how to cite research data

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Citing data

More resources for citing data.

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Data should be cited within our work for the same reasons journal articles are cited: to give credit where credit is due (original author/producer) and to help other researchers find the material. If you use data without citation, that is deeply problematic for academic integrity as well as reproducibility purposes. Pay attention to licenses (here's a page on those) and give attribution!

A data citation includes the typical components of other citations:

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 Data 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.

Citation standards for data sets differ by journal, publisher, and conference, but you have a few options generally (depending on the situation):

• Use the format of a style manual as determined by a publisher or conference, such as IEEE or ACM. If you use a citation manager (highly recommended for organizing research reading!) like Zotero (which we support at NYU - check out our Zotero guide ), you can have them export your citations in whatever format you need.
• Use the author or repository's preferred citation that they list on the page where you downloaded the data initially.

Here's an example of how to find the citation information for a dataset hosted on Zenodo , a generalist repository that houses data, code, and more:

All scholarly or academic work requires that you cite your sources, whether you are writing a long paper or a quick report. Why is citing your research so important?

Researching and writing a paper ideally involves a process of exploring and learning. By citing your sources, you are showing your reader how you came to your conclusions and acknowledging the other people's work that brought you to your conclusions. Citing sources:

• Documents your research and scholarship
• Acknowledges the work of others whose scholarship contributed to your work
• Helps your reader understand the context of your argument
• Provides information for your reader to use to locate additional information on your topic
• Establishes the credibility of your scholarship
• Provides you with an opportunity to demonstrate your own integrity and understanding of academic ethics

Partially adapted from "When and Why to Cite Sources." SUNY Albany. 2008. Retrieved 14 Jan 2009.

• Data-Planet Data Basics Data Basics is a module in Data-Planet that provides resources and examples for citing datasets and statistics when incorporating them into research.
• IASSIST Quick Guide to Data Citation Includes examples from APA, MLA, and Chicago styles.
• How to Cite Data A comprehensive guide with examples from Michigan State University Libraries.
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APA 7th Edition Citation Style Guide

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General Rule:

Author. (Year). Title of report  (Report No. if given). Publisher. DOI or URL

• If the author and the publishing agency are the same omit the publisher from the citation. 

  Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics. (2013). America’s children: key national indicators of well-being. http://childstats.gov/americaschildren/index2.asp.

Author or name of group. (Year). Title of data set [description of form]. Publisher Name or Source of

unpublished data. Retrieved month day, year, from DOI or URL

• Include a retrieval date only if the data set is designed to change over time. 
• If a version number and/or database number is available include it with the data set title. 
• No need to include a publisher name if it is the same as the author.
• If the data is unpublished provide the source (e.g. university) if known. 
• If the dataset is untitled, give a description of the data and publication status in square brackets.

Pew Internet & American Life Project. (2012). November 2012- library services [Data file and code book]. http://www.pewinternet.org/Shared-Content/Data-Sets/2012/November-2012--Library-Services.aspx

Jeffri, J., Schriel, A., & Throsby, D. (2003) The aDvANCE Project: A study of career transition for professional dancers (ICPSR 35598; Version V1)  [Data set].  IPCSR.  https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR35598.v1  

Whenever possible, give a citation for the measurements' supporting literature (e.g. manual, book, or journal article ). If the supporting literature is unavailable, cite the the test itself or database record using the following rule.

Author name. (year).  Title of the test. URL

Author name. (year).  Title of the test database record [Database record] . Test Database Name. URL

Hofstede , G &  Hofstede , G. J. (2013). Values Survey Module 2013 .  https://geerthofstede.com/research-and-vsm/vsm-2013/

Castellanos, I., Kronenberger, W.G., & Pisoni, D.B.   ( 2018 ). Learning, Executive, and Attention Function Scale

(LEAF) [Database record]. PsycTESTS.  https://doi.org/10.1037/t66008-000

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APA Style 7th Edition: Citing Your Sources

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Standard Format

Formatting rules, various examples.

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Adapted from American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed).  https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000

• Provide a retrieval date only if the data set is designated to change over time
• Date for published data is the year of publication
• Date for unpublished data is the year(s) of collection
• If version number exists, include in parentheses after the title

See Ch. 10 pp. 313-352 of APA Manual for more examples and formatting rules

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Introduction

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Data requires citations for the same reasons journal articles and other types of publications require citations: to acknowledge the original author/producer and to help other researchers find the resource.

A dataset citation includes all of the same components as any other citation, and although data citation practices are still emerging, including data you use (or create) in your references section will allow others to locate it, and ensures that its use is captured correctly to become part of the scholarly record:

• year of publication,
• publisher (for data this is often the archive where it is housed),
• edition or version, and
• access information (a URL or other persistent identifier).

Unfortunately, standards for the citation of data are not uniformly agreed upon and have yet to be codified by the National Information Standards Organization (an organization that sets technical standards for other bibliographic materials).  However, many data providers and distributors and some style manuals do provide guidelines.  Some of these instructions are listed on this guide.

Be sure to follow the general citation format for the style manual your professor has asked you to use.  It is always better to provide more information about a resource rather than less!

General Rules

Some style manuals do provide instructions for the citation of data, and selected examples are listed on the Data Citations tab.  If the style manual you are using does not address data citations, you can follow these general rules.

Usually a style manual will lay out basic rules for the order of citation elements, regardless of the type of work.  This is what you will need to pay close attention to in order to format your citation correctly.  If you can’t find a generic list of rules, then look at how the citation for a book is formatted. 

These are the citation elements you need to consider when building a data citation:

Who is the creator of the data set?  This can be an individual, a group of individuals, or an organization.

What name is the data set called, or what is the name of the study? 

Edition or Version

Is there a version or edition number associated with the data set?

What year was the data set published?  When was the data set posted online?

Is there a person or team responsible for compiling or editing the data set?

Publisher and Publisher Location

What entity is responsible for producing and/or distributing the data set?  Also, is there a physical location associated with the publisher? 

In some cases, the publisher of a data set is different than how we think of the publisher of a book.  A data set can have both a producer and a distributor.

The producer is the organization that sponsored the author’s research and/or the organization that made the creation of the data set possible, such as codifying and digitizing the data.

The distributor is the organization that makes the data set available for downloading and use. 

You may need to distinguish the producer and the distributor in a citation by adding explanatory brackets, e.g., [producer] and [distributor].

Some citation styles (e.g., APA) do not require listing the publisher if an electronic retrieval location is available.  However, you may consider including the most complete citation information possible and retaining publisher information even in the case of electronic resources.

Material Designator

What type of file is the data set?  Is it on CD or online? 

This may or may not be a required field depending on the style manual.  Often this information is added in explanatory brackets, e.g. [computer file].

Electronic Retrieval Location

What web address is the data set available at?  Is there a persistent identifier available?  If a DOI or other persistent identifier is associated with the data set it should be used in place of the URL.

Examples using the General Rules

Apa (6th edition).

Minimum requirements based on instructions and example for dataset reference:

Milberger, S. (2002). Evaluation of violence against women with physical disabilities in Michigan, 2000-2001 (ICPSR version) [data file and codebook]. doi:10.3886/ICPSR03414

With optional elements:

Milberger, S. (2002). Evaluation of violence against women with physical disabilities in Michigan, 2000-2001 (ICPSR version) [data file and codebook]. Detroit: Wayne State University [producer]. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor]. doi:10.3886/ICPSR03414

MLA (7th edition)

Minimum requirements based on instructions and examples for books and web publications:

Milberger, Sharon. Evaluation of Violence Against Women With Physical Disabilities in Michigan, 2000-2001 . ICPSR version. Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research, 2002. Web. 19 May 2011.

