Maastricht University has a supporter membership at MDPI. This membership entitles researchers and students to a 10% discount on the author’s fee (APC).
- Just select Maastricht University or MUMC+ during submission. The publisher will apply the discount automatically.
License, conditions and support
- You will find additional information about this arrangement on the MDPI website.
- Contact the UM/MUMC+ Open Access support team for questions, support, or corrections.
Oxford University Press - OUP
Publish without costs in almost 350 hybrid open-access journals by OUP.
Oxford University Press (OUP) is a major publisher of academic journals in the sciences and the humanities.
How does it work?
- You (the submitting corresponding author) log in to Author Services of OUP with your account. Use your UM or MUMC+ email address.
- After accepting your article, you can use OUP’s online licensing and payment system, Author Services, to obtain an open-access license.
- Next, choosing the refer charges option ensures the library settles the APC costs with the Dutch universities” pre-payment accounts.
- This request must be approved by the university affiliated with the corresponding author. Please ensure that we can identify you as a staff member.
- All participants are allowed to publish a maximum of 760 articles annually. We will notify you when the maximum is about to be reached.
License, conditions and support
- This APC deal is part of a national agreement. For more information and the conditions, visit our joint website, OpenAccess.nl.
- Additional information about this arrangement is on the Oxford University Press website.
- Use the Open Access Journal Browser to determine if a specific journal is part of the agreement.
- Contact the UM/MUMC+ Open Access support team for questions, support, or corrections.
Public Library of Science (PLOS)
Corresponding authors affiliated with Maastricht University or Maastricht UMC+ can publish open access without costs in seven journals of the Public Library of Science (PLOS), including PLOS One.
-
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLOS)
- Deal type: National consortium deal
- Cap status information: no cap
- Discount percentage: 100%
- Validity period: 2025-2026
- Eligible journals: see the selection in our Open Access Journal Browser
- How to claim the discount: see OpenAccess.nl for conditions and workflows and this guideline by PLOS (PDF)
- Special conditions:
- Eligible articles accepted for publication will be published with a CC BY license
- Eligible authors can use the agreement by using the appropriate affiliation information when submitting the article; preferably, use your UM/MUMC email address during submission.
- Articles accepted for publication as of 1 January 2025 are eligible for the deal.
Portland Press
Publish open access (OA) in selected hybrid and full open access Portland journals at no direct APC cost to the author
-
Publisher: Portland Press
-
Current deal: 2025
-
Collection: selected hybrid and full OA journals
-
Journal titles, discounts and details: see the Portland selection in our Open Access Journal Browser
-
Conditions and workflows: t.b.a.
-
Always check the Open Access Journal Browser for an overview of available open-access discounts. (Discounts can change throughout the year.)
-
Use your UM/MUMC email address during the submission process.
-
Select open access after acceptance and choose a Creative Commons licence.
-
Consult the consortium page on OpenAccess.nl for information on each publisher’s submission procedures and the accepted publication types.
-
Direct link to this section: https://umlib.nl/oa-portland
Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC )
Publish open access at no direct APC cost to the author in 37 hybrid journals from this publisher.
-
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
-
Current deal: 2025-2027
-
Collection: 37 selected hybrid journals
-
Journal titles, discounts and details: see the RSC selection in our Open Access Journal Browser
-
Conditions and workflows: go to the RSC consortium page on OpenAccess.nl.
-
Always check the Open Access Journal Browser for an overview of available open-access discounts. (Discounts can change throughout the year.)
-
Use your UM/MUMC email address during the submission process.
-
Select open access after acceptance and choose a Creative Commons licence.
-
Consult the consortium page on OpenAccess.nl for information on each publisher’s submission procedures and the accepted publication types.
-
Direct link to this section: https://umlib.nl/oa-sage
SAGE
Publish open access (OA) in more than 900 hybrid SAGE journals at no direct APC cost to the author and receive a 20% discount when publishing in a full open-access Sage journal
-
Publisher: SAGE
-
Current deal: 2025-2026
-
Collection: Selected SAGE hybrid journals
-
Journal titles, discounts and details: see the SAGE selection in our Open Access Journal Browser
-
Conditions and workflows: go to the SAGE consortium page on OpenAccess.nl.
