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Citing Data in Your Research
There is not yet a universally recognized way to cite data. It is best to follow the guidelines of the style you are using to the extent that it addresses data.
A dataset citation includes many of the same components of a traditional citation.
Author(s): Who created the data? an organization, individual, group of individuals
- Title: Title of the dataset or name of the study
- Date of publication
- Publisher and/or Distributor: who has made the data available
- Edition/Version
- Electronic Location or Identifier: a URL or DOI where data was found
Some other elements to consider adding to a citation:
- Date of access: When did you access or download the data?
- Format: What type of file or resource is it?
- Scale: Use when citing a map. Not usually used for datasets.
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How to Cite DataA useful guide with examples for published statistics and datasets in different styles such as APA and ASA.
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IASSIST Data Citation GuideFrom the International Association for Social Science Information Services and Technology (IASSIST), an association of data experts. Includes examples.
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"Citing Data"A great guide from MIT's Social Science Data Services
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"Citing Online Numerical Data"A guide with a helpful diagram from Lafayette's library.
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Why and How Should I Cite DataICPSR's guidelines and examples.
Disciplinary Standards for Citing Data
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American Sociological Association - Checklist for Preparation of ManuscriptsFollow guidance for software, tables, and figures.
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American Economic Review: Data Availability Policy"It is the policy of the American Economic Review to publish papers only if the data used in the analysis are clearly and precisely documented and are readily available to any researcher for purposes of replication. Authors of accepted papers that contain empirical work, simulations, or experimental work must provide to the Review, prior to publication, the data, programs, and other details of the computations sufficient to permit replication. "
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APSA Guide to Professional Ethics, Rights and Freedoms"6.1 Data access: Researchers making evidence-based knowledge claims should reference the data they used to make those claims. If these are data they themselves generated or collected, researchers should provide access to those data or explain why they cannot.
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American Sociological Review Notice to ContibutorsSee esp. section 5 "References" under Manuscript Submission, Manuscript Preparation.