Milberger, Sharon. Evaluation of Violence Against Women With Physical Disabilities in Michigan, 2000-2001 . ICPSR version. Detroit: Wayne State U [producer]. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2002. Web. 19 May 2011. doi:10.3886/ICPSR03414

Chicago (16th edition)

Bibliography style (based on documentation for books):

Milberger, Sharon. Evaluation of Violence Against Women With Physical Disabilities in Michigan, 2000-2001 . ICPSR version. Detroit: Wayne State University, 2002. Distributed by Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research, 2002. doi:10.3886/ICPSR03414.

Author-Date style:

Milberger, Sharon. 2002. Evaluation of Violence Against Women With Physical Disabilities in Michigan, 2000-2001 . ICPSR version. Detroit: Wayne State University. Distributed by Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research. doi:10.3886/ICPSR03414.

Citing Census Data and Maps

When you make a table in data.census.gov you can click on "More Tools" in the upper right corner and then select Cite

Basic Format for APA 6th edition

U.S. Census Bureau (year data was published).  Name of data or report.  Retrieved from [URL].

Chicago Style 16th ed.

United States Census Bureau. Name of  Table . Data.Census.Gov <URL> (The date the Table was generated)

• Citing Census Data in Social Explorer Guidance on citing census data in Social Explorer for APA, Chicago and MLA styles

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Cite data and statistics.

• How to Cite Data and Statistics
• Citing Sources

General Guidelines

When you use numeric datasets or a prepared statistical table you must cite where you retrieved the information.  Data and statistical tables contain unique elements not specifically addressed by most citation styles.  Citations for data or statistical tables should include at least the following pieces of information, which you will need to arrange according to the citation style you use.  

• Author or creator - the person(s), organization, issuing agency or agencies responsible for creating the dataset
• Date of publication  - the year the dataset was published, posted or otherwise released to the public (not the date of the subject matter).
• Title or description - complete title or  if no title exists, you must create a brief description of the data, including time period covered in the data if applicable
• Publisher  - entity (organization, database, archive, journal) responsible for hosting the data 
• URL or DOI   - the unique identifier if the data set is online

Certain styles may also ask for additional information such as:

• Edition or version
• Date accessed online (Note: APA does not require this)
• Format description e.g. data file, database, CD-ROM, computer software

Tips for finding additional citation guidance:

• Check to see if the publisher or distributor of your dataset provides suggestions for citing their data.  For example data providers like OECD and repositories like  ICPSR  and Dryad  offer guidance for formatting citations to the hundreds of datafiles they host or produce.
• Look through your style manual for instructions on using a similar format such as citation styles for electronic resources, electronic references, web pages, or tables.

This guide provides information for citing data and tables to include in your bibliography.  Consult the Purdue OWL for guidance on incorporating data and statistics in the body of your paper.

This guide is intended as a guideline only, check your citation manual, ask a librarian, or confer with your professor if your specific data set does not contain the elements needed to draft a useful citation. In general, it’s better to include more information than called for than to leave out information that could help the reader locate data you cite.

Examples - APA Style

Unless otherwise noted, the basic elements and guidelines described here are from the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th edition (McHenry Reference Desk BF 76.7 .P83 2010).  You may also wish to consult the Purdue OWL  or How to Cite Data from Michigan State University for MLA examples and explanations.

1. Include format type in brackets [ ] to describe format , not title information (e.g. data set, data file and codebook).  [See APA guidelines for "Nonroutine information in titles" (pp. 186)]

2. Use “Available from” if the URL or DOI points you to a website or information on how to obtain or download data at a general site that houses data sets. Use “Retrieved from” if the URL or DOI takes you directly to the data table or database. (APA Style Manual, 2001 ed ., pp.281 or  Purdue OWL Electronic Sources : Data Sets)

Basic Elements:  [Follow APA guidelines for "Data set" (pp. 210-211) or online from MSU ] 

Author/Rightsholder, A. A. (Year). Title of publication or data set  (Version number if available) [Data File]. Retrieved from (or available from) http://xxxx

The title of the data set should be italicized unless the data set is included as part of a larger work or volume

The World Bank, World Development Indicators (2012). GNI per capita, Atlas method  [Data file]. Retrieved from http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GNP.PCAP.CD

Example of  Table generated from an interactive data set:

Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Department of Commerce (2013).  U.S. Direct Investment Abroad, All U.S. Parent Companies 2009-2010 . [Data file].  Available from BEA.gov/iTable 

II. Table from a publication  

Basic Elements: [Follow APA guidelines for "entry in a reference work" (p. 205)] 

Author. (Year). Title of entry. In Editor (Edition),  Title of publication  (pp. xxx-xxx). Retrieved from http:// OR Location: Publisher OR doi:xxxx.

