This is the first Serbian scientific journal in the field of mathematics established in the year 1932 under the name Publications Mathematiques de l’Université de Belgrade. The journal was started with the help of the Belgrade University foundations "Luka Ćelović-Trebinjac" and "Pavle and Katarina Kurtović". Seven volumes had been published until World War Two, and the eighth volume was lost in the German bombardment of Belgrade on April 6th, 1941. Immediately after the founding of the Mathematical Institute in 1946, the publication of the journal started again in 1947 under the new name Publications de l’Institut Mathematique. Due to some organisational issues of the Mathematical Institute, the new series of the journal started in 1961.

More than 2000 articles have been published until these days. In the beginning, the scope of the journal was broader. Articles were published, not only in mathematics, but also in mechanics and astronomy. The most prominent Serbian and Yugoslav scientists in these fields published their papers in the journal, including Đuro Kurepa, Jovan Karamata, Mihailo Petrović, Milutin Milanković, Anton Bilimović, Josip Plemelj, Sibe Mardešić, and others.

Some of the leading world mathematicians published their articles in the Publications: Paul Montel, Paul Erdos, Waclaw Sierpinski, Saharon Shelah, and others. Most of the papers are in English, but papers written in Russian, French, and German are also accepted.

There is an extensive exchange program with scientific institutions all over the world, whereby the library of the Institute receives more than 200 journals.