Ledger Publishes First Volume of Peer-Reviewed Blockchain Research

Dec 22, 2016 at 3:10 p.m. UTCUpdated Dec 22, 2016 at 3:11 p.m. UTC. The inaugural issue of academic journal Ledger has been published.

The publication was formally launched last year to encourage greater academic involvement in the cryptocurrency industry by giving scholars a platform to publish full-length original research in all areas related to cryptocurrency.

"There is growing interest and activity from researchers at Princeton, Stanford, MIT, Duke, Cornell, and a long list of other universities in doing cryptocurrency research."

Wilmer said the two main inspirations for the journal were to get academics involved in the cryptocurrency industry and to create a venue free from "Noise" for researchers to share their work.

The publication accepts submissions in four categories, including research articles that must be no longer than 4,000 words and reviews aggregating relevant research that can be no longer than 6,000 words.

Those backing the effort say the journal isn't just aimed at a more diverse audience, but is dedicated in part to sourcing material from researchers outside of academia.

In addition to contributions from more traditional research facilities such as Dublin City University and the Institute of Mathematics at the University of Campesina in Brazil, articles from the Monera Research Lab and a paper about video game payment channels by a medical doctor were also included.

Ledger editor and Zcash advisor Andrew Miller said the process to apply is open to any member of the public with new research to commit, regardless of their particular field of study.

In order to help ensure the white papers include actual academic research and don't merely serve to promote a company's business model, the publication has gathered a group of industry insiders to serve as both board members and editors.

Co-managing editors are Wilmer and bitcoin researcher Peter Rizun.