A total of twenty‐five bibliographic reviews were published between 1979 and 2004 in Geostandards Newsletter, subsequently renamed Geostandards and Geoanalytical Research, which list more than 5500 papers. These cited references contain information about geochemical reference materials, analytical methods or address general issues concerning the use of reference materials (protocols for sampling, certification, or new analytical techniques). In support of emerging fields of interest in geoanalysis, frequently associated with environmental research, and reflecting the increased breadth in the topics addressed by the Journal, new reference headings were added over time, while retaining the original style and format of the review. Reference management software was used to extract information from these publications related to methods, reference materials and analytes. Major developments during these 25 years, reflecting both advances in laboratory hardware as well as shifts in research interests, can readily be seen in both the types of reference materials being studied and in nature of the new analytical protocols that were developed. These two topics were the core foci of the twenty‐five reviews, though much more information might also be extracted from this extensive resource.