Example: (Note: Editor & Edition elements are not applicable in this example)

World Trade Organization. (2012). Table I.3: World merchandise trade and trade in commercial services by region and selected economy, 2005-2011.  In International Trade Statistics, 2012  (p. 22).  Retrieved from: http://www.wto.org/english/res_e/statis_e/its2012_e/its12_toc_e.htm

The title of the data set should be italicized unless the data set is included as part of a larger work or volume , as in the example above.  

Quick Guides to Citing Data

• ICPSR: How to Cite Data
• IASSIST Quick Guide to Citing Data
• How to Cite Data - Michigan State University A longer guide with many examples of how to cite datasets and statistical tables
• Writing with Statistics - Purdue OWL Explains how to properly incorporate statistics into a paper, including inferential and descriptive statistics, and using visuals: tables, graphs, and charts
• Census Data & Tables (American Factfinder)

What is a DOI?

DOI stands for Digital Object Identifier and is a unique number used to precisely locate electronic items like webpages, articles, files, etc.  A DOI is persistent, which means it does not "break" the way a URL can when a website is updated.

• See: What is a DOI? (ICPSR)
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The land on which we gather is the unceded territory of the Awaswas-speaking Uypi Tribe. The Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, comprised of the descendants of indigenous people taken to missions Santa Cruz and San Juan Bautista during Spanish colonization of the Central Coast, is today working hard to restore traditional stewardship practices on these lands and heal from historical trauma.

The land acknowledgement used at UC Santa Cruz was developed in partnership with the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band Chairman and the Amah Mutsun Relearning Program at the UCSC Arboretum .

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Guidelines and Tools for Citing Data

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Data citation is an invaluable tool of scholarly work. For authors of datasets, it is important that they receive attribution for their work. Citing data also allows readers to locate, access and reuse the data for their own use or for replication.

When citing data, the following components should be used:

• Author name(s)
• Title or name of dataset
• Publication or release date
• Publisher name (i.e. database, repository)
• Edition, version, volume, vintage
• Software used for analysis
• Access information (URL, unique identifier, access date)

Always try to provide as much information as possible.

There is no one standard method for citing data. Many of the data repositories, archives, distributors or publishers have provided their own guidelines to assist researchers.

• Dataverse :  ​ Hanmer, Michael J.; Banks, Antoine J., White, Ismail K., 2013, "Replication data for: Experiments to Reduce the Over-reporting of Voting: A Pipeline to the Truth", http://dx.doi.org/10.7910/DVN/22893 , Harvard Dataverse, V2 [UNF:5:eJOVAjDU0E0jzSQ2bRCg9g==]
• Dryad : Sidlauskas, B. 2007. Data from: Testing for unequal rates of morphological diversification in the absence of a detailed phylogeny: a case study from characiform fishes. Dryad Digital Repository. doi:10.5061/dryad.20
• Zenodo : Franco, Luis et al (2013). "interactive" version of data associated with the eLife paper "Integrative genomic analysis of the human immune response to influenza vaccination." eLife: (2013) pp. 00299. 10.5281/zenodo.6960
• Roper Center

See also the DOI Citation Formatter from CrossRef

Note: Some sites may require further attribution such as the GES DISC .

