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What is The Mathematica Journal?
The Mathematica Journal (TMJ) was a free, open-access journal published by Wolfram Research from 1990 to 2021. It covered all aspects of Mathematica, from practical techniques to full applications, and was written for users at every level—beginners through experts—with the stated aim of helping readers use Mathematica more effectively. The site now functions mainly as a public archive of that back catalog, along with pointers to related Wolfram resources.
What you'll find there
- Volume archives spanning 1990–2021. The archive lists Volumes 1 through 23, most broken into issue-level pages (for example, Vol. 10 (1)–(4)). A few early Volume 1 issues are marked unavailable.
- Notebook versions of articles. Articles can be viewed in notebook form; if you don't have Mathematica installed, the page points to the free Wolfram Player.
- Related Wolfram links. The page also surfaces items like the Wolfram Demonstrations Project, Wolfram U courses, Wolfram Media books, and the Wolfram Blog.
One important status note: the journal is no longer accepting submissions. The archive page itself directs readers to Wolfram Community for new articles "of similar depth," including discussion from its audience.
Who it's for
Think of it as a reference shelf rather than a news source. It suits:
- Mathematica users hunting for worked examples—a specific numerical method, visualization trick, or package pattern—who want a full article rather than a forum snippet.
- Researchers and educators who need citable, notebook-based write-ups they can adapt or run directly.
- Historians of the tool: the run from 1990 onward documents how Mathematica practice evolved over three decades.
It's a weaker fit if you want current, actively maintained content; for that, Wolfram Community and the Wolfram Blog are the live channels.
A practical next step
If you have a concrete problem—say, implementing a custom integration routine or cleaning up a plot—start by browsing the volume closest to the Mathematica version you use, since older articles may rely on functions that have since changed. Download the notebook version so you can run and adapt the code, and keep the Wolfram Player handy if you don't have a full license.
For additional context on the ecosystem, you can also look at Wolfram Research and the Wolfram Community.
How can I access archived articles from The Mathematica Journal?
Go directly to the Archives page on The Mathematica Journal site, The Mathematica Journal. It lists back issues by volume and issue, from Volume 1 (1990) through Volume 23 (2021), and each entry links to the articles in that issue.
A few practical points:
- The journal is closed to new submissions, but the archive remains online and free to read. The site describes itself as a platinum open-access journal, so you should not hit a paywall.
- Volume 1 is incomplete online. Issues 1(1), 1(2) and 1(4) are marked unavailable; only 1(3) is listed. If your citation points to one of the missing issues, you will need another route, such as a library holding or an interlibrary loan.
- Some articles come as notebooks. If you want the notebook version rather than the web page, you need Mathematica or the free Wolfram Player, which the site points to at wolfram.com/player.
- Browse by era if you are unsure what you want. Older volumes tend to cover core language technique and symbolic computation; later volumes cover more applied and visualization work. Skimming the table of contents for a volume is faster than searching issue by issue.
A useful next step: if you are looking for a specific technique rather than a specific article, treat the archive as a reference shelf and search the site or a general search engine with a site-limited query, for example site:mathematica-journal.com plus your topic. That usually lands you on the individual article page, from which you can jump to the full issue.
For current material of similar depth, note that the journal itself says articles of comparable scope now appear on Wolfram Community rather than in new TMJ issues. So the archive is the right place for historical, citable articles; community posts are the better bet for newer discussion.
What should I use instead of The Mathematica Journal for publishing Mathematica articles?
Use the Wolfram Community as the default replacement for publishing Mathematica-related articles. The Mathematica Journal's own archive page states that it stopped accepting submissions, and points authors to Wolfram Community for articles of similar depth.
Who this suits
- Authors with a complete technique, package walkthrough or applied case study who want readers quickly.
- People who value discussion: Wolfram Community posts can draw replies and refinements from other users, which a static journal issue cannot.
- Anyone who needs a citable public URL rather than a formal volume-and-issue reference.
The trade-off
Wolfram Community is a community platform, not a peer-reviewed journal. If your goal is academic credit, a formal citation format or an editorial review process, a conventional journal in your own field is the better fit, with the Mathematica content framed as a methods section. If your goal is reach and practical feedback from Mathematica users, the community route wins.
Practical next step
Decide first what "publishing" means for you:
| Goal | Better fit |
|---|---|
| Reach Mathematica users, get feedback | Wolfram Community |
| Formal peer review and citation | A journal in your discipline |
| Teaching material or reusable examples | Wolfram Demonstrations Project |
For example, if you have written a notebook implementing a numerical method, post it to Wolfram Community with a short explanation and a downloadable notebook; if the same work is your main research contribution, submit it to a subject journal and link the notebook as supplementary material. The archived back issues remain useful as models for structure and depth, and older articles can be read in notebook form using the free Wolfram Player.
