Reading scientific articles is a valuable and major part of the activity of scientists. Yet, with the upsurge of currently available articles and the increased specialization of scientists, it becomes difficult to identify, let alone read, important papers covering topics not directly related to one's own specific field of research, or that are older than a few years. Our objective was to propose a list of seminal papers deemed to be of major importance in ecology, thus providing a general ‘must read' list for any new ecologist, regardless of particular topic or expertise. We generated a list of 545 papers proposed by 147 ecology experts (journal editorial members) and subsequently ranked via random-sample voting by 368 of 665 contacted ecology experts, covering six article types, six approaches, and 17 fields. Most recommended papers were not published in the highest-ranking journals, nor had they the highest number of mean annual citations. The articles proposed through the collective recommendation of several hundred experienced researchers probably do not represent an ‘ultimate', invariant list, but they certainly contain many high-quality articles that are undoubtedly worth reading — regardless of the specific field of interest in ecology — to foster understanding, knowledge and inspiration of early-career scientists. I will discuss the content of this list, including the biases it contains.

Key words: bibliometrics, scientometrics, ecology, expertise, early career, career development