Skip to Main Content
The HSHSL is a part of the University of Maryland, Baltimore | My UMB The Elm UM Shuttle Blackboard
Library Logo

601 West Lombard Street
Baltimore MD 21201-1512

Reference: 410-706-7996
Circulation: 410-706-7928

Finding Data: Citing Data

Finding and using data and datasets from various sources. Browse datasets by topic.

Why Cite Your Data

It's important to cite your data just as you would any other research resource, such as a journal article. By citing the data you use, you are acknowledging the original data source, providing context to your own research, and encouraging data discoverability and future re-use.

Many journal publishers have endorsed the Force11 Joint Declaration of Data Citation Principles, which would require authors to cite their data within this references, just as you would a book or journal article.

Benefits of Citing Data:

  • To aid scientific trustworthiness and reproducibility  
  • To provide fair credit for data creators or authors, data stewards 
  • To ensure scientific transparency and reasonable accountability for data authors and stewards;  
  • To aid in tracking the impact of a dataset and the associated repository 
  • To help data authors verify how their data are being used
  • To help future users identify how others have used the data. 

Reference:

U.S. Geological Survey. "Data Citation." 2024.

Elements of a Data Citation

A typical data citation will consist of the following elements:

Author or creator: the entity/entities responsible for creating the data

Date of publication: the date the data was published or otherwise released to the public

Title: the title of the dataset or a brief description of it if it's missing a title

Publisher: entity responsible for hosting the data (like a repository or archive)

URL or preferably, a DOI: a link that points to the data

Version: include the version of the dataset if applicable

Date Accessed: since most data are published without versions, it's important to note the time that you accessed the data in case newer releases are made over time.

Data Citation Examples

APA (7th edition)

Willis, S. L., Jones, R. N., Ball, K. K., Morris, J., Marsiske, M., Tennstedt, S. L., Unverzagt, F. W., & Rebok, G. W. (2023). Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly (ACTIVE), United States, 1999-2019 Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor]. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR38821.v1

MLA (7th edition)

Smith, Tom W., Peter V. Marsden, and Michael Hout. General Social Survey, 1972-2010 Cumulative File. ICPSR31521-v1. Chicago, IL: National Opinion Research Center [producer]. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2011. Web. 23 Jan 2012. https://doi:10.3886/ICPSR31521.v1

Chicago (16th edition) (author-date)

Smith, Tom W., Peter V. Marsden, and Michael Hout. 2011. General Social Survey, 1972-2010 Cumulative File. ICPSR31521-v1. Chicago, IL: National Opinion Research Center. Distributed by Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research. doi:10.3886/ICPSR31521.v1

DOI Citation Formatter

Data Citation Guides