A vast and increasing scientific literature is published each year, including books, journals, research articles and reviews. One approach to determining the value of an academic publication involves measuring how often other academic writers or researchers refer to or cite it. This is the essence of bibliometrics. This article examines how bibliometrics has developed. It describes how analysing citations provides a measure of the influence of specific articles (individual article citations), to compare different journals (journal impact factor) and to examine the output and impact of individual academics (the h-index). Particular reference is made to nursing. Using citations should not be the only way that the value of scholarly work is judged, because there are limitations in using this method. However, bibliometrics provides an important, feasible and systematic means of reaching judgments about the importance of published works. As a result, it can be useful for examining the productivity and influence of individuals and institutions and for comparing different disciplines and journals.