Citational Justice

Look at who you are representing and reading. If you notice you are missing diverse representation of scholars or perspectives, use inclusive citation practice to seek out more sources. As you do this, keep these tips in mind: 

• Avoid tokenism. Tokenism occurs when someone decides to include a scholar from an underrepresented group just because they belong to that group, rather than because of that scholars' unique contribution. Inclusive citation that is meaningful and intentional instead reflects genuine engagement with scholars’ ideas and exploration into how what they have to say enriches your research. 
• Recognize that scholars from underrepresented groups may speak to any topic. While some topics may relate directly to a group identity that they share, others may not.
• Appreciate that each individual has a background, set of life experiences, and perspectives that are unique to them. Challenge the misconception that an individual who belongs to a given group (including underrepresented groups) represents or speaks for that group as a whole.

As you develop strategies for finding sources, consider the following questions:

• What voices could or should be included in your research?
• Are you looking at a particular community or geographic region? Do you have sources from that community or region?
• Are certain groups particularly affected by the topic you're discussing? Do you have sources from those groups?
• Does your research need to be accessible for people with different needs? For example, would audio-visual resources or other means of representation make your topic more accessible for your audience?

As you review your citations, consider the authors you used in your research. Do you know what their relationship to the topic is? Does the collection of authors represent a range of voices and perspectives that are relevant to the topic? Reflecting on this might include considering: 

• Where the authors are from
• Aspects of their identity or positionality that may relate to the topic (e.g., gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, age, disability)
• Their perspective(s) on or interest(s) in the topic