402x Research

Fair Access, Direct Rewards

Authors earn directly from downloads and citations. Readers and AI agents pay-per-paper - instantly.

Breaking down academic paywalls while rewarding researchers.

The Academic Publishing Problem

Academic research is broken:

For Researchers

Publish or Perish: Forced to give away work to prestigious journals
No Direct Compensation: Publishers profit, researchers earn nothing
Locked Behind Paywalls: Even authors can't freely share their own work
Citation Gaming: Metrics manipulated, not merit-based

For Readers

Expensive Subscriptions: $30-50 per article or $10,000+ institutional subscriptions
Artificial Scarcity: Knowledge locked away from those who need it
AI Training Blocked: Datasets locked behind paywalls slow innovation

For Institutions

Unsustainable Costs: Library budgets can't keep up with journal prices
Vendor Lock-In: Dependent on for-profit publishers
Access Inequality: Small institutions can't afford comprehensive access

The Knowledge Paradox

Publicly-funded research is locked behind private paywalls. Taxpayers pay twice: once to fund the research, again to read it.

How 402x Research Works

Authors upload papers. Readers pay per download. Authors earn instantly.

For Authors

Upload Your Paper

javascript

const paper = await x402Research.publish({
  title: 'Novel Approach to Protein Folding',
  authors: ['Dr. Jane Smith', 'Dr. John Doe'],
  abstract: '...',
  pdf: paperFile,
  price: 2.00 // $2 per download
});

Set Your Price

Free (open access)
Pay-per-download ($1-10)
Pay-per-citation ($0.10-1.00)
Institutional access (bulk licensing)

Earn from Your Work Every download = instant payment to your wallet.

For Readers

Search for Papers

javascript

const results = await x402Research.search({
  query: 'machine learning protein folding',
  maxPrice: 5.00
});

Pay to Access Click "Download" → Pay $2 → Instant PDF access
No Subscription Needed Pay only for what you read.

For AI Agents

Train on academic literature with fair compensation to authors:

python

# AI agent searches and downloads papers
from x402_research import ResearchAgent

agent = ResearchAgent(wallet_address)

papers = agent.search('climate change mitigation')
dataset = []

for paper in papers:
    if paper.price < 0.50:  # Budget constraint
        content = agent.download(paper.id)  # Auto-pays author
        dataset.append(content)

# Authors earn from every AI training download

Key Features

💰 Direct Author Compensation

Per-Download Payments

javascript

{
  price: 2.00,
  distribution: {
    authors: 0.90,   // 90% to authors
    platform: 0.10   // 10% platform fee
  }
}

No middlemen. No delays. Authors earn immediately.

📖 Flexible Access Models

Pay-Per-Download $1-10 per paper, instant access.

Citation Payments Pay authors when you cite their work:

javascript

{
  citationFee: 0.25,
  trackCitations: true
}

Institutional Licenses Universities buy bulk access:

javascript

{
  institutionalLicense: {
    price: 5000,      // $5,000/year
    downloads: 10000  // 10,000 downloads
  }
}

Free for Developing Nations Authors can offer geographic pricing:

javascript

{
  pricing: {
    default: 2.00,
    developingCountries: 0.00
  }
}

🤖 AI-Friendly Licensing

Training Data Access AI companies pay for training datasets:

javascript

{
  aiLicense: {
    trainingUse: 0.10,    // $0.10 per paper for training
    inferenceUse: 0.01    // $0.01 per inference using this paper
  }
}

Transparent Usage Tracking Authors see when their work is used in AI training.

🔍 Enhanced Discovery

Better Search

Semantic search across all papers
Filter by price, field, author reputation
Trending papers and citations

Recommendation Engine Get suggested papers based on your research interests.

Citation Graph Visualize connections between papers and ideas.

✅ Peer Review Integration

Incentivized Review Reviewers earn for quality reviews:

javascript

{
  peerReview: {
    reviewerPayment: 25.00,  // $25 per review
    requiredReviews: 3,
    funding: 'author'         // Author pays for review
  }
}

Open Review Reviews are public and attributed (optional).

