Bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) are of current interest worldwide in materials science and engineering because of their unique properties. Exploring BMGs materials becomes one of the hottest topics in the materials science field. To date, there is very active worldwide development of new BMGs, and extensive efforts have been carried out to understand and improve the glass-forming ability of metallic materials supported by large government and industry programs in North America, Asia, and Europe. Minor addition or microalloying technique, which has been widely used in other metallurgical fields, plays effective and important roles in formation, crystallization, thermal stability and property improvement of BMGs. This simple approach provides a powerful tool for the BMG-forming alloys development and design. In this paper, we present a comprehensive review of the history and the recent developments of this technique in the field of BMGs. The roles of the minor addition in the formation and the properties of the BMGs and the BMG-based composites will be discussed and summarized within the framework of thermodynamics, kinetics and microstructure. The empirical criteria, or the principles and guidelines for the applications of the technique in BMG field are outlined. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.