In 2017, we began recognizing reviewers who have distinguished themselves by consistently providing insightful, detailed, and valuable input to our authors and our editorial team. We continue the tradition this year by inducting six remarkable reviewers into the AJKD Reviewer Hall of Fame. The editors thank and congratulate these reviewers, all of whom shared why they participate in the peer review process below:

Shuchi Anand, MD @Shuchi_Anand
Stanford University

“For me, peer review is a partnership with the authors. I love to examine how a team went about investigating a scientific hypothesis of interest to them. It is such a privilege to be able to add my input so that the final product is strong and rigorous.”

Steven Fishbane, MD @sfishbane
Hofstra/Northwell

“It’s always a pleasure for me when asked to provide peer review for a submitted manuscript. Our role as peer reviewers is such an important one. Science works at its best when articles go through the peer review process. The reviewer may come up with important ideas or even criticisms that the authors hadn’t thought of. As an author, I have learned over the years to respect and enjoy even the toughest of reviews. I may be so deep in my own work that I have failed to see things that are obvious to the ‘fresh set of eyes.’ Ultimately, peer review improves the quality of published research and other scientific work – this is why the ‘task’ is such an important responsibility!”

Michelle A. Josephson, MD @MichelleJTx
University of Chicago

“Peer review is important and interesting. It benefits the authors by providing them with thoughtful assessments, suggestions, and different perspectives. Ultimately the peer review process improves the quality of the work for all of us. As a reviewer, I have found that the process has helped me become better at analytic assessments. It has also just been fun to read the manuscripts and learn about compelling work in the field!”

Kevan R. Polkinghorne, FRACP @dialysisbloke
Monash University
Monash Medical Centre

“The peer review process is critical in assisting researchers, journal editors, and the medical community to provide high-quality scientific data and ideas to the medical community. Thus, helping and taking part in that process is extremely important to me. On a personal level, it is very rewarding to read and learn from other researchers on all aspects of study design, analysis, and reporting which helps me immensely in my own research work.”

Manish M. Sood, MD @Msood99M
The Ottawa Hospital
University of Ottawa

“Be kind! The overall goal of peer review is to improve the work. Provide strengths and weaknesses delivered as if you were having a face-to face conversation with your colleague.”

Susan P.Y. Wong, MD
University of Washington
VA Puget Sound Health Care System

“Peer review is a process that strengthens our effectiveness in conveying important discoveries and contributions and in guiding the medical community in knowing how to act on new information. It is also an important service that can help ensure that high-quality, credible, and meaningful scholarship reaches the public.”

Congratulations again to these reviewers! The full list of reviewers in the AJKD Reviewer Hall of Fame is available here.