Q. How do I check if the cap is exhausted for a Read & Publish Agreement?

To check whether a Read and Publish Agreement cap has been reached, start with the Open Access Agreements Negotiated by CAUL: Title List.

Search for the journal title, select Western Sydney University, and open the journal card or agreement details. This will confirm which publisher agreement applies.

Next, open the relevant publisher page in the Open Access Agreements Negotiated by CAUL guide. The publisher agreements are listed on the left side of the guide.

Under Key facts, look for wording such as:

1. Uncapped agreement
2. No limit on the number of articles
3. Annual article allowance
4. Article cap
5. Allowance exhausted
6. Cap reached

An uncapped agreement has no annual limit on the number of eligible articles that can be published open access.

A capped agreement has a maximum number of articles that can be covered during a set period, usually a calendar year. Once this allowance has been used, the agreement can no longer cover Article Processing Charges for additional articles during that period, even if the journal is otherwise eligible.

The CAUL agreement page is the best page to check whether an agreement is capped, uncapped, or has reached its annual article allowance.

If the cap has been reached, the author may need to:

• Pay the Article Processing Charge if they still wish to publish open access
• Consider Green open access by depositing the accepted manuscript in Research Profiles and Repository, where the publisher permits this
• Publish behind a paywall, where this option is available