Bibliographic & Data Citation Tools

Further Reading

Peter Buneman, "How to cite curated databases and how to make them citable," ssdbm, pp.195-203, 18th International Conference on Scientific and Statistical Database Management (SSDBM'06), 2006. Retrieved from http://homepages.inf.ed.ac.uk/opb/papers/ssdbm2006.pdf . Altman, M., & King, G. (2007). A proposed standard for the scholarly citation of quantitative data. D-Lib Magazine , 13(3/4).  Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1045/march2007-altman Green, T. (2009). We need publishing standards for datasets and data tables. OECD Publishing White Paper. Paris: OECD Publishing. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/603233448430

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Harvard University Digital Accessibility Policy

Columbia University Libraries

Data citation: data citation, data citation.

Data sources require citation just as any other type of publication.  Citation provides due acknowledgement to the original creator, and allows other researchers to find, verify and reuse data. 

There are not universal standards for the citation of data sets, although style guides increasingly provide guidance.  General guidelines for citation strategy should include:

Author – Who created the Data.

Title – What is the name of the data set or study?

Date of publication

Edition or version

Publisher and Place of publication

Distributor – if different from publisher

Format - What type of file or media is it?

Persistent Identifier – is there a web address this is available at? May be Digital Object Identifier or Uniform Resource Locator.

Examples from various style guides

APA (6th edition)

Minimum requirements based on instructions and example for dataset reference:

Milberger, S. (2002).  Evaluation of violence against women with physical disabilities in Michigan, 2000-2001  (ICPSR version) [data file and codebook]. doi:10.3886/ICPSR03414

With optional elements:

Milberger, S. (2002).  Evaluation of violence against women with physical disabilities in Michigan, 2000-2001  (ICPSR version) [data file and codebook]. Detroit: Wayne State University [producer]. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor]. doi:10.3886/ICPSR03414

MLA (7th edition)

Minimum requirements based on instructions and examples for books and web publications:

Milberger, Sharon.  Evaluation of Violence Against Women With Physical Disabilities in Michigan, 2000-2001 . ICPSR version. Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research, 2002. Web. 19 May 2011.

Milberger, Sharon.  Evaluation of Violence Against Women With Physical Disabilities in Michigan, 2000-2001 . ICPSR version. Detroit: Wayne State U [producer]. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2002. Web. 19 May 2011. doi:10.3886/ICPSR03414

Chicago (16th edition)

Bibliography style (based on documentation for books):

Milberger, Sharon.  Evaluation of Violence Against Women With Physical Disabilities in Michigan, 2000-2001 . ICPSR version. Detroit: Wayne State University, 2002. Distributed by Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research, 2002. doi:10.3886/ICPSR03414.

Author-Date style:

Milberger, Sharon. 2002.  Evaluation of Violence Against Women With Physical Disabilities in Michigan, 2000-2001 . ICPSR version. Detroit: Wayne State University. Distributed by Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research. doi:10.3886/ICPSR03414.

American Chemical Society's Style for Printed Data Sets Rind, D. 1994. General Circulation Model Output Data Set. IGBP PAGES/World Data Center for Paleoclimatology Data Contribution Series #1994-012. NOAA/NCDC Paleoclimatology Program, Boulder, Colorado, USA.

G eoscience  Information Society's Style for Data Sets  Defosse, G.E., and M. Bertiller. 1998. NPP Grassland: Media Luna, Argentina, 1981-1983. Data set. Available on-line [http://www.daac.ornl.gov/] from Oak Ridge National Laboratory Distributed Active Archive Center, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, U.S.A.

Tables, charts, graphs, maps, or figures appearing in a publication United States Bureau of the Census. "Table 151. Retail Prescription Drug Sales: 1995 to 2007."  Statistical Abstract of the United States. Year: 2009. http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/tables/09s0151.pdf. Accessed: 11/4/09.

Interactive Database with static URLs United States Bureau of the Census. "P3. RACE [71] - Universe: Total Population." Dataset: Summary File 1.  American FactFinder.  Year: 2000. http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DTTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=01000US&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U&-_lang=en&-mt_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U_P003&-format=&-CONTEXT=dt. Accessed: 11/04/09.

Interactive Database without static URLs Bureau of Economic Analysis. "Per Capita real GDP by state (chained 2000 dollars)." Dataset: Gross Domestic Product by State. Parameters: all industry total, 2008, all states and regions.  Regional Economic Accounts. Date Generated: 11/04/09.