Post-Publication Review Community can review and comment after publication.

Use Cases

Academic Researchers

Graduate Students Access papers without burning through limited budgets:

Pay $2 per paper instead of $40
Download exactly what you need
No subscription lock-in

Independent Researchers No institutional affiliation? No problem.

Same access as Harvard or MIT
Pay as you go
Support authors directly

Interdisciplinary Work Don't pay for full journal access to read one paper from another field.

Example: PhD Student

A PhD student needs 50 papers for their literature review.

Traditional Access:

30 papers free (open access)
20 papers × $35 = $700
Or $10,000 institutional subscription

402x Research:

30 papers free
20 papers × $2 = $40
Savings: $660

AI Researchers & Companies

Training Large Language Models Pay authors fairly for training data:

python

# Download 10,000 papers for training
papers = research_api.bulk_download(
    query='scientific papers',
    count=10000,
    max_price=0.10
)

# Total cost: $1,000
# Authors collectively earn: $900

Research Agents AI agents that autonomously research topics:

python

agent = ResearchAgent()
agent.task = "Find latest developments in quantum computing"
agent.budget = 50.00

results = agent.auto_research()
# Agent downloads most relevant papers within budget
# Authors earn from agent's purchases

Authors & Researchers

Publish Directly Skip traditional publishers:

No submission fees
No copyright transfer
Instant publication
Immediate earnings

Earn from Old Work Upload your back catalog and earn from downloads:

javascript

// Upload 10-year-old paper
const oldPaper = await x402Research.publish({
  title: 'My 2015 Paper on Neural Networks',
  price: 1.00,
  originalPublication: '2015-03-15'
});

// Still earning in 2025 from a decade-old paper

Track Impact in Real-Time See downloads, citations, and earnings live:

javascript

const stats = await paper.getStats();
// {
//   downloads: 847,
//   citations: 23,
//   earnings: 1694.00,
//   citationEarnings: 5.75
// }

Institutions & Libraries

Flexible Licensing Pay for what your researchers actually use:

javascript

{
  institutionalPlan: {
    monthlyBudget: 10000,   // $10,000/month
    rollover: true,         // Unused funds carry over
    analytics: true         // Track usage patterns
  }
}

Cost Savings Replace expensive journal subscriptions with pay-per-use:

Traditional: $500,000/year for all journals
402x Research: $150,000/year (actual usage)
Savings: $350,000/year

Journals & Publishers

New Business Model Transition from subscriptions to micropayments:

javascript

{
  journalRevenue: {
    authorShare: 0.70,     // 70% to authors
    journalShare: 0.20,    // 20% to journal (editing, hosting)
    platformShare: 0.10    // 10% to 402x
  }
}

Journals provide curation and quality control, not gatekeeping.

Pricing Strategies

For Authors

Free Open Access Maximize citations and impact:

javascript

{ price: 0.00 }

Low-Cost Access Encourage wide readership while earning:

javascript

{ price: 1.00 }

Premium Pricing Specialized or high-value research:

javascript

{ price: 10.00 }

Dynamic Pricing Newer papers cost more:

javascript

{
  price: (daysOld) => {
    if (daysOld < 90) return 5.00;      // First 3 months
    if (daysOld < 365) return 2.00;     // First year
    return 0.50;                         // After 1 year
  }
}

Freemium Model Abstract free, full paper paid:

javascript

{
  abstractFree: true,
  fullTextPrice: 2.00
}

For Institutions

Bulk Purchase Prepay for credits:

javascript

{
  credits: 5000,    // Buy 5,000 download credits
  cost: 7500,       // $7,500 ($1.50 per credit)
  savings: 2500     // vs. $2 per download
}

