The future of peer review: Exploring blockchain’s potential in academic workflows
Introduction to blockchain
A blockchain is a typically decentralized, distributed, immutable ledger that securely stores a growing number of ordered records across all the computers connected to the blockchain network. Being a distributed and decentralized network, all new additions to the blockchain are reflected across the network. Each record is called a “block” with an assigned timestamp of the record and is chronologically linked to the previous block, forming a “chain” of data.
This way of storing information is transparent and can be shared across group members using users’ credentials. Because of how blockchains work by adding a block linked to the previous block whenever latest updates are done, it becomes difficult to implement fake records in the system because that would require changing the chronology of the linked blocks, which is not allowed by the system.
While blockchains are generally considered to be impossible to alter, there are rare circumstances where it can be done. However, making such alterations requires the ownership of at least 50% of the computational power of the blockchain and tends to be extremely expensive to execute. Further details of this type of attack (a 51% attack) can be found here.
How can one access a blockchain network?
Blockchain networks can be accessed in different ways, like using a private ID assigned to the information concerning a user on the blockchain, their device credentials stored on the blockchain, or through two-factor authentication systems. Depending on the accessibility and the level of privacy it offers, blockchains can be of three types: public, private, and consortium-based. While public blockchains are decentralized and can be accessed by anyone, including anonymous users, private blockchains are centralized and controlled by an organization and provide authorized access to specific users. Public blockchains are often viewed as more secure due to their decentralized mode of operation. Multiple organizations control consortium-based blockchains, which are placed between the public and private types regarding centralization methods, transparency, and security. Further details on each of these types can be found here.
What are some uses of blockchain?
Examples of uses of blockchain are in the finance industry, especially concerning cryptocurrencies (e.g., Bitcoin and Ethereum), where it allows for secure, auditable transactions without an intermediary such as a bank. Other sectors like supply chain management, healthcare, digital identity, intellectual property, and real estate have experienced better product tracing and transparency, security with patient data, and well-organized property transactions.
How can blockchain technology benefit peer review?
Each peer review model (single-, double-, or triple-anonymized) has pros and cons, and all rely on reviewers being chosen carefully. The peer review process is known for being opaque, expensive, slow, inconsistent, and prone to bias. Blockchain can address these concerns by creating a decentralized and immutable record of all peer review activities. In a review process with a blockchain-based system, all the activity, from manuscript submission to reviewer feedback, must be safely logged and timestamped.
Unfair and biased reviews could be due to the interests of the reviewers and the lack of accountability. Meanwhile, lack of motivation has been attributed as one of the reasons for delayed and below-par reviews. Choi and Seo propose using blockchain technology to solve these issues by creating permanent records of review history and contract and reward-based systems. This way, blockchain technology can keep the reviewers' identities confidential by securely storing their credentials in the database and letting authors and editors track the progress of the publication. Additionally, incorporating blockchain technology to incentivize reviewers can enhance reviewers’ participation. Similarly, Mackey et al. list multiple proposed models and use cases where organizations using blockchain technology can disseminate the research content directly on their online platforms or provide identifiers that prove the manuscript's existence directly upon submission. This, along with incentivizing reviewers, can be a way to address the slow pace of the traditional publication process.
What are some examples of blockchain in peer review?
- Several organizations, including ARTiFACTS, Manubot, Pluto, and Orvium, use or propose blockchain technology in the scientific publishing ecosystem.
- Pluto and Orvium’s approach includes integrating the peer-review process with blockchain.
- Pluto aims to help users store scientific data to retain copyright control and assign a “reputation score” to quantify a user’s research contributions while integrating a blinded peer review system with reward tokens for reviewers.
- Orvium aims to provide immediate proof-of-existence of manuscript submissions, along with transparent and open peer review where reviewers are rewarded, and publication and access are provided at a low cost.
- Some journals, like The Journal of The British Blockchain Association, use blockchain technology today.
- Also, with the current interest in further transparency in the review process, blockchain technology can be integrated with other technologies to drive an open peer review system.
Besides peer review, blockchain technology can also solve other issues in the world of science, such as
- the reproducibility of data,
- informing about changes in published data,
- uploading datasets and protocols,
- and tracking monetary transactions between authors and journals
Data reproducibility can be maintained by uploading experimental protocols and study designs using blockchain technology. Thus, this immutable record cannot be tampered with and can only be updated with further timestamped additions. Such a method of uploading protocols can be integrated into submitting manuscripts. Similarly, when changes to a publication are added through blockchain, all readers and authors on the network will be automatically notified. Tracking monetary transactions is a process where blockchain technology already excels because of the transparency and immutability of the records. It could also potentially help identify predatory publishers.
Advantages of blockchain technology
Several features of blockchain technology can benefit peer review:
Transparency: Transparent and traceable transactions form the foundation of blockchain technology. This will help editors and authors track the review process in real time.
Immutability: As the system does not allow changes to the data, once stored, all comments, revisions, and actions taken are recorded and available for scrutiny during and even after the review process. This also makes reviewers accountable for their comments and suggestions.
Security: Unauthorized access to stored data is not allowed by the technology. This helps to securely store manuscript files and the reviewers' identities if a journal is interested in conducting anonymized reviews.
Decentralization: The entire blockchain peer review process will depend on verification from multiple authorized users, including various editors and authors, ensuring fairness, and reducing potential conflicts of interest.
Incentivization: Incentivizing the review process can be a way to acknowledge and recognize the crucial contributions of reviewers. Blockchain technology can address that by providing reviewers with tokens to redeem benefits and/or by recognizing their work.
Challenges to blockchain technology adoption in peer review
Scalability: As blockchains mature, they can be slow and inefficient. Inefficiency problems may arise due to the multifold nature of tasks involved in the peer review process, for which scalable solutions such as sharding (splitting large databases into smaller manageable units) and off-chain transactions (using a second-layer blockchain to manage some records and feed into the primary blockchain) can be used.
Cost: Due to the enormous amount of computing power required to run blockchain networks, the technology can be expensive to implement and maintain, especially for small journals and publishers.
Resistance to change: Adapting to new technologies can be challenging. However, more awareness and comprehensive communication with journal editors about the utility of the technology and the development of pilot programs to assess its use in practice can be helpful.
Regulatory and legal concerns: Journals will also require this technology to comply with existing data protection laws. Establishing standardized regulations across jurisdictions will be critical for widespread adoption.
The future of peer review using blockchain technology
Blockchain could enable a decentralized and open peer review ecosystem where researchers, reviewers, and publishers collaborate seamlessly and prioritize transparency and accountability. Its use in an advanced blockchain application might extend beyond peer review, such as authorship verification, data sharing, and even copyright management in scholarly publishing. The future holds immense potential for blockchain to transform how knowledge is disseminated and validated in the academic world.
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