Links/ Other Guides

Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) 

Geoscience Information Society

Michigan State University Libraries  

University of Minnesota Libraries

GIS/Metadata Librarian

Lehman Library

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Data Citation

Benefits of citing data.

Proper citation of data sources has both immediate and long term benefits to users and producers of data. “Data citation is the practice of referencing data products used in research. A data citation includes key descriptive information about the data, such as the title, source, and responsible parties.” ( USGS )

Benefits for data producers

• provides proper attribution and credit
• creates a bibliographic “trail”, connecting publications and supporting data, and establishing a timeline of publication and usage
• demonstrates the impact of their work and establishes research data as an important contribution to the scholarly record

Benefits for data users

• citation makes it easier to find datasets
• supports persistence of datasets
• encourages the reuse of data for new research questions

Benefits for everyone

• increases transparency and reproducibility

Components of a data citation

Citing data is very similar to citing publications; there are many “correct” formats to use, but we suggest including the following important information:

• creator(s) or contributor(s)
• date of publication
• title of dataset
• identifier (e.g. Handle, ARK, DOI) or URL of source
• version, when appropriate
• date accessed, when appropriate

The order of the information is not as important as having sufficient information to find the data set(s) used. Consider the style guidelines of the research domain or lab group, data source, or preferred publisher (see related information ).

A suggested citation format may be specified by some publishers, with specific additional information (e.g. resource type, retrieval data, funder/sponsor). They may also request citation of related publication(s) along with the data. Be sure to review citation style guides carefully. When citation formats are not specified, you can follow your discipline’s scholarly citation style. The next section provides examples of common repository styles, as well as APA/MLA/Chicago styles.

Examples of data citation styles

The Digital Curation Centre (DCC) provides additional guidance on  how to cite datasets and link to publications .

Related information

• The Austin Principles  (Linguistics Data Citation)
• Dataset and Software References and Citation Examples  (American Meteorological Society (AMS)) 
• Data Citation  (Australian National Data Service (ANDS))
• Data Citation  (United States Geological Survey (USGS)) 
• Data Citation Guidelines for Earth Science Data Version 2  (Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP), 2019)
• Data Citation Standards and Practices  (CODATA-ICSTI)
• Data Citation Synthesis Group: Joint Declaration of Data Citation Principles  (FORCE11) 
• Get Recognition: Data Citation  (The DataVerse Network) 
• Data Citation (DataONE) 

Cite Your Sources

• Get Started
• Avoid Plagiarism
• Organize Your Citations
• Create Annotated Bibliographies
• Cite Sources In-Text
• Citation Styles
• How to Cite: Articles
• How to Cite: Books

How to Cite Data

Helpful data citation websites.

• How to Cite: Websites
• How to Cite: Other Sources
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QUICK GUIDE TO

DATA CITATION

identify * retrieve * attribute

CITING DATA

Citing datasets used in published research is just as important as citing journal articles, books, and other sources that contributed to the research.

By citing your use of a dataset, you are supporting the reproducibility of your research and attributing credit to those who provided the data-including datasets that you have created yourself. Citations also allow for tracking reuse and measuring impact.

Instructions for citation styles do not consistently provide examples for dataset citations. This guide will help you determine the citation elements to include. Refer to your author guidelines or style guide to properly arrange and format these citation elements. Many data providers also recommend their preferred citation or supply an example.

Be sure to provide enough information in your citation so that the reader can identify, retrieve, and access the same unique dataset you have used.

ELEMENTS OF DATA CITATION

Author:  Name(s) of each individual 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.

These are the minimum elements required for dataset identification and retrieval. Fewer or additional elements may be requested by author guidelines or style manuals. Be sure to include as many elements as needed to precisely identify the dataset you have used.

FOR EXAMPLE

Arrange these elements following the order and punctuation specified by your style guide. If examples for datasets are not provided, the format for books is generally considered a generic format that can be modified for other source types.