Subscription Alternative Pay monthly for unlimited access to specific journals:

javascript

{
  monthlyFee: 500,
  access: 'all papers in Journal X'
}

Quality & Trust

Verification Systems

Author Identity Link to ORCID, institutional email, or previous publications:

javascript

{
  authors: [
    {
      name: 'Dr. Jane Smith',
      orcid: '0000-0002-1825-0097',
      institution: 'MIT',
      verified: true
    }
  ]
}

Peer Review Status Display review status clearly:

Preprint (not reviewed)
Under review
Peer-reviewed
Post-publication review score

Citation Verification Prevent fake citations:

javascript

{
  citations: [
    {
      paper: 'doi:10.1234/example',
      verified: true,
      context: 'Methods section'
    }
  ]
}

Anti-Plagiarism

Automated Checks All uploads scanned for plagiarism:

javascript

const uploadResult = await x402Research.publish(paper);

if (uploadResult.plagiarismScore > 0.3) {
  // Flag for review
  alert('Potential plagiarism detected');
}

Community Reporting Readers can flag suspicious papers.

Retraction Handling

Transparent Retractions Retracted papers clearly marked:

javascript

{
  status: 'retracted',
  reason: 'Data errors discovered',
  date: '2024-05-15'
}

Automatic Refunds Readers who purchased retracted papers get refunded.

Platform Features

Search & Discovery

javascript

// Advanced search
const papers = await x402Research.search({
  query: 'CRISPR gene editing',
  fields: ['biology', 'medicine'],
  dateRange: ['2020', '2025'],
  maxPrice: 5.00,
  minCitations: 10,
  peerReviewed: true
});

Collections & Reading Lists

Create Collections

javascript

const collection = await user.createCollection({
  name: 'My PhD Reading List',
  papers: [paper1, paper2, paper3],
  public: true
});

Share with Colleagues

javascript

collection.share('[email protected]');

Annotations & Notes

Highlight & Annotate

javascript

const annotation = await paper.annotate({
  page: 5,
  highlight: 'This finding contradicts...',
  note: 'Important for my research'
});

Collaborative Reading Share annotations with research group.

Citation Management

Auto-Generate Citations

javascript

const citation = paper.cite('APA');
// Returns: Smith, J., & Doe, J. (2024). Novel approach...

Export to BibTeX, Zotero, etc.

javascript

paper.export('bibtex');

Impact Metrics

Beyond Citation Count

Download Velocity How quickly is the paper being accessed?

Cross-Disciplinary Impact Citations from multiple fields = higher impact.

AI Training Usage How many AI models trained on this paper?

Public Engagement Downloads from non-academics.

Reproducibility Score How often have results been replicated?

New Impact Metrics

Traditional metrics (citations, h-index) are slow and gameable. 402x provides real-time, multidimensional impact assessment.

Revenue Projections

Example: Mid-Career Researcher

Publications:

30 papers in 402x Research
Average price: $2.00
Average downloads: 100/year per paper

Annual Revenue:

30 papers × 100 downloads × $2.00 = $6,000/year
Passive income from research output

Example: Influential Paper

Paper:

Groundbreaking research
Price: $5.00
Downloads: 10,000 in first year

First Year Revenue:

10,000 × $5.00 × 0.90 (author share) = $45,000

Example: AI Training Dataset

Dataset of 1,000 papers:

AI company licenses for training
$0.10 per paper
1,000 papers × $0.10 = $100 to AI company
Authors collectively earn: $90

Migration from Traditional Publishing

For Individual Papers

Already Published? You can still upload to 402x if you retained copyright:

javascript

{
  previousPublication: {
    journal: 'Nature',
    doi: '10.1038/example',
    date: '2023-01-15',
    copyrightRetained: true
  }
}

For Journals

Transition Strategy:

Start new papers on 402x
Migrate back catalog (if copyright allows)
Offer both subscription and pay-per-use
Gradually shift to micropayment model

FAQ

What about predatory publishing?

Peer review and reputation systems filter quality. Readers can see review status before paying.

Can I still publish in Nature/Science?

