Pre-revolutionary “Mining journal”: towards elements of internal scientific expertise

The article examines the elements of internal scientific expertise within the editorial board of the pre-revolutionary “Mining Journal” based on a collection of archival documents, including correspondence with authors and reviews of submitted articles. All sources are introduced into scientific discourse for the first time. The article highlights specific cases that illustrate the reasons why the journal’s editorial board rejected authors’ submissions for publication. Both negative reviews of submitted articles and positive feedback from reviewers are considered. The reviewers were leading specialists of their time in the fields of mining, geology, and mineralogy, enjoying recognition from the mining community. In conclusion, a brief classification/grading system for the rejection of scientific articles submitted for consideration to the editorial board of the “Mining Journal” is proposed.