APA (6th edition)

Smith, T.W., Marsden, P.V., & Hout, M. (2011).  General social survey, 1972-2010 cumulative file (ICPSR31521-v1) [data file and codebook]. Chicago, IL: National Opinion Research Center [producer]. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor]. doi: 10.3886/ICPSR31521.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. 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

IASSIST (International Association for Social Science Information Services &  Technology)   https://www.icpsr.umich.edu/files/ICPSR/enewsletters/iassist2.html   This work by IASSIST SIGDC is  licensed under a Creative Commons  Attribution 3.0 United States.

• DataCite Locate, identify, and cite research data with the leading global provider of DOIs for research data.
• Cite Your Data | DataCite Why is it so important to cite data?
• How To Cite Data sets and Link to Publications | DCC Data Citation Guide from the Digital Curation Centre (DCC)
• How to Cite a Data Set in APA Style | APA Style Blog Includes reference and in-text citation examples.
• Data Citation | USGS Citation tips from the U.S. Geological Survey.
• How to Cite Data & Statistics | University of Michigan Library Research Guides How to cite datasets, statistical tables, and how to write with statistics.
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How to Cite Data: Key Components

Why cite data, key components of a data citation, other possible elements, citing scraped data.

• Numeric Data
• Geospatial Data
• Additional Resources

Library Data Services

Library Data Services  caters to researchers interested in working with data, mapping, texts, visualization, and technology. Many of these services are available online. Davis Library Data Services, located on the second floor of Davis Library, offers:

• A computing lab with  specialized software  for GIS and data visualization & analysis.
• Walk-in assistance provided by knowledgeable student consultants during set  hours . 
• Consultations with  specialists  for more in-depth inquiries (by appointment).
• Spaces  for collaboration and presentation, complete with white boards and external displays.
• Technology short courses and programs that promote digital scholarship.

When you collect your own data, citing its location makes it possible for others to find them and extend your research, raising your profile as a researcher. ICPSR provides a good overview of the importance of data citation :

"Citing data files in publications based on those data is important for several reasons:

• Other researchers may want to replicate research findings and need the bibliographic information provided in citations to identify and locate the referenced data.
• Citations appearing in publication references are harvested by key electronic social sciences indexes, such as Web of Science, providing credit to the researchers.
• Data producers, funding agencies, and others can track citations to specific collections to determine types and levels of usage, thus measuring impact."

If you're using data you didn't gather yourself, citing your source is just as important as citing your other research sources. For other scholars to be able to examine and extend your work, they must be able to  find the original data .

Consequently, although most style guides do not include examples for citing data, consider the key components and other elements at right and work them into the style you're using.

Note that the elements provided here all refer to datasets that have been either published in some way, or deposited in a repository.  It is more difficult to cite data that have not been preserved or fixed in some way. 

If you plan to scrape data, FIRST CONTACT DIGITAL RESEARCH SERVICES to be sure you are not violating the legal license terms under which we operate.  You will also need to explore if copyright and licensing terms allow you to preserve and/or share the data you obtain in this manner.

Once you are sure you have permission to scrape, preserve and/or share, make a plan for how to share this information with other researchers.

You may want to

• Deposit and cite the data you scraped, and
• Deposit the script(s) you used to scrape them in figshare or Zenodo , and cite  them.  (Both of these repositories can assign Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs), to both software [i.e., scripts] and datasets, making them easier and more reliable to cite.)

If you are scraping web pages (as opposed to database content), you should cite a list of all the urls you scraped.  You may also wish to make sure all scraped pages are archived by the WayBackMachine so that they continue to be accessible in the format you encountered despite later changes.

Thanks to Sebastian Karcher of the Qualitative Data Archive for much of this advice.

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Citing Data and Statistics

Whether you use a numeric dataset or a prepared statistical table from an existing source (print or electronic), you need to cite the source of your information. 

• Please see the Citing Data page of our Data and Statistics guide.

Also, below are some useful websites about citing data.

• Citing Data from ICPSR
• Data Citation Resorces from IASSIST
• Cite Your Data from DataCite
• How to Cite Datasets + