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Specification · In design

Research Radar Protocol

A proposed way to record where a research reproduction came from, what artifact was evaluated, and which checks were reported.

Current status: specification and design work. This page does not claim that a production Solana program, attestation registry, bounty system, or credential network is live.

Purpose and boundary

The protocol is intended to make a reproduction record easier to cite and inspect. A record could establish that a particular validator reported a result for a particular artifact at a particular time.

It could not prove that the implementation is correct, that a result generalizes, or that the work has passed peer review. Those judgments still require transparent methods, independent review, and reproduction.

Proposed components

Attestation registry

Proposed

A content-addressed record linking a paper identifier, build hash, validation summary, artifact location, validator identity, and timestamp.

  • Deterministic address derived from paper and build identifiers
  • Artifact bundle referenced by an immutable content URI
  • Compact validation metadata stored with the record

Reproduction bounty

Concept

An optional escrow flow for commissioning a reproduction against explicit acceptance criteria.

  • A defined paper, deadline, threshold, and refund path
  • Release tied to a matching attestation record
  • Stable-value settlement rather than a new protocol token

Artifact credential

Concept

A portable reference to the build and attestation metadata. The credential would record provenance; it would not establish scientific correctness.

  • Paper identifier and build hash
  • Artifact bundle URI and validation summary
  • Clear separation between recorded provenance and peer review

Proposed record flow

  1. 1

    Select

    Choose a paper and write explicit reproduction criteria.

  2. 2

    Build

    Create the implementation, pinned environment, tests, and run logs.

  3. 3

    Validate

    Run mechanical checks and document human review, limitations, and failures.

  4. 4

    Bundle

    Hash the code, environment, logs, results, and source references.

  5. 5

    Record

    If implemented, publish a compact provenance record that points to the bundle.

Candidate technical stack

Settlement
Solana
Program framework
Anchor / Rust
Artifact storage
Content-addressed immutable storage
Optional payments
USDC / SPL

Open questions

  • Who may validate, and how is validator identity governed?
  • How are disputed, superseded, or withdrawn records represented?
  • Which checks are mechanical, and which require expert review?
  • Does an on-chain record add enough value over signed manifests and durable archives?

Related work: browse the Labs for experiment records and Software for released artifacts and operational pilots.