User:ToedToad/Biomining/Jclawlor Peer Review

General info
ToedToad
 * Whose work are you reviewing?


 * Link to draft you're reviewing
 * User:ToedToad/Biomining
 * Link to the current version of the article (if it exists)
 * Biomining

Evaluate the drafted changes
Lead

The lead does a great job at summarizing the basis of what Biomining is and contains a few major facts so the reader understands the general consensus of what will follow in the rest of the article. The first gives a solid definition of what biomining is and the rest of the paragraph builds off of it. I also enjoy that it does not overload the reader with information right out of the gate. It is clean, concise, and in a tone that readers of all ages could understand. One suggestion I might add would be to include a sentence about each of the sections, such as the history and remediation section. This is only the first draft so I am sure in the future, it will be added! Other than that it is a solid start to a very interesting topic.

Content

The content within your article is strong but may be a bit underdeveloped. It delves into the history, methods, pros and cons, and future work and has been updated to the latest information. I particularly enjoy how the chemical equations have been left in the article. This allows for readers who understand chemistry, get a better picture on how the extraction process of certain minerals function. At the same time, someone without a chemistry background could skip over the equations and still understand that there is a chemical reaction used to extract minerals. I noticed that notes have been made to account for the content that was removed and I think that is for the best. The previous article had large sections with an overload of content that might be too dense for a reader to find enjoyable. I hope in the future that the sections removed will be recreated as I see the headings in the sandbox are already organized to account for it. Currently, the article is heavily focused on leaching methods, but does contain a "Current methods" section. It would be great to expand more on this as I believe combining bio leaching and bio mining might be a much more difficult task. As of now a little more content would be great but I have noticed you have added lots of notes and are prepping for the next stages of the article so I am excited to see the finished product! Keep up the good work.

Tone and Balance

You have done an exceptional job at creating a neutral tone that resembles something in between a scientific article and an easy-to-read article. This has been achieved by the addition of facts and an explanation follows facts that might be difficult for a reader with no science background to understand. For example, the section on biooxidation, you are able to explain how it functions in the first sentence, then provide an example, and later provide a chemical equation. This gives the reader options to either skim over the paragraphs and receive a brief understanding, or challenge themselves in understanding the reaction. Other sections of the article relate to how biomining is beginning used in other countries, creating a un-biased tone that people from all over the world can relate to.

Sources and References

There is a great range of scientific articles used as references which shows reader that the information provided can be traced back to trusted sources. I have noticed that only 4 new references have been added, which is a great start, but more will be needed if you plan on expanding on topics. A lot of the previous references range between 1990 - 2016, which is a good starting point and there are more recent articles. When moving forward with references, it would be beneficial to use the latest information on biomining to reinsure that all the information is accurate. If you are using google scholar, set the date range to "Since 2020" or even more recent to find the best information. After a quick search, I found papers such as "Biomining: A sustainable Method for Metal Extraction" from 2022 and "Biotechnological avenues in mineral processing: Fundamentals, applications and advances in bioleaching and bio-beneficiation" from 2023 that could help with developing the article. Overall, if you are able to use the articles you already have, as well as new ones, it will be much easier to begin to fill in your sections.

Organization

The organization of an article on a very science heavy article, such as this one, can be difficult. You captured the main information about biomining without overweighting specific sections. Again, organizing it by intro, history, methods, pros and cons, and future work is a classic example of a scientific journal or literature review. Additionally, you have used subsections within the methods section to showcase how there are multiple ways that biomining is performed. It allows a reader or researcher to expand more on topics that they could find in your article by introducing several methods. When more content is added, and notes on the sandbox are removed, I believe this could turn into a visually and structurally sounds article.

Images and Media

Currently, there are no visual aids to promote the topic, both in the original and sandbox article. This article would really benefit from image or media for viewers to better grasp the concept of the methods used under the ocean. Without them, a reader with very little science background might be intimidated by the equations and writing. Taking into account that this is a first draft, potentially you have not looked into media yet but overall, it will be crucial to add something.