PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to use Web of Knowledge to determine which published arthroscopic surgery-related articles have been cited most frequently by other authors by ranking the 25 most cited articles. We furthermore wished to determine whether there is any difference between a categorical "journal-by-journal" analysis and an "all-database" analysis in arthroscopic surgery and whether such a search methodology would alter the results of previously published lists of "citation classics" in the field. We analyzed the characteristics of these articles to determine what qualities make an article important to this subspecialty of orthopaedic surgery. METHODS: Web of Knowledge was searched on March 7, 2011, using the term "arthroscopy" for citations to articles related to arthroscopy in 61 orthopaedic journals and using the all-database function. Each of the 61 orthopaedic journals was searched separately for arthroscopy-related articles to determine the 25 most cited articles. An all-database search for arthroscopy-related articles was carried out and compared with a journal-by-journal search. Each article was reviewed for basic information including the type of article, authorship, institution, country, publishing journal, and year published. RESULTS: The number of citations ranged from 189 to 567 in a journal-by-journal search and from 214 to 1,869 in an all-database search. The 25 most cited articles on arthroscopic surgery were published in 11 journals: 8 orthopaedic journals and 3 journals from other specialties. The most cited article in arthroscopic orthopaedic surgery was published in The New England Journal of Medicine, which was not previously identified by a journal-by-journal search. CONCLUSIONS: An all-database search in Web of Knowledge gives a more in-depth methodology of determining the true citation ranking of articles. Among the top 25 most cited articles, autologous chondrocyte implantation/transplantation is currently the most cited and most popular topic in arthroscopic orthopaedic surgery and research. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Analysis of the 25 most cited articles allows us to identify the most popular field of research in arthroscopic orthopaedic surgery and gives us insight into the quality and characteristics that are required for an article to become highly cited.