Abstract
Scientific publication and its Peer Review system strongly rely on a few major industry players controlling most journals (e.g. Elsevier), databases (e.g. Scopus) and metrics (e.g. JCR Impact Factor), while keeping most articles behind paywalls. Critics to such system include concerns about fairness, quality, performance, cost, unpaid labor, transparency, and accuracy of the evaluation process. The Open Access movement has tried to provide free access to the published research articles, but most of the aforementioned issues remain. In such context, decentralized technologies such as blockchain offer an opportunity to experiment with new models for scientific production and dissemination relying on a decentralized infrastructure, aiming to tackle multiple of the current system shortcomings. This paper makes a proposal for an interoperable decentralized system for an open peer review ecosystem, relying on emerging distributed technologies such as blockchain and IPFS. Such system, named “Decentralized Science” (DecSci), aims to enable a decentralized reviewer reputation system, which relies on an Open Access by-design infrastructure, together with transparent governance processes. Two prototypes have been implemented: a proof-of-concept prototype to validate DecSci’s technological feasibility, and a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) prototype co-designed with journal editors. In addition, three evaluations have been carried out: an exploratory survey to assess interest on the issues tackled; two sets of interviews to confirm both the main problems for editors and to validate the MVP prototype; and a cost analysis of the main operations, both execution cost and actual price. Additionally, the paper discusses the multiple interoperability challenges such proposal faces, including an architecture to tackle them. This work finishes with a review of some of the open challenges that this ambitious proposal may face.
Highlights
In the last decades, the Internet has revolutionized multiple fields
The criticisms to nowadays scientific publication and peer review processes include concerns with respect to quality [2], fairness [3], cost [4], performance [5], and evaluation metrics accuracy [6]. 10 Still, the advent of the Internet brought some changes to the scientific process
This paper proposes the development of a decentralized publication and peer review system relying on an Open Access and open review model
Summary
The Internet has revolutionized multiple fields. the production of science and its peer review process have not seen large changes with respect to the traditional paper-based publication and review practices [1]. 5 The communication of knowledge still relies on academic articles, that journals collect and publish with certain periodicity for the consumption of scholars in academic institutions. The production of science and its peer review process have not seen large changes with respect to the traditional paper-based publication and review practices [1]. The criticisms to nowadays scientific publication and peer review processes include concerns with respect to quality [2], fairness [3], cost [4], performance [5], and evaluation metrics accuracy [6]. The Open 15 Access movement, leveraging the replicability of digital content, aims to provide free access to the published research articles. Even though it is far from universal, it is generally recognized that the Open Access movement has achieved to decrease the economic cost for readers to access knowledge [9]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