Yes! Upload a preprint to 402x, then submit to traditional journals (if their policy allows).

What if someone pirates my paper?

Low prices reduce piracy incentive. We also use watermarking and tracking.

How do retractions work?

Retracted papers are clearly marked. Recent purchasers get refunds.

Can I change my paper's price?

Yes, anytime. Past purchasers are unaffected.

What about conference papers?

Upload them! Set price or make them free to maximize citations.

Getting Started

For Authors

bash

# Create account
Visit research.402x.io

# Upload paper
Click "Publish" → Upload PDF → Set price → Publish

# Share link
https://research.402x.io/papers/your-paper-id

For Readers

bash

# Browse papers
Visit research.402x.io

# Search
Enter your research topic

# Download
Click paper → Pay → Download PDF

For Institutions

bash

# Contact for institutional license
Email: [email protected]

# Get bulk pricing
Request quote based on usage

Comparison Table

Feature	Traditional Journals	402x Research
Access Cost	$30-50 per article	$1-10 per article
Author Earnings	$0	90% of revenue
Publication Time	6-18 months	Instant
Peer Review	Closed, slow	Open, fast
Copyright	Transferred to publisher	Retained by author
Subscription Required	Yes	No
AI Training Access	Blocked or expensive	Fair-priced
Citation Tracking	Delayed	Real-time

Next Steps

Publish your first paper → Upload Now
Browse papers → Research Library
Institutional access → Contact Us

Explore More Use Cases

402x Paywalls: Monetize content
402x APIs: Monetize API endpoints
402x Communities: Economic moderation

402x Research ​

Fair Access, Direct Rewards ​

The Academic Publishing Problem ​

For Researchers ​

For Readers ​

For Institutions ​

How 402x Research Works ​

For Authors ​

For Readers ​

For AI Agents ​

Key Features ​

💰 Direct Author Compensation ​

📖 Flexible Access Models ​

🤖 AI-Friendly Licensing ​

🔍 Enhanced Discovery ​

✅ Peer Review Integration ​

Use Cases ​

Academic Researchers ​

AI Researchers & Companies ​

Authors & Researchers ​

Institutions & Libraries ​

Journals & Publishers ​

Pricing Strategies ​

For Authors ​

For Institutions ​

Quality & Trust ​

Verification Systems ​

Anti-Plagiarism ​

Retraction Handling ​

Platform Features ​

Search & Discovery ​

Collections & Reading Lists ​

Annotations & Notes ​

Citation Management ​

Impact Metrics ​

Beyond Citation Count ​

Revenue Projections ​

Example: Mid-Career Researcher ​

Example: Influential Paper ​

Example: AI Training Dataset ​

Migration from Traditional Publishing ​

For Individual Papers ​

For Journals ​

FAQ ​

Getting Started ​

For Authors ​

For Readers ​

For Institutions ​

Comparison Table ​

Next Steps ​

402x Research

Fair Access, Direct Rewards

The Academic Publishing Problem

For Researchers

For Readers

For Institutions

How 402x Research Works

For Authors

For Readers

For AI Agents

Key Features

💰 Direct Author Compensation

📖 Flexible Access Models

🤖 AI-Friendly Licensing

🔍 Enhanced Discovery

✅ Peer Review Integration

Use Cases

Academic Researchers

AI Researchers & Companies

Authors & Researchers

Institutions & Libraries

Journals & Publishers

Pricing Strategies

For Authors

For Institutions

Quality & Trust

Verification Systems

Anti-Plagiarism

Retraction Handling

Platform Features

Search & Discovery

Collections & Reading Lists

Annotations & Notes

Citation Management

Impact Metrics

Beyond Citation Count

Revenue Projections

Example: Mid-Career Researcher

Example: Influential Paper

Example: AI Training Dataset

Migration from Traditional Publishing

For Individual Papers

For Journals

FAQ

Getting Started

For Authors

For Readers

For Institutions

Comparison Table

Next Steps