The article raises the issue of criteria for the expert activity by a scientific journal using the example of the journal “Sociological Studies” in the context of its role in modern reproductive processes in science. The criteria are understood from the point of view of developing professional control mechanisms and procedures that ensure the sustainable functioning and development of the scientific community. Three main criteria of expert activity are identified: the normality of the scientific knowledge production, scientific ethics and scientific communication. The introductory journal’s editorial articles from 2010 to 2024 are analyzed. Conclusions are drawn about the priority attention to methodological issues of publications and their relevance. Attention is paid to the journal’s communicative function as one of the main tasks of the publication in consolidating the sociological community. There have been changes in the discussion of the topics of these criteria in different periods. The issues of continuity and collegiality, as well as conceptual consistency in scientific publications, are common to all the identified criteria of expert activity.