In order to start on the path to becoming a nephrologist, you must first complete medical school. Medical school lasts four years and requires a prior bachelor’s degree. After receiving your medical degree, you’ll need to complete a three-year residency that focuses on internal medicine. A residency allows new doctors to receive further training and education in a clinical setting and under the supervision of more senior clinicians. Once certified in internal medicine, you must then complete a two-year fellowship in the nephrology specialty. This fellowship further hones the knowledge and clinical skills required for the specialty. After you complete your fellowship, you may take an exam to become board-certified in nephrology. Peer review is the evaluation of work by one or more people with similar competencies as the producers of the work (peers). It functions as a form of self-regulation by qualified members of a profession within the relevant field. Peer review methods are used to maintain quality standards, improve performance, and provide credibility. In academia, scholarly peer review is often used to determine an academic paper's suitability for publication. Peer review can be categorized by the type of activity and by the field or profession in which the activity occurs, e.g., medical peer review.