Supporting medical physics resident development through mentored journal peer review experiences.

backgroundAlthough medical physics residents frequently engage with academic literature, many have limited exposure to the peer review process from the reviewer's perspective. Mentored peer review offers a structured, accessible opportunity for residents to develop critical appraisal skills, understand scholarly communication workflows, and participate in academic service. However, many faculty mentors and residency programs lack clear guidance on how to support residents through this process. This work outlines how medical physics residency educators can support a mentored peer review experience for medical physics residents. LEARNING OBJECTIVES FOR RESIDENTS INCLUDE: Identifying and explaining key components of the peer review process. Demonstrating the ability to draft a structured, ethical peer review. Reflecting on how peer review supports scholarly growth and professional identity formation. DISCUSSION: This article outlines actionable strategies to help mentors integrate peer review into medical physics residency training. Topics include orienting residents to editorial workflows, modeling professional feedback, emphasizing ethics, and building independence. These strategies are grounded in published literature and professional best practices and aim to cultivate both competent reviewers and reflective, engaged contributors to the medical physics scholarly community.