Mathematical Sciences Publishers

What Mathematical Sciences Publishers does

Mathematical Sciences Publishers (MSP) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) tax-exempt scholarly publisher founded in 2004 and headquartered in Berkeley, California. It publishes approximately 20 mathematics research journals — including Geometry & Topology, Algebraic & Geometric Topology, Algebra & Number Theory, Analysis & PDE, Pacific Journal of Mathematics, Annals of K-Theory, and the forthcoming Courant Journal of Pure and Applied Mathematics (CPAM, 2027) and Mathematica Scandinavica (2026) — plus book series (Open Book Series, Geometry & Topology Monographs) and Celebratio Mathematica, generating roughly 25,000 research pages per year. Its flagship software product is EditFlow, a registered-trademark peer-review management application developed by mathematicians specifically for mathematical publishing, used by 200+ journals globally including publications from AMS, Elsevier, Cambridge University Press, London Mathematical Society, and European Mathematical Society Press. Production is staffed primarily by graduate-degree mathematicians led by Silvio Levy (Director of Publishing); approximately 47% of publishing costs go to PDF production (mathematical copyediting and typesetting). The technology stack is a conventional web application architecture (PHP, MySQL, JavaScript, Python, Perl, Docker, Cypress, Git/GitHub on Linux/UNIX).

MSP's revenue model rests on four streams: institutional journal subscriptions (single-journal or bundled as the MSP Package), with tiered pricing — Tier 1 covers Carnegie R1 institutions in the US and Shanghai Top 500 internationally, Tier 2 covers all others — and approximately 50% discounts for World Bank lower-middle and low-income countries; third-party journal production services (Pacific Journal of Mathematics since 2005, Rocky Mountain Mathematics Consortium since 2019, Mathematica Scandinavica and CPAM incoming); print-on-demand book sales ($27-$85 per volume); and the Subscribe to Open (S2O) program funding open access via subscription support, currently covering 6 journals by 2027. Equity access is provided free to HBCUs (since 2021), Research4Life institutions in 120+ countries (since 2022), and EIFL libraries in 29 developing countries (since 2020). Distribution runs through EBSCO, direct institutional sales, and an exclusive network of regional marketing agents across 15+ Asia-Pacific markets (iGroup, Hindustan Book Agency, InfoHOST, IDC Asia, VI Services, Book Promotion & Service). Long-term preservation is handled via CLOCKSS and Global LOCKSS membership.

Name

Mathematical Sciences Publishers

Legal name

Mathematical Sciences Publishers

Website

https://msp.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

MSP is a Berkeley-based nonprofit publisher producing approximately 20 mathematics research journals and the EditFlow peer-review management software, serving university libraries, mathematicians, and mathematical societies globally through institutional subscriptions, production services, and Subscribe to Open.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Journal Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130), Periodical Publishers (51312), Software Publishers (513210)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Academic & Scholarly Journals Publishing (Peer-Reviewed) (MPAJABAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Humanities & Arts Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAE)

Keywords

• Academic journal publishing
• Mathematics journal production
• Peer review software
• Scholarly publishing services
• Open access publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Berkeley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Journal Subscriptions: MSP generates primary revenue through institutional subscription fees for its portfolio of approximately 20 mathematics journals. Subscriptions are sold as single-journal subscriptions or as packages (e.g., MSP Package). Pricing follows a tiered structure based on institutional size (Carnegie R1 classification for US institutions; Shanghai Ranking top 500 for international institutions). Discounts are available for lower-middle and low income countries (approximately 50% discount).
2. Journal Production Services: MSP provides full production services for third-party journals, including preparation of web- and print-ready PDFs, peer-review support via EditFlow, and subscription management. Clients include the Pacific Journal of Mathematics (since 2005) and the Rocky Mountain Mathematics Consortium (three journals since 2019).
3. Book Sales: MSP sells printed books through its Open Book Series (print-on-demand) and Geometry & Topology Monographs series. Prices range from approximately $27 to $85 per volume. International shipping is available. Payment methods include check, ACH transfer, and wire transfer.
4. Open Access (Subscribe to Open): Under the Subscribe to Open (S2O) model, if enough subscribers continue to support a journal, that year's articles are published open access — free to read with no author charges. This model funds open-access publishing through subscription payments. Currently 6 journals are in the S2O program.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Mathematical Sciences Publishers is a nonprofit scholar-led publisher that produces peer-reviewed mathematics journals and provides journal production services (typesetting, copyediting, design) to mathematical societies and editorial boards. It also develops and licenses EditFlow, a peer-review management software platform serving 200+ client journals globally, and operates an Open Book Series and the Celebratio Mathematica web publication.

Product overview

MSP (Mathematical Sciences Publishers) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) schol ar-led publisher founded in 2004, offering a portfolio of software and publishing services for the mathematics research community. The core products include EditFlow (peer-review workflow management software), comprehensive journal production services, subscription management, and the Subscribe to Open (S2O) open access program. MSP publishes approximately 25 journals in mathematics research including Algebra & Number Theory, Algebraic & Geometric Topology, Analysis & PDE, Geometry & Topology, Pacific Journal of Mathematics, Annals of K-Theory, Courant Journal of Pure and Applied Mathematics, and Mathematica Scandinavica, plus book series (Geometry & Topology Monographs, Open Book Series). Additional offerings include Celebratio Mathematica (web publication celebrating mathematicians) and PubliCast (publication alert service).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• EditFlow: A software service for managing the submission and peer-review workflows of research journals, developed by mathematicians for mathematical publishing. Not-for-profit peer-review management system favored by editors.
• PubliCast
• The Open Book Series
• Geometry & Topology Monographs

Products and services

• EditFlow
• Journal Production Services
• Algebra & Number Theory
• Algebraic & Geometric Topology
• Analysis & PDE
• Geometry & Topology
• Pacific Journal of Mathematics
• Annals of K-Theory
• Geometry & Topology Monographs
• Open Book Series
• Celebratio Mathematica
• PubliCast

Quantifiable outcome

• All 2026 articles in MSP's S2O program (Geometry & Topology, Algebraic & Geometric Topology, Algebra & Number Theory, Analysis & PDE, Pacific Journal of Mathematics) will be published open access — free to read with no author charges.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered major, core, flagship and minor.

• Research4LifemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020MSP provides free access to its journals through Research4Life's program for institutions in low- and middle-income countries. Research4Life connects more than 12,000 institutions in 120 countries to peer-reviewed content. MSP has been a Research4Life partner since 2022. The partnership advances MSP's equity access mission and extends the reach of mathematical research to developing-world institutions.
• EIFL (Electronic Information for Libraries)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020MSP provides free journal access through EIFL to libraries in 29 developing countries including Albania, Armenia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Myanmar, Nepal, Tanzania, Ukraine, and others. EIFL works with libraries to enable access to knowledge in developing and transition economy countries in Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe and Latin America.
• CLOCKSScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMSP is a member of CLOCKSS (Controlled LOw-energy Archiving of Shared Trusted Web Publications) to ensure the long-term preservation and availability of its published online content. CLOCKSS is a leading digital preservation archive for scholarly content.
• Global LOCKSS NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMSP is a member of the Global LOCKSS Network (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe) to ensure the long-term preservation of its published online content. LOCKSS is a digital preservation system developed by Stanford University.
• K-Theory FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMSP founded and began publishing the Annals of K-Theory in 2016 for the K-Theory Foundation, which established it to replace the Journal of K-Theory and serve as the premier journal in K-theory. The Annals of K-Theory is the sixth journal in MSP's Subscribe to Open program starting in 2027.
• Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences (NYU)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerMSP will publish the Courant Journal of Pure and Applied Mathematics (CPAM), the new flagship journal of the Courant Institute, starting in 2027. CPAM succeeds Communications on Pure and Applied Mathematics and will retain the same editorial board and standards. CPAM will be owned solely by the Courant Institute and published and distributed by MSP. Submissions begin in 2026 with planned initial publication in early 2027.
• Nordic Mathematical Societies (Mathematica Scandinavica)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMSP became the publisher of Mathematica Scandinavica starting in 2026, taking over from the five Nordic mathematical societies who will retain ownership and editorial independence. MSP will prepare articles for publication, host them, offer subscriptions, and ensure the journal thrives for the long term. Mathematica Scandinavica will continue to use MSP's EditFlow software for peer review.
• Rocky Mountain Mathematics ConsortiumminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSince 2019, MSP has handled peer-review support via EditFlow and preparation of web- and print-ready PDFs for three Rocky Mountain Mathematics Consortium journals: Rocky Mountain Journal of Mathematics, Journal of Commutative Algebra, and Journal of Integral Equations and Applications.
• Hindustan Book Agency (India)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHindustan Book Agency is MSP's exclusive distributor for India for journal subscriptions. Institutions in India should contact Hindustan Book Agency for LMI subscription pricing and general subscription inquiries.
• iGroup (Asia-Pacific)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributoriGroup and its subsidiaries serve as exclusive regional marketing agents for MSP across multiple Asia-Pacific countries including Australia, New Zealand, China (multiple offices in Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Xi'an, Chongqing), Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia, Myanmar, and Philippines. iGroup also covers Taiwan through VI Services and Thailand through Book Promotion & Service.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• American Mathematical Society: The leading US professional society for mathematics and a major publisher of peer-reviewed mathematics journals (Journal of the AMS, Proceedings of the AMS, Mathematics of Computation). AMS uses EditFlow for some of its journals and is the most direct comparator to MSP's scholar-led nonprofit journal model.
• London Mathematical Society: UK mathematical society that publishes the Bulletin, Journal, and Proceedings of the LMS — all of which moved to EditFlow in 2011. LMS is a directly comparable society publisher in mathematics that also outsources peer-review and production infrastructure to MSP.
• European Mathematical Society Publishing House: Publishing arm of the European Mathematical Society, which publishes peer-reviewed mathematics journals and uses EditFlow. EMS Press is a society publisher in the same scholarly math publishing niche as MSP.
• Aries Systems (Editorial Manager): Producer of Editorial Manager, the leading commercial peer-review management platform used by thousands of journals including many mathematics titles. Owned by Elsevier, it is the most direct EditFlow competitor, particularly for society journals considering platform alternatives.

Broad incumbents

• Cambridge University Press: Major university press publishing across disciplines including mathematics, with a Compositio, Bulletin of the LMS, and Proceedings of the Royal Society journals. Uses EditFlow for some titles and competes with MSP for math society journal contracts.
• Oxford University Press: Major university press with a broad academic publishing portfolio including mathematics journals. Also operates the eJP peer-review submission system, making it both an institutional competitor and a tangential EditFlow competitor.
• Springer Nature: One of the largest commercial academic publishers, with significant mathematics journal portfolios including Inventiones Mathematicae. Its bundling and APC strategies make it a key competitive threat to independent math publishers.
• Elsevier: Largest commercial academic publisher and a major mathematics journal publisher (e.g., Journal of Differential Equations, Advances in Mathematics). It acquired Aries Systems, the leading peer-review software competitor to EditFlow, and bundles aggressively.
• Wiley: Major commercial academic publisher with mathematics journals across pure and applied math. Wiley competes with MSP for society journal contracts and bundles its mathematics titles into broader STEM packages.
• ScholarOne (Clarivate): Producer of ScholarOne Manuscripts, a widely adopted peer-review submission system owned by Clarivate. It competes with EditFlow for society and university press journal clients across disciplines.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@msp_org

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mathematical Sciences Publishers