At a glance:
Several read and publish agreements are close to reaching their annual caps.
- If your article isn’t accepted before the cap is reached, you may need to pay an article processing charge (APC) or publish behind a paywall.
- Researchers are encouraged to check journal coverage, consider uncapped agreements and contact the Library for support.
- The 2026 agreements are currently under negotiation and final details are yet to be confirmed.
What you need to know:
If you’re planning to publish open access under a read and publish agreement, be aware that some publisher caps are close to being reached. These caps limit the number of APC-free articles published each year.
Cap status (as of 5 September 2025)
To qualify for APC-free publishing, your article must be accepted before the cap is reached. Peer review can take weeks or months, so plan ahead. Based on current usage, the following publishers are expected to reach their limits soon:
- Wiley (hybrid journals): 18 September
- Springer Nature: 9 October
- Taylor & Francis: 28 October
- Wiley (fully open access journals): 12 November
Elsevier and AIP Publishing also have caps, but these are not expected to be exhausted in 2025.
Cap estimates are updated regularly. For the most up-to-date information, visit the CAUL read and publish webpage.
After caps are reached
Once the caps are exhausted, standard APCs apply. Articles in hybrid journals may be paywalled; fully open access journals usually require APCs.
Funder mandates
If your research is subject to an open access mandate and the cap has been reached, you must either:
- pay the APC
- deposit the Author Accepted Manuscript (AAM) in Griffith Research Online, noting that embargoes may affect compliance.
What researchers should do
- Use the Griffith Read and Publish Agreements Journal Finder to check journal coverage. Not all journals from participating publishers are included.
- Consider uncapped publishers. See the full list on the read and publish web page.
- Contact the Library for help navigating options or confirming journal coverage.
What’s next?
CAUL is renegotiating agreements for 2026, supported by a senior academic advisory group and Australasian library leaders. The 2025 agreements have enabled thousands of researchers to publish open access without APCs, collectively saving Australian universities millions of dollars. The goal for 2026 is to secure strong, sustainable agreements that continue to support open access publishing at scale.
