Frontiers launches first peer-reviewed journal dedicated to blockchain

A new collaboration between Frontiers and the Centre for Citizenship, Enterprise and Governance (CCEG) Think Tank will make cutting-edge research on blockchain technologies freely available through an open-access online platform. Led by founding chief editors Professor Olinga Ta’eed, director of the CCEG, and Dr. Christopher Clack, financial computing expert and founder of the Thomson Reuters laboratory at University College London, the new Frontiers in Blockchain journal will publish peer-reviewed research on a range of topics — from cryptocurrencies for social justice to smart contracts.

Invented in 2008 for use in bitcoin, blockchain allows online transactions to be recorded in a verified and permanent way. Research on blockchain-inspired technologies has grown exponentially in recent years, alongside rapid development of blockchain applications and use within an ever-diversifying range of sectors worldwide.

As Professor Ta’eed explains, “Blockchain is the movement of digital value from A to B. Until now, the focus has been on the transaction of tangible value — namely bitcoin and application to hard assets. However, the technology can also be used in other ways.”

“For example, with the rapid research in digitizing sentiment, we can not only capture non-financial value but also transact it through blockchain. ‘Tokenization’ of value represents the emergence of a new class of social impact instruments such as cryptocurrencies, with values that appear to have captured the imagination of vibrant, aligned, cohesive, transactable communities worldwide.”

However, the shortage of focused, peer-reviewed publication outlets for blockchain research poses challenges for its validation and quality assurance. Frontiers in Blockchain will provide a much-needed, centralized source of high-quality research, demonstrating the breadth and value of blockchain technologies and their implementations.

Dr Clack asserts, “The Frontiers model of collaborative peer review as an open engagement between author and reviewer will be particularly beneficial to industry researchers as a way to receive expert academic commentary and guidance on their research.”

The journal will welcome research from both academia and industry, creating a synergistic network which facilitates the evolution of the fast-growing and exciting field of blockchain study.

Frontiers in Blockchain will be open for submission in the coming months.

If you are interested in joining the editorial board please contact [email protected], and keep up to date with the latest journal news and developments by following the journal Twitter page @FrontBlockchain.

This release was first published 19 April 2018 by Frontiers.