Taylor & Francis open access cap reached for 2024: Important update

The news

We have reached the 2024 cap (the annual limit for free – prepaid – publications) for open-access publishing with Taylor & Francis.

This update follows our previous announcements regarding Springer, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (LWW), and Oxford University Press caps being reached. As with those publishers, authors can no longer publish their articles open access in Taylor & Francis hybrid journals under the current agreement without incurring Article Processing Charges (APCs) for the remainder of the year.

Impact on Maastricht University researchers

This cap is relevant if you plan to publish in Taylor & Francis hybrid journals this year. T&F has set the cap at 1,451 publications for 2024, and with this limit now reached, you will need to explore alternative options for publishing your research openly accessible, similar to the situation with the previously mentioned publishers.

Options for affected authors

If you’re a Maastricht University researcher affected by this change, you have several options:

1. Pay the APC: You can still publish open access in Taylor & Francis hybrid journals by covering the APC (publishing costs are research costs). Consider using your research budget or exploring funding options from your department or external grants. 
2. Delayed and Green Open Access: Opt for a ‘closed access’ publication and utilise the Taverne Amendment to share your article publicly in the university’s institutional repository after a six-month embargo period.
   Unlike the other caps, which are structural and come back every year, Taylor & Francis has agreed to send affected authors a repair link to switch articles that missed the discount to open access in 2025. Allowing this action will affect the number of 2025 discounted publications, so use it intentionally and, if possible, go for the Green Open Access Route via Taverne.

Planning for future publications

To avoid similar situations in the future:

• Submit manuscripts early in the year to take advantage of open-access agreements before caps are reached.
• Regularly check the Maastricht University Open Access Journal Browser for up-to-date information on agreement statuses and follow our news and updates.
• Consider budgeting for potential APCs in your research grants and project planning.

More information

Further reading and sources:

• Oxford University Press open-access cap reached for 2024: What you need to know
• Springer and LWW open access caps reached for 2024: What you need to know
• Publishing deals and discounts
• UM|MUMC+ Publishing & Open Access Portal

Support and contact:

• Please use our Ask Your Librarian service for prompt answers to concrete questions and issues.
• If you have questions, ideas, or feedback, please comment below or message us at openaccess@maastrichtuniversity.nl.
• Subscribe to our monthly Research Support Update to stay informed about changes and updates.
• You can also follow our updates, engage with us and discuss this topic with our UMployee group (intranet).
• We can discuss publishing and open-access-related topics during our weekly Open Access Publishing Hour.