DeSci Based on Web3 and DAO: A Comprehensive Overview and Reference Model

Decentralized science (DeSci) is a hot topic emerging with the development of Web3 or Web3.0 and decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) and operations. DeSci fundamentally differs from the centralized science (CeSci) and Open Science (OS) movement built in the centralized way with centralized protocols. It changes the basic structure and legacy norms of current scientific systems via reshaping the cooperation mode, value system, and incentive mechanism. As such, it can provide a viable path for solving bottleneck problems in the development of science, such as oligarchy, silos, and so on, and make science more fair, free, responsible, and sensitive. However, DeSci itself still faces many challenges, including scaling, balancing the quality of participants, system suboptimal loops, lack of accountability mechanism, and so on. Taking these into consideration, this article presents a systematic introduction of DeSci, proposes a novel reference model with a six-layer architecture, addresses the potential applications, and also outlines the key research directions in this emerging field. This article is committed to providing helpful guidance and reference for future research efforts on DeSci.