In Pursuit of Citational Justice: A Toolkit for Equitable Scholarship

Decades of empirical research across disciplines reveal the pervasiveness of citation biases along axes of gender, race, geography, and epistemology. Who we cite reflects and reinforces both the boundaries and hierarchies of academic knowledge, covertly shaping not only whose research is legitimized and valued but also whose careers are advanced. Citations, the currency of the academy with power to reinforce or dismantle hierarchies that privilege dominant knowledge systems cannot thus be a neutral, apolitical act. This paper unpacks the concept of citation politics and its role in sustaining epistemic hierarchies within scholarly communities. Rather than framing citation bias as a matter of individual oversight, we position it as a systemic issue tied to academic structures, norms, and incentive systems. We introduce a comprehensive and openly accessible Citational Justice Toolkit, developed by the FORRT community, which curates actionable resources, tools, and practices helping scholars and institutions to audit, diversify, and reflect on their citation practices across the research cycle. Our aim is to support a shift from tokenistic inclusion toward epistemically accountable, socially responsible, and structurally aware scholarship. We argue that reimagining citation as an ethical and epistemic practice is foundational to building a just and inclusive academic ecosystem, fostering pluralism, transparency, and integrity in knowledge production.