The Annals of Representation Theory is a diamond open access electronic international research journal. It is dedicated to publishing original research articles in the area of representation theory, including its algebraic, geometric and combinatorial aspects. In early 2026, Aslak Bakke Buan, one of the four founding editors of the journal, discussed its creation with MSP’s executive director, Alex Scorpan. This is a lightly edited and compressed version of that conversation.
The origins #
How did the Annals of Representation Theory come to exist?
The idea of establishing a diamond open access journal in the area of representation theory originated with one of the four founding editors. Over several months, we discussed the initiative with many senior researchers in the community and explored possible funding platforms.
We received a donation of approximately €45,000 from the late Professor Idun Reiten (NTNU). Enthusiastic support from the University Library and the Pro-Rector for Research at NTNU, who guaranteed long-term funding, made it possible to proceed.
What were your must-haves when designing the journal (for example: ownership, pricing, editorial independence, open access, scope)?
The primary goal was to establish a diamond open access journal covering our branch of mathematics. At the time we began, no such journal existed. Given our limited budget, it was essential to keep costs low.
We aimed to assemble an editorial team that was sufficiently well established and widely recognized to make the journal attractive for submissions of the highest quality. At the same time, we wanted all editors to have the opportunity to comment on any paper proposed for acceptance, while generally respecting the handling editor’s recommendations as a rule of thumb.
The role of the community #
What role did your subfield’s research community play in getting the journal off the ground?
The community played a role in three main ways:
-
We held extensive discussions on the journal’s scientific profile and strategic direction with many senior researchers, most of whom had experience as editors and/or managing editors.
-
We invited prominent — primarily senior — researchers to join the Editorial Board, and almost everyone who was approached accepted.
-
We encouraged senior researchers to submit papers for the first volume.
We were genuinely and very pleasantly surprised by the reception from the research community.
Publishing choices #
How did you decide on your publishing arrangement? What options did you actively consider, and what criteria did you use to compare them?
We considered three alternatives. One was to handle everything locally at NTNU. In addition, we considered Centre Mersenne and, in fact, MSP. The option of managing everything locally was soon abandoned, mainly for practical reasons. For one, we would not have had an advanced system for managing peer review.
We consulted other (managing) editors with experience of Centre Mersenne, who gave positive recommendations. We also received a highly favorable offer from CM. In parallel, we were in contact with MSP, which offered us a good arrangement for the use of EditFlow. We further considered engaging MSP as the publisher but ultimately chose Centre Mersenne, primarily for budgetary reasons.
In your view, what does journal publication add beyond relying solely on arXiv preprints?
Journals have two main missions. First, and most importantly, they ensure that the soundness and correctness of the presented results are carefully checked. Owing to the cumulative nature of mathematical theories, this is particularly important: erroneous statements that are not detected and are subsequently used by other mathematicians may propagate, causing confusion and serious problems.
Second, reviewers and editors help identify the most interesting new results. There is a large volume of new publications every week, even within our restricted field. While most of us can use arXiv to find relevant papers that are closely related to our current research interests, identifying high-quality work slightly outside our main areas is more difficult. In such cases, the endorsement of editors at a prestigious journal provides valuable guidance on relevance and quality.
How important do you consider good copyediting and typesetting for the published math literature? How important has the level of copyediting and typesetting been in practice for your journal?
Typesetting is certainly important. Fortunately, most high-level authors in mathematics are quite capable of producing reasonably well-typeset manuscripts themselves. We still spent considerable time working with Centre Mersenne to develop a high-quality template for ART, which has functioned very well so far. There is a professional typesetter at Centre Mersenne, and within our team we have a production editor who oversees this work.
Copyediting is also important. In most cases, we have relied on authors and referees to assist with copyediting, and only in exceptional circumstances have we used external support. Ideally, if funding permitted, we would also have professional assistance in this area.
The future #
Do you have a plan or at least a rough roadmap for what happens if the journal becomes much larger than it is now?
No. We do not aim for the journal to grow in volume; rather, we wish to keep it at a fairly exclusive level. There are already several medium-quality, high-volume journals in our field, including some published by major commercial publishers. We have no intention of competing with them on volume, but instead seek to focus on a carefully selected set of high-quality papers.
How are you thinking about long-term continuity: finding successors, avoiding burnout among editors, and ensuring that the journal can outlast the original founders and their initial energy?
That is a good question. We are a relatively new journal, but we should probably begin reflecting on and discussing this soon. There has already been some turnover among the handling editors, but the team of managing editors has remained unchanged so far.
Advice for potential founders #
What do you wish you had known before starting the journal?
Perhaps if I had known how much time would be required for administrative (and legal) matters, I might have backed out. However, in hindsight, that would have been unfortunate — so I cannot say that I wish I had known in advance.
For mathematicians and other researchers who are thinking about founding a journal, what is your advice for them before they begin?
Assemble a strong team. Accept that you will need to spend quite a bit of time planning, including some unavoidable, less exciting tasks. Talk to peers who have been through the process. Do not rush it, and, as always, keep the focus on quality.