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Citing Data

On this page: Citation elements | Examples | Tools and resources

When writing a paper or doing a presentation, it is important to cite not only the literature consulted but also the data files used, even if they are data files that you have produced. Citing data allows easier access to datasets, increases acceptance and use of data and incorporates it into the scholarly record, provides verification of research, encourages future study, and gives the data producer appropriate credit.

Citation Elements

To be most effective, a data citation should include at least the following elements. The utility of these elements will depend on the research discipline, source data center/repository, and data format.

1. Responsible party (i.e., study PI, sample collector, government agency)
2. Name of table, map, or dataset with any applicable unique IDs
3. Name of data center, repository, and/or publication
4. Analysis software, if required
5. Date accessed
6. URL and/or DOI/DOI link or other persistent link

Data Citation Guidelines and Examples

Style guides/manuals typically do not include data as a resource type. However, some journals, data centers/repositories and societies may provide more specific guidance on how to cite data.

Dryad provides an extensive list of standards and proposals for data citation

Here are some other guides and examples:

• American Geophysical Union (AGU) author guidelines for citing data sets
• Federation of Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP) Interagency Data Stewardship/Citations
• Geoscience Information Society (GSIS) Task Force on Citation of Geoscience Data
• Citing and linking to the Gene Expression Omnibus (NCBI) database
• Using data in Dryad
• International Polar Year Data and Information Service data citation guidance
• NOAA Paleoclimatology Data Citations
• ICPSR recommended citation procedures
• Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC) has guidelines for preparing citations
• DataCite examples

Data Citation Tools

Unfortunately, most bibliographic management software programs do not provide templates for citing data sets. However, they can be used to store citations to data sets.

• Citation Manager Comparison (University of Minnesota)
• Endnote
• Zotero: The Next-Generation Research Tool
• Mendeley
• Connotea: free online reference management for clinicians and scientists