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Description

Not recommended for publication in the 'Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society'. Sciences often involve input from other areas of science, geology in particular, which might involve input from geometry, chemistry, physics and palaeontology. The geologist may, in haste to publish, involve aspects of other sciences in his speculations with which he is not adequately acquainted, which can result in error. Suggests that this be taken into account when selecting papers for publication. Sugests the Philosophical Transactions be 'carefully guarded against the admission of all unecessarily and obviously unclear in discussions, and all loose illogical reasoning, whatever may be the merits in other respects of the papers exhibiting such defects...Regarding the Royal Society as the [illegible] and guardian, as it were, of the highest science of the country, it cannot I concur, be too jealously careful to preserve to it the character which it has so long and so well maintained of one of the first scientific institutions in the world'. An abridged version of the paper might be suitable for the Proceedings.

Subject: Geology

[Published in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, 1864]

Reference number
RR/5/206
Earliest possible date
08 April 1862
Physical description
Letter on paper
Page extent
7 pages
Format
Manuscript

Creator name

William Hopkins

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Citation

William Hopkins, Referee's report by William Hopkins, on a paper 'Theoretical considerations on the conditions under which the (drift) deposits containing the remains of extinct mammalia and flint implements were accumulated, and on their geological age. - On the Loess of the valleys of the South of England, and of the Somme and the Seine' by Joseph Prestwich, 08 April 1862, RR/5/206, The Royal Society Archives, London, https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/rr_5_206/referees-report-by-william-hopkins-on-a-paper-theoretical-considerations-on-the-conditions-under-which-the-drift-deposits-containing-the-remains-of-extinct-mammalia-and-flint-implements-were-accumulated-and-on-their-geological-age-on-the-loess-of-the-valleys-of-the-south-of-england-and-of-the-somme-and-the-seine-by-joseph-prestwich, accessed on 05 October 2024

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  • Referee Reports

    Date: 1832-1954

    This collection contains reports on scientific papers submitted for publication to the Royal Society. Started in 1832 when the system was formalised, it is a record of the origins of peer review publishing in practice.

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