Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria

The Proceedings began in 1855 as the Transactions of the Philosophical Society of Victoria, becoming the Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria in 1888 when the society received its royal charter.¹ It has been published continuously since, making it one of the oldest scientific journals in Australia. The journal covers a broad range of disciplines, including geology, biology, ecology, and environmental science, with a particular focus on the state of Victoria and the Australasian region. Early volumes contain foundational papers on Australian paleontology and stratigraphy, such as the first descriptions of several extinct marsupial species.² Over time, the scope has expanded to include applied environmental research, conservation science, and historical analyses of scientific exploration.

The Proceedings has published landmark studies that have shaped Australian science. For example, in 1894, it included a paper by geologist James Stirling on the geology of the Otway Ranges, which helped establish the region's stratigraphic framework.³ In the 20th century, the journal became a key venue for documenting the effects of European settlement on Victorian ecosystems, including studies on land degradation and species decline. More recently, it has featured research on climate change impacts on alpine and coastal environments, as well as the ecology of threatened species such as the Leadbeater's possum.⁴ The journal also publishes occasional special issues on significant anniversaries or thematic topics, such as the history of scientific exploration in Victoria.

The journal is edited by an appointed editor-in-chief, with an editorial board of Australian and international scientists. It operates a peer-review process that has evolved to meet modern standards, including double-blind review in recent years. Historically, the Proceedings was distributed primarily to society members and subscribing libraries, but it has since embraced digital publishing. Back issues are being digitized and made freely available through the Biodiversity Heritage Library and the society's own website, ensuring that the historical record is accessible to researchers worldwide.⁵ Current issues are available online, with some open-access articles, while others are accessible via subscription or institutional access.

Beyond its scientific papers, the Proceedings has served as a historical chronicle of the society's activities, including annual reports, obituaries of members, and records of expeditions. These sections provide insights into the social and institutional history of science in colonial and post-colonial Australia. The journal has also published occasional contributions from amateur naturalists, reflecting the society's early inclusive ethos. Notably, the Proceedings was one of the first Australian journals to publish papers on the indigenous knowledge of plants and animals, albeit from a colonial perspective. The journal's archives also contain early descriptions of the now-extinct thylacine from mainland Australia, which are of historical and scientific interest. Additionally, the Proceedings has occasionally included maps and plates that are now valuable primary sources for historical geography.

Peer review

The process by which scholarly work is evaluated by experts in the field before publication.

Stratigraphy

The branch of geology concerned with the order and relative position of strata and their relationship to the geological time scale.

Thylacine

A large carnivorous marsupial native to Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea, now extinct.