The SAIMM organizes a number of conferences every year to promote technological developments in the mining- and metallurgy-related sectors. Selected papers from each of these conferences are published in the SAIMM Journal throughout the year. The SAIMM Journal is not only one of the top journals but also one of the most popular journals in the field of mining and metallurgy, and it continuously receives scientific papers from international researchers who wish to publish their output. The Publications Committee receives an average of 300 scientific research papers annually, and the current trends show that the numbers are increasing.

Every Journal edition has a theme that is usually associated with a specific conference topic, and every effort is made to include research papers on related topics that were submitted for consideration by the Journal in that specific edition. Despite these efforts, the Journal continues to have a backlog of research papers awaiting publication. It can take up to a year for a paper of general interest to appear in the Journal from the date that the paper is received. This is not a desirable situation, especially from an academic perspective, as researchers would like to see their findings published as quickly as possible.

Apart from the papers that can be matched to a specific conference edition of the Journal, to speed up the publishing of the remaining papers, an edition devoted to papers of general interest is produced at least once every year. The themes for this particular edition of the Journal are new developments in underground coal mining, froth flotation, and diamond recovery. Eleven papers have been selected covering topics ranging from diamond recovery to mine-to-mill optimization, some new developments in underground coal mining, and froth flotation. Furthermore, papers about resource estimation in marble quarrying, support for roadways in soft rock, and ground control in steep-seam coal mines in China are some of the interesting reads.

Enjoy reading the general papers in this month’s Journal.

B. Genc