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BUIP163: Ongoing Publication Grant to the Journal Ledger
Raised by Chris Wilmer & Andrew Clifford
Submitted: 12 December 2020
Background
In 2015, the journal Ledger became the first peer-reviewed journal for research on cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology. Ledger aims to encourage greater involvement by academics in cryptocurrency and foster a culture of rigorous analysis and peer review within the Bitcoin/cryptocurrency communities. The journal is open-access and has not to date charged author fees (i.e., it does not follow a pay-to-publish model, which is standard among peer-reviewed open-access journals).
Since its launch, Ledger has published over 40 articles, which have garnered collectively over 10,000 downloads and over 1100 citations in the academic literature. Having proven itself as a stable venue for scholarly research, Ledger is now being indexed by the major academic indexing services Web of Science and Scopus (itself a major milestone for new journals), and consequently, its reputation is growing in academic communities.
Motivation
Bitcoin Unlimited provides Bitcoin full-node software, but also has a long-term research and development role, actively prototyping a variety of improvements to its full-node suite for associated business-use functionality and high-volume scalability. So, support for Ledger journal is a good fit with B.U.'s R&D work. Several important papers from prominent members of our community (including Peter Rizun and Tom Harding) have been published in Ledger. In a time where misinformation about Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies is rampant, and often malicious, Ledger is a trustworthy source maintained by the hard work of its editorial staff (note: Peter Rizun and Chris Wilmer manage the journal, but there have been dozens of other editors, and the daily operations are executed by deputy managing editor Richard Ford Burley).
B.U. has been one of two funding contributors from the start with BUIP046. However, this funding is completed. In order to help secure the journal's future, it requires ongoing funding. Aims for the future include the continuation of its regular newsletter (begun this quarter), improved journal presentation, and significant outreach to additional academic communities (via conferences, seminars, and online discussions). Ledger also has implemented a plan to get sustainable funding from a waivable author-fee model (intended for academics who submit research to the journal funded by large grants, which typically earmark several thousand dollars per paper for publication costs). However, until that new author-fee model reaches a steady state the journal depends on community support. The University of Pittsburgh publishes the Ledger journal via the University Library System. However, B.U. should mirror the Ledger archive, bringing more Bitcoin information to one place.
Budget
$18,000 per annum until changed or cancelled by another BUIP.
Links
About the Journal | Ledger
Wikipedia overview
edit: further detail and clarifications
Raised by Chris Wilmer & Andrew Clifford
Submitted: 12 December 2020
Background
In 2015, the journal Ledger became the first peer-reviewed journal for research on cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology. Ledger aims to encourage greater involvement by academics in cryptocurrency and foster a culture of rigorous analysis and peer review within the Bitcoin/cryptocurrency communities. The journal is open-access and has not to date charged author fees (i.e., it does not follow a pay-to-publish model, which is standard among peer-reviewed open-access journals).
Since its launch, Ledger has published over 40 articles, which have garnered collectively over 10,000 downloads and over 1100 citations in the academic literature. Having proven itself as a stable venue for scholarly research, Ledger is now being indexed by the major academic indexing services Web of Science and Scopus (itself a major milestone for new journals), and consequently, its reputation is growing in academic communities.
Motivation
Bitcoin Unlimited provides Bitcoin full-node software, but also has a long-term research and development role, actively prototyping a variety of improvements to its full-node suite for associated business-use functionality and high-volume scalability. So, support for Ledger journal is a good fit with B.U.'s R&D work. Several important papers from prominent members of our community (including Peter Rizun and Tom Harding) have been published in Ledger. In a time where misinformation about Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies is rampant, and often malicious, Ledger is a trustworthy source maintained by the hard work of its editorial staff (note: Peter Rizun and Chris Wilmer manage the journal, but there have been dozens of other editors, and the daily operations are executed by deputy managing editor Richard Ford Burley).
B.U. has been one of two funding contributors from the start with BUIP046. However, this funding is completed. In order to help secure the journal's future, it requires ongoing funding. Aims for the future include the continuation of its regular newsletter (begun this quarter), improved journal presentation, and significant outreach to additional academic communities (via conferences, seminars, and online discussions). Ledger also has implemented a plan to get sustainable funding from a waivable author-fee model (intended for academics who submit research to the journal funded by large grants, which typically earmark several thousand dollars per paper for publication costs). However, until that new author-fee model reaches a steady state the journal depends on community support. The University of Pittsburgh publishes the Ledger journal via the University Library System. However, B.U. should mirror the Ledger archive, bringing more Bitcoin information to one place.
Budget
$18,000 per annum until changed or cancelled by another BUIP.
Links
About the Journal | Ledger
Wikipedia overview
edit: further detail and clarifications
Last edited:
