A Blockchain-Based Framework for Indexing Academic Publications and Identifying Predatory Journals

Abstract: In this paper, we propose a new blockchain-based system for indexing academic publications. We pose the central question: Can blockchain technology distinguish genuine journals from predatory ones? Blockchain offers several key advantages for indexing academic work and differentiating between legitimate and predatory journals by leveraging its core features: transparency, immutability, decentralization, and traceability. Blockchain can be used to create a decentralized, tamper-proof index of scholarly publications. Each publication can be recorded as a block or transaction, time-stamped, and permanently stored. Metadata such as the title, authors,