Data Citation

What is data citation?

Data citation is the practice of referencing data products used in research. It is similar to how researchers reference other scholarly resources with bibliographic references. Citation of scientific artefacts encourages open, traceable and transparent (re)use of these artefacts and should support the attribution of credit to those who did the work. More information about data citation and discovery can be found on the DataCite website. 

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, organisation or facility contributing substantially to data collection, processing and analysis. 

Examples of data citation from MEDIN Data Archive Centres

Sample Citation for an Archaeology Data Service (ADS) Record:

Pascoe, D., James, M., & James, A. (2022). Unidentified Wooden Wreck Site, Goodwin Sands - Stage 2: Diver Survey. Archaeology Data Service. https://doi.org/10.5284/1129595

Sample Citation for a British Oceanographic Data Centre dataset:

Van Audenhaege L.; Simon-Lledo E.; Fleming B.F.; Jones D.O.B.(2024). Benthic images collected by Remotely Operated Vehicle during expedition JC241 in the UK-1 area of the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, Pacific Ocean, 2023. NERC EDS British Oceanographic Data Centre NOC. doi:10.5285/298e66b2-d9d1-2f58-e063-7086abc085bf