ABSTRACT
There are no rules about how many references a given paper needs: some have only a few, others have hundreds. Editors and reviewers all know how easy it is to add names to a reference list so authors seeking to impress with the length, rather than the relevance, of their list of references are therefore unlikely to do so. Particularly with the accessibility of online databases, bulking a reference list has never been easier, or less meaningful. An editor or referee seeking to assess the quality of the literature review or survey will formulate three principle questions:
Does it reflect the purpose of the paper?
