Establishing a Scholarly Identity Through Peer Review

Abstract

Graduate students develop their researcher identity through their written academic work, not only voiced through their research but through the dissemination of that research published in peer-reviewed conference presentations and articles. Through one’s tenure as a graduate student, academic service may include reviewing submissions for conferences and/or academic journals in a student’s field of expertise. However, there is little guidance, if at all, for how to complete a peer review, which is thoughtful, constructive, and useful to aid in the development of a more nuanced research narrative. In this editorial, I outline the benefits and mentorship opportunities afforded through peer review and suggest steps students can use to approach the peer review process.

Keywords

• Peer review
• graduate students
• scholarly identity
• mentoring