Research paper

Blockchain-based token system for incentivizing peer review: A design science approach

The paper proposes formal design principles for peer-review incentive mechanisms and a concrete blockchain-based token system that lets editors offer incentives while reviewers flexibly utilize them, implemented through the design features of tokenization, immutability and decentralized storage.

PaperOpen source resource ↗

Overview

Publication metadata and narrative from the current library record.

Authors: Chad Anderson, Pratiksha Shrestha, Suman Bhunia, Arthur Carvalho, Younghwa Lee
Year: 2025
Venue: Decision Support Systems 197 (2025) 114514
Methodology: Design science research; literature review and interviews with scholars; cost analysis; survey-based field study and qualitative interviews.

blockchaindesign-science-researchincentivespeer-reviewpeer-review-token-incentivestokenizationtrust

Blockchain-based token system for incentivizing peer review: A design science approach

Authors: Chad Anderson, Pratiksha Shrestha, Suman Bhunia, Arthur Carvalho, Younghwa Lee
Venue: Decision Support Systems 197 (2025) 114514
Link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dss.2025.114514 (opens in a new tab)

Summary

Artifact

A blockchain-based token system enabling editors to offer flexible review incentives.

Methodology

Design science research; literature review and interviews with scholars; cost analysis; survey-based field study and qualitative interviews.

Design features

Concrete, technology-specific realizations of the design principles in this artifact:

Design feature DF1: Tokenization - Tokenization creates unique digital representations of incentives, with non-fungible and fungible tokens enabling different types of extrinsic incentive.
Design feature DF2: Immutability - Blockchain immutability ensures that recorded incentive and reward data cannot be altered or deleted, guaranteeing integrity.
Design feature DF3: Decentralization - Decentralized storage across a distributed network removes central authorities and single points of failure and avoids vendor lock-in.

Citations

[1] Chad Anderson, Pratiksha Shrestha, Suman Bhunia, Arthur Carvalho, Younghwa Lee. Blockchain-based token system for incentivizing peer review: A design science approach. Decision Support Systems 197 (2025) 114514. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dss.2025.114514 (opens in a new tab) [2] Source document: Blockchain-based token system for incentivizing peer review.pdf

DSR grid

Six dimensions represented in the current paper record.

Problem description

Editors struggle to secure sufficient reviewers, leading to prolonged review times and potentially diminished review quality.

Input knowledge

Self-determination theory (types of motivation/regulation) and Vroom's expectancy theory as justificatory knowledge; trust in IS use; tokenization; literature on peer review.

Research process

Design science research: literature review and interviews with scholars, a cost analysis, and a survey-based field study with qualitative interviews.

Key concepts

Peer review, design science, blockchain, incentives, flexibility, tokenization, trust.

Solution description

A blockchain-based token system that lets editors offer flexible reviewer incentives through tokenization, immutability and decentralization. Solution-space representation: Instantiation (prototype) plus a formal design theory (principles and features).

Output knowledge

Three design principles (incentives, flexibility, trust) and three design features, framed as a formal design theory for peer-review systems.

Design knowledge

Directly linked concepts, grouped by their represented design-knowledge category.

Design Feature

Design Feature3

Design Feature

design-knowledge/peer-review-token-incentives-df1

DF1 - Tokenization

Tokenization creates unique digital representations of incentives, with non-fungible and fungible tokens enabling different types of extrinsic incentive.

design-featureincentivespeer-reviewpeer-review-token-incentives+2

Design Feature

design-knowledge/peer-review-token-incentives-df2

DF2 - Immutability

Blockchain immutability ensures that recorded incentive and reward data cannot be altered or deleted, guaranteeing integrity.

design-featureincentivespeer-reviewpeer-review-token-incentives+2

Design Feature

design-knowledge/peer-review-token-incentives-df3

DF3 - Decentralization

Decentralized storage across a distributed network removes central authorities and single points of failure and avoids vendor lock-in.

design-featureincentivespeer-reviewpeer-review-token-incentives+2

Design Principle

Design Principle3

Design Principle

design-knowledge/peer-review-token-incentives-dp1

DP1 - Motivation-appropriate incentives

Provide incentives to reviewers that appeal to their specific motivations, since understanding and leveraging different types of motivation ensures the system effectively encourages participation.

design-principleincentivespeer-reviewpeer-review-token-incentives+2

Design Principle

design-knowledge/peer-review-token-incentives-dp2

DP2 - Flexibility

Support functionality that is customizable to the needs of stakeholders, so that different outlets can motivate reviewers with different reward types (e.g., recognition vs.

design-principleincentivespeer-reviewpeer-review-token-incentives+2

Design Principle

design-knowledge/peer-review-token-incentives-dp3

DP3 - Trust

Ensure the integrity, security, fairness and impartiality of the review system so that reviewers trust that their rewards and identities are protected;

design-principleincentivespeer-reviewpeer-review-token-incentives+2

Paper design map

The default semantic design map canonicalizes stored design relationships; Raw links retains the complete technical Markdown-link view.

Design-knowledge map

6 stored concepts / 4 canonical semantic relationships

Concept types

Show relationship labels

Publication metadata

Additional metadata represented in the current library record.

Show additional metadata

{
  "type": "paper",
  "title": "Blockchain-based token system for incentivizing peer review: A design science approach",
  "description": "The paper proposes formal design principles for peer-review incentive mechanisms and a concrete blockchain-based token system that lets editors offer incentives while reviewers flexibly utilize them, implemented through the design features of tokenization, immutability and decentralized storage.",
  "resource": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dss.2025.114514",
  "authors": "Chad Anderson, Pratiksha Shrestha, Suman Bhunia, Arthur Carvalho, Younghwa Lee",
  "year": 2025,
  "venue": "Decision Support Systems 197 (2025) 114514",
  "methodology": "Design science research; literature review and interviews with scholars; cost analysis; survey-based field study and qualitative interviews.",
  "dsr_grid": true,
  "dsr_solution_space": "Instantiation (prototype) plus a formal design theory (principles and features).",
  "tags": [
    "peer-review-token-incentives",
    "peer-review",
    "incentives",
    "tokenization",
    "trust",
    "design-science-research",
    "blockchain"
  ]
}

Research paper

Blockchain-based token system for incentivizing peer review: A design science approach

PaperOpen source resource ↗

Overview

Publication metadata and narrative from the current library record.

Authors: Chad Anderson, Pratiksha Shrestha, Suman Bhunia, Arthur Carvalho, Younghwa Lee
Year: 2025
Venue: Decision Support Systems 197 (2025) 114514
Methodology: Design science research; literature review and interviews with scholars; cost analysis; survey-based field study and qualitative interviews.

blockchaindesign-science-researchincentivespeer-reviewpeer-review-token-incentivestokenizationtrust

Blockchain-based token system for incentivizing peer review: A design science approach

Summary

Artifact

A blockchain-based token system enabling editors to offer flexible review incentives.

Methodology

Design science research; literature review and interviews with scholars; cost analysis; survey-based field study and qualitative interviews.

Design features

Concrete, technology-specific realizations of the design principles in this artifact:

Design feature DF1: Tokenization - Tokenization creates unique digital representations of incentives, with non-fungible and fungible tokens enabling different types of extrinsic incentive.
Design feature DF2: Immutability - Blockchain immutability ensures that recorded incentive and reward data cannot be altered or deleted, guaranteeing integrity.
Design feature DF3: Decentralization - Decentralized storage across a distributed network removes central authorities and single points of failure and avoids vendor lock-in.

Citations

DSR grid

Six dimensions represented in the current paper record.

Problem description

Editors struggle to secure sufficient reviewers, leading to prolonged review times and potentially diminished review quality.

Input knowledge

Self-determination theory (types of motivation/regulation) and Vroom's expectancy theory as justificatory knowledge; trust in IS use; tokenization; literature on peer review.

Research process

Design science research: literature review and interviews with scholars, a cost analysis, and a survey-based field study with qualitative interviews.

Key concepts

Peer review, design science, blockchain, incentives, flexibility, tokenization, trust.

Solution description

Output knowledge

Three design principles (incentives, flexibility, trust) and three design features, framed as a formal design theory for peer-review systems.

Design knowledge

Directly linked concepts, grouped by their represented design-knowledge category.

Design Feature

Design Feature3

Design Feature

design-knowledge/peer-review-token-incentives-df1

DF1 - Tokenization

Tokenization creates unique digital representations of incentives, with non-fungible and fungible tokens enabling different types of extrinsic incentive.

design-featureincentivespeer-reviewpeer-review-token-incentives+2

Design Feature

design-knowledge/peer-review-token-incentives-df2

DF2 - Immutability

Blockchain immutability ensures that recorded incentive and reward data cannot be altered or deleted, guaranteeing integrity.

design-featureincentivespeer-reviewpeer-review-token-incentives+2

Design Feature

design-knowledge/peer-review-token-incentives-df3

DF3 - Decentralization

Decentralized storage across a distributed network removes central authorities and single points of failure and avoids vendor lock-in.

design-featureincentivespeer-reviewpeer-review-token-incentives+2

Design Principle

Design Principle3

Design Principle

design-knowledge/peer-review-token-incentives-dp1

DP1 - Motivation-appropriate incentives

Provide incentives to reviewers that appeal to their specific motivations, since understanding and leveraging different types of motivation ensures the system effectively encourages participation.

design-principleincentivespeer-reviewpeer-review-token-incentives+2

Design Principle

design-knowledge/peer-review-token-incentives-dp2

DP2 - Flexibility

Support functionality that is customizable to the needs of stakeholders, so that different outlets can motivate reviewers with different reward types (e.g., recognition vs.

design-principleincentivespeer-reviewpeer-review-token-incentives+2

Design Principle

design-knowledge/peer-review-token-incentives-dp3

DP3 - Trust

Ensure the integrity, security, fairness and impartiality of the review system so that reviewers trust that their rewards and identities are protected;

design-principleincentivespeer-reviewpeer-review-token-incentives+2

Paper design map

The default semantic design map canonicalizes stored design relationships; Raw links retains the complete technical Markdown-link view.

Design-knowledge map

6 stored concepts / 4 canonical semantic relationships

Concept types

Show relationship labels

Publication metadata

Additional metadata represented in the current library record.

Show additional metadata

{
  "type": "paper",
  "title": "Blockchain-based token system for incentivizing peer review: A design science approach",
  "description": "The paper proposes formal design principles for peer-review incentive mechanisms and a concrete blockchain-based token system that lets editors offer incentives while reviewers flexibly utilize them, implemented through the design features of tokenization, immutability and decentralized storage.",
  "resource": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dss.2025.114514",
  "authors": "Chad Anderson, Pratiksha Shrestha, Suman Bhunia, Arthur Carvalho, Younghwa Lee",
  "year": 2025,
  "venue": "Decision Support Systems 197 (2025) 114514",
  "methodology": "Design science research; literature review and interviews with scholars; cost analysis; survey-based field study and qualitative interviews.",
  "dsr_grid": true,
  "dsr_solution_space": "Instantiation (prototype) plus a formal design theory (principles and features).",
  "tags": [
    "peer-review-token-incentives",
    "peer-review",
    "incentives",
    "tokenization",
    "trust",
    "design-science-research",
    "blockchain"
  ]
}