The nature, form, and logic of empirical social science research generally is being driven by these citation practices; not just as a means of representing research, but as a substantive influence that is changing their methods and content. Finally, there is the added question of how new technologies for publication, and for searching and retrieving published work, influence and reinforce these trends. There has been a good deal written on these matters, across several disciplines. In this essay I will review and elaborate these arguments (partly from the perspective of a journal editor), and then extend them to the question of whether educational research is especially affected by these issues. Within this question I will discuss historical and philosophical research particularly—though not exclusively.