Citation Help

It is as important to cite data as it is to cite journal articles, books, and other sources. In addition to acknowledging the intellectual output of the researchers who created or collected the data, citation also allows datasets to be identified, accessed, reused, replicated for verification, credited for recognition, and tracked to measure impact.

Some style guides provide examples and recommendations for data citation, but not all do. When that is the case, you should adapt the guidelines for books using the elements below. In addition, some data repositories provide citation examples that you can adapt to align with your style guide.

Minimum elements needed for a data citation:

• Author
• Date
• Title
• Publisher/Distributor (often the repository hosting the data)
• Identifier (DOI or persistent URL)

Additional elements to include, if known, that improve the citation:

• Version or edition  
• Resource Type (such as dataset, codebook, computer file, etc.)
• Access Date
• Universal Numerical Footprint

For a complete description of data citation guidelines, refer to pp. 210-211 of the Publications Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th Edition (Ref Desk BF76.7 .P83 2010). 

If the dataset has a DOI, use the form:

Author Last Name, First Initial. (Year). Title (Version) [Description of form]. Location: DOI.

Example:

If the dataset does not have a DOI, use the form:

Author Last Name, First Initial. (Year). Title (Version) [Description of form]. Retrieved from URL

or

Author Last Name, First Initial. (Year). Title (Version) [Description of form]. Location: Name of producer.

Example:

How to cite data is not discussed in the Chicago Manual of Style, 17th edition (Ref Desk Z253.U69 2017). The example below uses standard data citation elements and the guidelines for a book.

Author last name, first name. Date. Title. Version. Location: Publisher. Distributor. Identifier

Example:

How to cite data is not discussed in the MLA Handbook, 7th or 8th edition (Ref Desk LB2369 .G53 2016). The example below uses standard data citation elements and the guidelines for a book.

Author Last Name, First Name. Title. Version. Location: Publisher [producer]. Distributor [distributor], Date of publication. Medium of publication. Date accessed. DOI.

Example: