BeerReview: A Blockchain-enabled Peer Review Platform
Guodong Jin, Zihan Zhou, Wenzheng Tang, Kanglei Yu, Hao Xu, Erwu Liu
TL;DR
The paper tackles IP rights, confidentiality, and integrity challenges in traditional peer review by introducing BeerReview, a blockchain-enabled platform built on Ethereum and augmented with TPM/TEE security and an LLM-assisted abstraction workflow. It specifies a modular architecture combining a Web/Mobile UI, encrypted storage/computing servers, and a trustworthy server stack with BeMutual-based identity, enabling decentralized, auditable, and tamper-resistant peer reviews. Key contributions include a smart-contract data model for Users and Files, an offline local LLM for abstracts, P2P encrypted communication, and a detailed alpha-test demonstrating functional workflow and user engagement. The work suggests practical impact for academic publishing and institutional adoption, offering a path toward more secure, transparent, and IP-protective peer review processes.
Abstract
In an era of increasing concerns over intellectual property rights, traditional peer review systems face challenges including plagiarism, malicious attacks, and unauthorized data access. BeerReview, a blockchain-enabled peer review platform, offers a robust solution, enabling experts and scholars to participate actively in the review process without concerns about plagiarism or security threats. Following the completion of its alpha testing, BeerReview demonstrates the potential for expanded deployment. This platform offers improved convenience and more robust intellectual property protection within the peer review process with open source initiative.