-
Always check the Open Access Journal Browser for an overview of available open-access discounts. (Discounts can change throughout the year.)
-
Use your UM/MUMC email address during the submission process.
-
Select open access after acceptance and choose a Creative Commons licence.
-
Consult the consortium page on OpenAccess.nl for information on each publisher’s submission procedures and the accepted publication types.
-
Direct link to this section: https://umlib.nl/oa-sage
SCOAP 3 (supported Diamond Open Access initiative)
-
Publisher: selected journals from multiple publishers
- Deal type: National consortium Diamond Open Access funding programme
- Cap status information: No cap
- Discount percentage: No APC – Diamond Open Access
- Validity period: 2025
- Eligible journals: All SCOAP3 Journals. See the selection in our Open Access Journal Browser.
- How to claim the discount: Not applicable, thanks to the Diamond Open Access initiative.
- Special conditions:
- N.A.
Springer OpenChoice
Publish open access (OA) in 2000 hybrid Springer OpenChoice journals at no direct APC cost to the author and receive a 15% discount when publishing in a full open-access Springer Open journal
-
Publisher: Springer Nature (Springer)
-
Current deal: 2024-2026
-
Collection: Springer OpenChoice hybrid journals
-
Journal titles, discounts and details: see the Springer selection in our Open Access Journal Browser
-
Conditions and workflows: go to the Springer consortium page on OpenAccess.nl.
-
Always check the Open Access Journal Browser for an overview of the open-access discounts available (discounts can change during the year).
-
Use your UM/MUMC email address during the submission process.
-
Select open access after acceptance and choose a Creative Commons licence.
-
Consult the consortium page on OpenAccess.nl for information on each publisher’s submission procedures and the accepted publication types.
-
Direct link to this section: https://umlib.nl/oa-springer
Springer Open (15% discount)
Publish open access (OA) in more than 140 Full Open Access journals of S/N and receive a 15% discount on the APC.
- Publisher: Springer Nature (Springer)
- Collection: SpringerOpen
Additional remarks before you submit your manuscript
- Journals included – the agreement applies to the Full Open Access journals within the Springer Open programme.
- Journal overview – see our Open Access Journal Browser for an overview of the journals within the deal.
- Affiliation – the corresponding author works at Maastricht University or Maastricht UMC+.
- Corresponding (submitting) author – the corresponding author must mention UM or MUMC as their affiliate in the article to qualify for a discount. In addition, corresponding authors preferably use their UM or MUMC email accounts. For the publisher, the corresponding author is the submitting author.
More information and support
- In addition to this discount deal, UM and MUMC also participate in the national Read & Publish deal with Springer Nature, where authors receive a 100% discount on the APC of Springer Hybrid journals.
- Use the Open Access Journal Browser to determine if a specific journal is part of the agreement.
- Contact the UM/MUMC+ Open Access support team for questions, support, or corrections.
* hybrid journals – a hybrid OA journal is a subscription journal in which some articles are OA. This status typically requires the payment of a publication fee to the publisher.
RA 08.11.2023 – Direct link: https://umlib.nl/oa-springeropen
Taylor & Francis
Publish open access (OA) in hybrid Taylor & Francis Open Select journals at no direct APC cost to the author
-
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
-
Current deal: 2024-2026
-
Collection: T&F Open Select hybrid journals
-
Journal titles, discounts and details: see the T&F selection in our Open Access Journal Browser
-
Conditions and workflows: go to the T&F consortium page on OpenAccess.nl.
-
Always check the Open Access Journal Browser for an overview of the open-access discounts available (discounts can change during the year).
-
Use your UM/MUMC email address during the submission process.
-
Select open access after acceptance and choose a Creative Commons licence.
-
Consult the consortium page on OpenAccess.nl for information on each publisher’s submission procedures and the accepted publication types.
