Peer review is a fundamental part of publishing. Perhaps nowhere more so than in the open access field, which is often more scrutinised than other traditional publishing routes. Recognising this, the BMJ Open team would like to thank all 2725 peer reviewers who refereed for the journal in 2013 – your advice and considered remarks were essential in ensuring the quality and scientific validity of our articles.

At BMJ Open, we are pleased to have several policies in place that highlight the importance of peer review. For example, our open peer review policy allows complete transparency over the history of an article, and gives credit to specific referees through the disclosure of their names and the publication of their comments. We also provide reviewers with a 25% discount on the article-publishing charge of any manuscript they subsequently submit as an author and give CME accreditation for the submission of timely and thorough comments.

BMJ Open appreciates the support and hard work of all the peer reviewers who gave their valuable time in contributing to the journal throughout 2013. We hope to work with you again and look forward to forging new relationships in 2014. Given our continued success since our launch, we cannot wait to see what this forthcoming year will bring.