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Strategic Publishing: Citation justice

What is Citation Justice?

Citation Justice is "the act of citing authors based on identity to uplift marginalised voices with the knowledge that citation is used as a form of power in a patriarchal society based on white supremacy" (Rachel Gammons, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Research). 

It aims to address historical biases in academic citation practices where the work of women, gender diverse, Black, Indigenous, People of Colour, disabled, and Takatāpu and LGBTQIA+ scholars is cited less frequently than their white, male counterparts. 

Ask yourself: Whose voices am I building on? Whose mana am I uplifting? Whose concerns am I centring?

For excellent resources on the topic, see the University of Toronto.

Image from Pixabay

Citation Justice in Strategic Publishing

  • Be mindful of your positionality

  • Choose article topics that allow you to cite widely.

  • Push for inclusive reference lists, even if reviewers don't ask, and be prepared to justify these.

  • Be strategic about where you submit.

  • Some journals are more open to innovative, justice-driven citation practices.

  • Look at:

    • Journal editorial boards (Are they diverse?)

    • Prior issues (Do they publish underrepresented scholars?)

    • Journal policies (Some now have "citation ethics" or "inclusive scholarship" guidelines)

Citation Justice Checklist

 While Researching

  • Am I actively seeking work by scholars from underrepresented or marginalised groups?

  • Am I including sources from scholars outside the Global North (e.g. Global South, Indigenous, diasporic voices)?

  • Have I searched beyond the most "canonical" or mainstream journals?

While Writing

  • Am I citing based on actual intellectual contribution, not just popularity?

  • Do I contextualise citations - showing how and why a scholar’s work matters?

  • Am I citing early-career scholars where appropriate, not just senior figures?

While Editing / Reviewing

  • Is my reference list diverse across race, gender, geography, career stage?

  • Are marginalised scholars cited in meaningful parts of the argument (not just in a throwaway sentence)?

  • Have I avoided tokenising any citations?

Resources