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Statistics and Data

Essential Citation Elements

When citing datasets, here are the essential elements to include in the citations:

  • Author: Name(s) of the individual(s) or organizational entity responsible for the creation of the dataset.

  • Date of Publication: Year the dataset was published or disseminated.

  • Title: Complete title of the dataset, including the edition or version number, if applicable.

  • Publisher and/or Distributor: Organizational entity that makes the dataset available by archiving, producing, publishing, and/or distributing the dataset.

  • Electronic Location or Identifier: Web address or unique, persistent, global identifier used to locate the dataset (such as a DOI). Append the date retrieved if the title and locator are not specific to the exact instance of the data you used.

Tip: If you are using a citation manager such as RefWorks or Zotero, there is not a record type for "datasets" so instead use the "book" record type. Enter the pertinent information in the author, date, title, and publisher fields. Insert the URL/DOI in both the place of publication field and the DOI or URL field.

Data Citation Tools and Guides

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