Citing research data
It is important that researchers’ work can be connected to them so that they can provide access to their data and still get the recognition they deserve. It is just as important that open research data can be found by others. Citation is one way of ensuring this. Although research publications have long been cited, data can also be cited.
A complete citation needs to include several components to guarantee that it leads to the correct material. In addition to including the author, a unique identifier, the publisher (storage platform for data) and version number should also be included. A good principle is to include as much information as possible so that others can find the material referred to.
When referring to a source, you need to pay attention to the requirements of the referencing style used, although it may not yet prescribe a standard format for referring to research data. The examples below show how such a reference could look in APA.
APA
Author. (Year). Title of dataset (Version) [Description of the format of the material]. Access (e.g. URL, DOI, etc.).
Berger, L. (2012). Always assume positive intent (Version 3) [Excel file and codebook]. DiVA research database Karlstad University. doi:10.33336/XXXX03414
or
Author. (Year). Title of dataset (Version) [Description of the format of the material]. Obtained from http://
Berger, L. (2012). Always assume positive intent (Version 3) [Excel file and codebook]. Obtained from http://XYZ
For more information on other referencing styles, we recommend DataCite’s and CrossRef’s joint DOI Citation Formatter service, where you can obtain a correct reference in a variety of styles if you have the reference’s DOI. Contact the library for further citation assistance.