For related official resources, see Wolfram Research and Wolfram Community.
How do I view notebook versions of articles without having Mathematica installed?
Download the free Wolfram Player, then open the article's notebook file with it. The Mathematica Journal's own archive page points readers to the Player at wolfram.com/player for exactly this purpose: viewing the notebook version of an article when Mathematica is not installed. The Player is a viewer, not the full computational system, so expect to read, scroll and interact with formatted notebook content rather than run arbitrary new computations.
In practice: go to the volume and issue in the The Mathematica Journal archive, open an article, and look for its notebook download alongside the HTML or PDF version. Save the .nb file, install the Player, and double-click the file (or use File → Open inside the Player).
A few practical notes for a reader without Mathematica:
- Static reading works best. Text, typeset formulas, headings and pre-rendered graphics generally display as intended.
- Interactivity depends on the article. Embedded
Manipulate-style panels may respond, but anything requiring evaluation, packages or external data will not run fully. - PDF or HTML is the fallback. If a notebook renders poorly or you only need to cite the content, the article's other formats are simpler.
- Version matters. Older notebooks from the 1990s and 2000s may not display perfectly in a current Player; if something looks broken, try the PDF version instead.
For a concrete case: a student writing a seminar paper on a numerical method published in the Journal can download the notebook, read the derivation and code listings in the Player, and cite the article — without buying a Mathematica license. If the goal shifts to modifying the code, that is the point where a full Wolfram system or a cloud option becomes necessary.
What types of Mathematica topics and applications did the journal cover?
The Mathematica Journal covered the full practical range of Wolfram Language work: techniques for using Mathematica more effectively, notebook-based exposition, and applied projects across mathematics, science, engineering and education. It ran from 1990 to 2021 and was a platinum open-access journal, so the archive is free to read, with articles spanning beginner to expert level.
Its coverage is best understood by audience and purpose:
- Techniques and methods: how to structure notebooks, write clearer Wolfram Language code, and apply built-in functions to real problems.
- Applications: domain work in mathematics, the physical and life sciences, engineering, visualization and teaching.
- Levels: material aimed at users at all levels of proficiency, from newcomers learning the system to advanced users pushing it further.
- Form: articles were distributed as Mathematica notebooks, so the code and text came together and could be evaluated rather than only read.
A useful distinction when searching the archive:
| If you want | Look for |
|---|---|
| A reusable method or idiom | Technique-focused articles on notebook structure, functions or visualization |
| A worked domain problem | Application articles in your field, where the code demonstrates the modelling |
| Teaching material | Articles written for less experienced users, with step-by-step notebook examples |
One practical point: notebook versions of articles need Mathematica, or the free Wolfram Player, to open and evaluate. If you only want to read the text, that is a consideration before downloading.
As a next step, start with the volume index rather than browsing blindly: older volumes (1–11) tend to reflect the system as it was then, while volumes 12–23 (2010–2021) are closer to current Wolfram Language practice. If your interest is in current, actively published material of similar depth, the journal stopped accepting submissions and points readers toward Wolfram Community.
Where can I find interactive Wolfram Demonstrations related to journal topics?
Interactive Wolfram Demonstrations related to The Mathematica Journal's topics are hosted on the Wolfram Demonstrations Project, which the journal itself links to from its site. The journal's own archive is a static, finished collection; the Demonstrations Project is where the interactive, runnable versions of similar ideas live.
Wolfram Demonstrations Project
How to use the two together
The Mathematica Journal stopped accepting submissions after 2021, so its volumes (1 through 23) are best treated as a reference archive rather than a live source. A practical workflow:
- Search the journal archive for an article on your topic — say, a specific plotting or numerical technique.
- Note the underlying concept or function names used in the article.
- Search the Demonstrations Project for those same terms to find an interactive version you can manipulate directly.
- If you want to open the journal's own notebook versions, you need either Mathematica or the free Wolfram Player.
Which source fits which need
| Need | Better starting point |
|---|---|
| Read a full technical write-up with code and explanation | The Mathematica Journal archive |
| Manipulate parameters and see results immediately | Wolfram Demonstrations Project |
| Classroom or demo use without a Mathematica license | Demonstrations Project (browser-based) |
| Download and adapt notebook code | Journal archive, opened via Wolfram Player or Mathematica |
A concrete example
If you teach a course and want students to explore a concept from an older journal article, the Demonstrations Project usually offers a ready-made interactive that runs in a browser — no installation required. For deeper study, assign the journal article alongside it: the demonstration gives intuition, the article gives the derivation and code.
For current, actively discussed material in the same spirit, the journal's own site now points readers toward Wolfram Community, where similar-depth content continues to appear:
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