Properly citing data assists in the research process by giving data creators proper credit for their work, aids replication, provides permanent and reliable information about the data source, helps track the impact of the data, and facilitates resource discovery and access.
Citing Data From Others
In many cases, a data provider will include recommended citation formats (i.e. the ICPSR). Also note that the producers of a particular dataset may request that users of the data cite a publication in which the data are described, rather than citing the dataset (i.e. the Database of Political Institutions).
When a data provider does not recommend a citation format, we recommend these general citation guidelines:
- Author/Principal Investigator
- Year of Publication
- Title of the Data Source
- Edition/Version Number
- Format of the Data Source (e.g. [Computer File], [CD-ROM], [Online], etc.)
- Producer of the Data Source
- Distributor of the Data Source
- URL for the Data Source