Scholars see reviewing as an essential part of their job and know that the effort they put in is reciprocated by others when they submit their own work to journals. Many also want to have advanced access to the latest work in their field, or as an activity that can be used to strengthen their resume. MDPI reviewers have a variety of motivations and often demanding expectations. Here we give a few tips about how to become a reviewer, how to be a good reviewer, and what the benefits are.

Can I sign up as a reviewer?

If you are interested in reviewing for an MDPI journal, you can create an account in the submission system and then sign up. You can then choose the journals you think are most appropriate to your expertise. Our editors will check your qualifications and let you know if you are accepted. They will contact you after receiving a paper that fits your expertise.

For journals from other publishers, if you can’t find a similar sign-up process then you can write directly to the editorial office. Make sure you provide enough evidence that you are proficient in your field, such as a website, CV or list of publications.

Even without being invited, there are many way to practice your reviewing skills. Sites like Publons and Pubpeer allow you to submit a publicly available review for any paper.

What do I need to know about writing a peer-review report?

MDPI has a page dedicated to advice for reviewers, which also includes links to further resources online. The format, expectations and time taken to write a review can depend on the research field, so you can also ask more experienced colleagues for advice.

What benefits can I get from reviewing?

We want to recognise the efforts of reviewers as much as we can. The problem is that it is often a confidential process. Our journals have several ways of saying thank you:

• Fifty MDPI our journals are enrolled with Publons, which provides credit for reviewers. You can even upload reviews from journals that don’t directly cooperate with Publons to receive more credit.
• You can download a letter confirming your contributions from your reviewer profile in our submission system, Susy.
• Reviewers receive a discount on the article processing charge of their next submitted article.
• Once a year, a list of reviewers is published in the journal.

These are in addition to know that you have contributed to maintaining the quality of published papers in your field and having access to research before publication.

If you have any more questions about peer-review at any MDPI journal you can write to the editorial office.