JOURNAL COMMENT

Some incentives for peer reviewers

Welcome to another edition of papers about the SAMCODES and of general interest. Every article published in the SAIMM Journal goes through a rigorous peer reviewing process and is reviewed by at least two independent reviewers who are experts in their fields. Peer reviewing is a widely accepted procedure for evaluating the validity, quality, and originality of academic work, and is done on a voluntary basis in scholarly publishing. It is a time-consuming exercise, and sometimes it is difficult to find researchers to undertake peer reviewing as the SAIMM Journal covers a wide range of topics. Although most academics do peer reviewing as part of their scholarly activities, nevertheless it is important to recognize peer reviewers for their contribution to improving the quality and integrity of the Journal.

The Editorial Board of the SAIMM Journal has been working on new ways to reward peer reviewers. Hence, it was decided to recognize peer reviewers by awarding them the following incentives:

> Letter of thanks: After each completed review, the reviewer will receive a 'thank you' letter in the form of an email.

> Certificate of acknowledgement: Every reviewer will be issued each year with a signed SAIMM Journal certificate showing how many reviews he/ she completed in that year.

> Annual list of peer reviewers: The names of the reviewers who participated in the peer reviewing process will be published every year. The Journal also acknowledges the top peer reviewers annually on the website and at the AGM.

> Discounts on conference attendance: A 20% discount will be granted to reviewers for one SAIMM conference of their choosing.

There are some other incentives which are currently being considered, and these will be communicated to our readers as soon as they become a part of our initiative.

Enjoy the September edition of the Journal!

B. Genc