I used to play with evolving classifier systems, back when i did "proper" research. One of the algorithms used to promote rules was a bucket brigade algorithm, that apportioned credit to rules that set up other rules that then received some sort of payoff.

Under this sort of approach, a coupled sets of questions are: what makes for tangible rewards and credit apportionment in research? Alternatively, do we need to come up with some other reputation frameworks? How would one based on pay-it-forward work, for example?