-
Direct link to this section: https://umlib.nl/oa-tandf
The Company of Biologists
Publish open access (OA) in 3 hybrid journals at no direct APC cost to the author
-
Publisher: The Company of Biologists
-
Current deal: 2023-2025
-
Collection: Three-journal package (Development, Journal of Cell Science, Journal of Experimental Biology)
-
Journal titles, discounts and details: see the CoP selection in our Open Access Journal Browser
-
Conditions and workflows:
- Use your institutional email address and select your correct affiliation; follow the instructions and select – already in this stage – that the article will be published ‘Gold Open Access’ with a ‘Read & Publish fee waiver’.
- At acceptance, fill in the Publication Agreement. Login to the Rightslink System and select ‘Seek funding from [name institution]’, check your information and send the request for approval.
- The article will be published with a CC BY license.
- See the publisher’s website for a more elaborate explanation of the procedure.
-
Always check the Open Access Journal Browser for an overview of the open-access discounts available (discounts can change during the year).
-
Use your UM/MUMC email address during the submission process.
-
Select open access after acceptance and choose a Creative Commons licence.
-
Direct link to this section: https://umlib.nl/oa-cob
Thieme
Publish open access (OA) in 34 hybrid and 60 full open-access Thieme journals at no direct APC cost to the author
-
Publisher: Thieme Medical Publishers
-
Current deal: 2022-2024
-
Collection: selected Thieme hybrid and full open-access journals
-
Journal titles, discounts and details: see the Thieme selection in our Open Access Journal Browser
-
Conditions and workflows: go to the Thieme consortium page on OpenAccess.nl.
-
Always check the Open Access Journal Browser for an overview of the open-access discounts available (discounts can change during the year).
-
Use your UM/MUMC email address during the submission process.
-
Select open access after acceptance and choose a Creative Commons licence.
-
Consult the consortium page on OpenAccess.nl for information on each publisher’s submission procedures and the accepted publication types.
-
Direct link to this section: https://umlib.nl/oa-thieme
Walter de Gruyter
Publish open access (OA) in more than 300 hybrid and full open-access Walter de Gruyter journals at no direct APC cost to the author
-
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter
-
Current deal: 2023-2025
-
Collection: selected Walter de Gruyter hybrid and full open-access journals
-
Journal titles, discounts and details: see the WdG selection in our Open Access Journal Browser
-
Conditions and workflows: go to the WdG consortium page on OpenAccess.nl.
-
Always check the Open Access Journal Browser for an overview of the open-access discounts available (discounts can change during the year).
-
Use your UM/MUMC email address during the submission process.
-
Select open access after acceptance and choose a Creative Commons licence.
-
Consult the consortium page on OpenAccess.nl for information on each publisher’s submission procedures and the accepted publication types.
-
Direct link to this section: https://umlib.nl/oa-wdg
Wiley
Publish open access (OA) in more than 1.300 hybrid Wiley journals at no direct APC cost to the author
-
Publisher: Wiley
-
Current deal: 2024-2026
-
Collection: selected Wiley hybrid journals
-
Journal titles, discounts and details: see the Wiley selection in our Open Access Journal Browser
-
Conditions and workflows: go to the Wiley consortium page on OpenAccess.nl.
-
Always check the Open Access Journal Browser for an overview of the open-access discounts available (discounts can change during the year).
-
Use your UM/MUMC email address during the submission process.
-
Select open access after acceptance and choose a Creative Commons licence.
-
Consult the consortium page on OpenAccess.nl for information on each publisher’s submission procedures and the accepted publication types.
-
Direct link to this section: https://umlib.nl/oa-wiley
FAQ and Support
Visit our FAQ section for an overview of frequently asked questions and our answers. If your question is not listed here, or the answer is incomplete, please let us know via openaccess@maastrichtuniversity.nl.
If in doubt, always contact the library’s Open Access support team or your faculty’s Open Science/Open Access support officer.
RA 17.02.2025 – Page short link: https://umlib.nl/oapublishers