Journal presents a mathematical conundrum: Strife proves hard to solve for K-theory | 23 August 2007 | Jenny Hogan | Nature

"A branch of mathematics known as K-theory has this month seen its flagship journal bifurcate in a strange dispute, the details of which were still emerging as Nature went to press.

The events centre on Anthony Bak, a mathematician at the University of Bielefeld in Germany and until recently managing editor of the Springer journal K-Theory. Bak left the monthly journal, due, he says, to production problems and a too-high subscription rate. He has arranged to launch a rival title with another publisher that has offered a lower subscription rate, in the process shedding some editors unhappy at how the shift has been managed.

In seeking to cut prices, the editors follow the lead of the editorial board of the Elsevier mathematics journal Topology, which quit to launch a competing non-profit title (see Nature 445, 351; 2007)...."