Theory of Computing (ToC) is an online journal dedicated to the widest dissemination, free of charge, of research papers in theoretical computer science.

Authors retain copyright under the Creative Commons Attribution Licence, CC-BY.

There is no charge to readers and no charge to authors.

Theory of Computing does not differ from the best existing periodicals in its commitment to and method of peer review to ensure the highest quality. The scientific content of ToC is guaranteed by a world-class editorial board.

The journal is endorsed by ACM SIGACT, the leading global organization of scientists working in theoretical computer science. The journal is indexed by Scopus and the Web of Science. It is also part of the Free Journal Network.

The Department of Computer Science of The University of Chicago provides the main server, technical support, and archiving. The articles will also be posted on arXiv, a virtual guarantee of indefinite archiving and periodic adaptation to new software and storage media. Arrangements for long-term archiving at other major sites are in progress.

The key difference between ToC and existing publications (paper as well as electronic) in the areas covered by ToC is its commitment to free access. We treat all authors equally, regardless of their or their institutions' or governments' financial means. At our journal,

OPEN ACCESS IS NOT FOR SALE.
We believe that

the Theory community should not turn a blind eye
to the plight of readers and libraries
around the country and around the globe, and to the
recent emergence of two classes of authors: those who can afford publishing open-access in leading journals,
and those who cannot
.

By donating our volunteer work as authors, editors, reviewers to commercial publishers, we contribute to creating and perpetuating the crisis of the libraries worldwide and to the increase of inequality among our colleagues globally. The trouble is, the only existing alternatives are a handful of (relatively widely but not universally accessible) society-owned journals (many of which have unfortunately also jumped on the bandwagon of “gold open access,” although their “article publishing charges” tend to be much less than the exorbitant fees charged by major commercial publishers) and unrefereed postings on the web.

With our volunteer work, we wish to provide the community with an alternative that takes advantage of the speed and universal accessibility of the web, yet preserves the rigor of peer-review, a cornerstone of scholarly publishing.

The Editors

Last updated September 20, 2022.