Thread by @wtgowers

Another mass resignation of an editorial board has happened, and this one feels like quite a big deal, as the journal in question is Journal of Combinatorial Theory A, one of Elsevier's premium combinatorics journals. 1/

math.sfsu.edu/beck/ct/index.…

A new journal, called, simply, Combinatorial Theory, is now accepting submissions. It will be free to read and free to publish in. And it would like to be thought of as the "true" continuation of JCTA. 2/

If the past is anything to go by, it is likely that JCTA will limp on for a while. If you are a combinatorialist and want to help Combinatorial Theory, then please submit the papers you would have submitted to JCTA to Combinatorial Theory. 3/

Or if, like me, you are a combinatorialist who refuses to submit papers to Elsevier journals, then rejoice that there is now one more combinatorics journal that you can submit to with a completely clean conscience. 4/

And please do not agree to serve on the editorial board of JCTA if asked. If the new journal succeeds, it will demonstrate to other journals that becoming independent is not something to be afraid of. 5/

And it makes sense anyway. If you are asking yourself which of the two candidates you should think of as the true continuation of JCTA, do you want the one with the same name or the one with the same editorial board, with all its institutional memory? It's a no-brainer. 6/

The Journal of Combinatorial Theory was founded by Gian-Carlo Rota in the 1960s, and published by Academic Press, later bought by Elsevier. If it's not against your principles to look, a short history can be found in an Elsevier article that isn't behind a paywall. 7/

Some might say that it's a pity that half of Rota's journal is losing its name and weakening its link with Rota. I can hardly believe Rota himself would have taken that attitude if he had lived to see what happened to academic publishing. 8/8

reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/…