Project Introduction
Below is a short project introduction slideshow that gives some background to the motivation behind Jacks Peer Pages!
Open in Google SlidestProject Description
The current scientific publishing system is severely outdated, with not enough training for PhD students in peer review, too much pressure on researchers to churn out papers, and an overreliance on inaccurate AI writing and reviewing. We intend to revolutionize this system with Jacks Peer Pages, a compendium of articles with posted peer reviews to train new researchers and flag low-quality articles so that researchers don't have to waste time reviewing content that another researcher has already found to be substandard.
In addition to improving transparency and efficiency, the platform will be actively used in our sponsor's lab to train researchers. By reading peer reviews, contributing their own, and interacting with the database, lab members will learn proper peer review practices, improve their research assessment skills, and quickly identify trustworthy scientific work.
Overall, this system saves time and reduces duplication of effort, while providing a practical, hands-on training resource for researchers in the lab. Screenshots, diagrams, and interface graphics will be included to illustrate how the platform works and how it supports training and research evaluation. The platform is entended to be expanded to multiple departments across the university and the state of Arizona.
Link to Original Proposal
High-Level Requirements
We plan to split development of the project into three core components.
Stage 1: Core Database & Review System
- A searchable database containing articles and their corresponding peer reviews.
- A way to post peer reviews and add/request articles for the database.
Stage 2: User Interaction & Accessibility
- An accessible, intuitive, and responsive web interface for browsing articles and submitting reviews.
Stage 3: Security & Integrity
- Secure account verification linked to university credentials.
- A system to flag researchers or articles using AI to produce low-quality or unreliable content.
In terms of the development process, we first plan to develop the site using Django and PythonAnwhere. This can then be easily ported to a DigitalOcean droplet, which is easy to expand and highly scalable. [Additional Development Process to be added]
Envisioned Solution
Overview
We are building Jacks Peer Pages, a web application designed to make academic peer review easier to learn, more accessible, and fully transparent. The platform connects research articles with their peer reviews, allows users to contribute new reviews, and highlights corrections or updates so that the most recent and reliable information is always visible.
System Architecture
The platform consists of three main components:
Database Layer: Stores articles, peer reviews, and user information securely.
Application Layer: Handles logic for posting reviews, flagging untrustworthy content, and linking users to articles.
User Interface: A clean and intuitive web interface where users can browse articles, read reviews, and submit feedback.
Implementation Details
Authentication Module: Manages user login, verification, and permissions.
Article & Review Module: Handles storing, retrieving, and displaying articles with their reviews.
Flagging & Reporting Module or User: Lets users identify problematic articles or authors and ensures these flags propagate through the system.
Use Cases & Graphics
/[To be added.]/ Screenshots and diagrams of the interface will show workflows such as posting a review, browsing articles, and viewing flagged content, demonstrating how the solution addresses the problems identified in the current peer review system.
Schedule, Resources, and Budget
[More information to be added.]
Schedule: Planning, documentation, and initial prototyping is to be finished in December of 2025.
Coding and final implementation is to be finished by May of 2026.
Resources/Budget: Eventually, AWS is intended to be funded for the project
Codebase & Demo
[To be added.]