What’s the news, and Why Does It Matter?

With growing publication volume but fixed prepaid quotas under national agreements, more Maastricht University authors encounter “caps” earlier each year.

The key publisher deadlines forecast (on 1 August) for 2025 are:

Status Publishers with a publishing discount quota Estimated Cap Reached (2025)
  Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (LWW) Early September 2025
  Springer Early November 2025
  Taylor & Francis Mid-October 2025
  Oxford University Press (OUP) October – November 2025
  American Chemical Society (ACS) Early October 2025
  Emerald No cap expected in 2025
  Cambridge University Press No cap expected in 2025

 

After we reach a cap, institutional coverage for APCs through these agreements stops. Unless you have alternative funding or choose a different OA route, you’ll be responsible for charges.

 

What Should You Do? (Hybrid vs. Fully OA Journals)

Your options depend on the type of journal you selected for your article. This is why we try to convince all researchers also to consider open-access options and coverage of publishing costs when selecting a journal and before submitting a manuscript (see our Publishing & Open Access portal).

Hybrid journals (journals with a subscription model; open-access is optional). After we reach the cap, you can:

  • Publish under a subscription (closed) license at no extra cost. The publisher will publish the article behind a paywall. You can still share your Author Accepted Manuscript via green open access. And even share the final published version under the Taverne Amendment. The Taverne amendment allows repository sharing of the published version after 6 months. And the University Library assists you; see “You share, we take care“.
  • Alternatively, if you require open access with a publisher’s license (typically CC BY) beyond the cap, you’d need to cover the APC yourself (either as a project or research organisation).

Fully Open Access (OA) journals (no subscription model): 

  • No publishing license option is available, so open-access is the default; publishing requires an APC (if applicable).
  • After the cap, the corresponding author is fully responsible for covering the APC (check if your funder, department, or other sources can help).

If you have a funder that requires immediate open access with a Creative Commons license (e.g., Plan S, ERC grants):

  • The green route via Taverne is not compliant (there’s a 6-month embargo and typically no CC license).
  • To comply with your funder, you must ensure immediate OA with a CC license, which means you must cover the APC, or you must use rights retention or secure alternative support.

Want timely updates?

  • Subscribe to our cap alert mailing service to get notified when we reach a quota.
  • We’ll also keep you informed through the UMployee OA-group (Intranet). Join us there for ongoing updates.
  • We will also update the Open Access Journal Browser as soon as we reach a cap (links in the table above)

Why Should You Care?

Missing a quota may expose you to unexpected APC invoices, limited dissemination options, or funder compliance issues.

These agreements lower financial barriers, but only while quotas last. Understanding your choices can save you money, time, and compliance headaches.

Questions or Concerns?

Contact the Library’s open-access support for help with open-access publishing or understanding current caps.

And do sign up for notifications so you’ll never be caught off guard, because in open publishing, timing and journal choice matter more than ever.

Think strategically. Act early. Stay open!

More information and contact

Further reading

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