What is data citation?

Data citation is the practice of referencing data products used in research. It's similar to how researchers reference other scholarly resources with bibliographic references.

What is a DOI?

A DOI (Digital Object Identifier) is a unique string of numbers, letters, and symbols that identifies a document or article and provides a permanent web address (URL) for it. DOIs are persistent, meaning they will not change even if the location of the item changes over time. This makes them more stable and reliable than URLs, which might change.

 

Who are data authors?

Data authors include any person contributing substantially to data collection, processing and analysis. 

Examples of data citation from MEDIN Data Archive Centres

 

Sample Citation for an Archsearch Record:

Historic England (2018) “Abbey Fields Abbeymead” in Historic England NRHE Excavation Index for England [data-set]. York: Archaeology Data Service [distributor]. Accessible at: http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archsearch/record?titleId=1879872.

Sample Citation for an ADS Archive:

Richards, J. D., Hadley, D. (2016) Archaeological Evaluation of the Anglo-Saxon and Viking site at Torksey, Lincolnshire [data-set]. York: Archaeology Data Service [distributor] https://doi.org/10.5284/1018222.

 

More information on data citation from our MEDIN Data Archive Centres 
Archaeology Data Service (ADS)How to cite ADS data
British Oceanographic Data Centre (BODC) Data Citation, DOI's and the Published Data Library
British Geological Survey (BGS)National Geoscience Data Centre guidance
The Archive for Marine Species and Habitats Data (DASSH)-
Marine Directorate of the Scottish Government-
Historic Environment Scotland-
Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales (RCAHMW)-
Met Office -
UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO)-