''Ledger'' is the first

peer-reviewed Peer review is the evaluation of work by one or more people with similar competencies as the producers of the work (peers). It functions as a form of self-regulation by qualified members of a profession within the relevant field. Peer review ...

academic journal An academic journal or scholarly journal is a periodical publication in which scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. Academic journals serve as permanent and transparent forums for the presentation, scrutiny, and d ...

dedicated to

cryptocurrency A cryptocurrency, crypto-currency, or crypto is a digital currency designed to work as a medium of exchange through a computer network that is not reliant on any central authority, such as a government or bank, to uphold or maintain it. It i ...

and blockchain technology research. The journal covers topics that relate to cryptocurrencies such as

bitcoin Bitcoin ( abbreviation: BTC; sign: ₿) is a decentralized digital currency that can be transferred on the peer-to-peer bitcoin network. Bitcoin transactions are verified by network nodes through cryptography and recorded in a public distr ...

. This includes aspects of mathematics, computer science, engineering, law, economics and philosophy. The focus according to Wilmer is "blockchain technology research." It is funded by Coin Center, a nonprofit. The journal is

open access Open access (OA) is a set of principles and a range of practices through which research outputs are distributed online, free of access charges or other barriers. With open access strictly defined (according to the 2001 definition), or libre op ...

. It is published by the University Library System of the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the universit ...

and is cosponsored by the

University of Pittsburgh Press The University of Pittsburgh Press is a scholarly publishing house and a major American university press, part of the University of Pittsburgh. The university and the press are located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The press ...

Creation

The idea for the journal was born out of a discussion between managing editors Peter R. Rizun and Christopher E. Wilmer, on the

forum bitcointalk.org. Wilmer envisioned ledger as a journal for "people passionate about the technology, to publish their research." Wilmer called into question the reliability of 'white papers' that became common in the cryptocurrency boom. According to Wilmer, the Ledger Journal receives two to four submissions a week, and many are of poor quality. “Occasionally we get submissions with no citations." Wilmer's vision for Ledger was to use a more a traditional peer review system. A call for papers was issued on 15 September 2015 with the deadline set to 31 December 2015. However, this was delayed while formalising the review process. The inaugural issue was not published until December 2016.

Related persons and organizations

Rizun is a physicist and entrepreneur, who lives in Vancouver, Canada. Wilmer is an assistant professor in the

Swanson School of Engineering The Swanson School of Engineering is the engineering school of the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1846, the Swanson School of Engineering is the second or third oldest in the United States. History The Swans ...

’s Chemical & Petroleum Engineering Department. He is the author of ''Bitcoin for befuddled''. Wilmer first used bitcoin to purchase honey caramels from a beekeeper. The University of Pittsburgh was featured in the documentary ''The Rise and Rise of Bitcoin''.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Academic journals published by universities and colleges Biannual journals Computer science journals Creative Commons-licensed journals Cryptography journals English-language journals Finance journals Cryptocurrencies Publications established in 2016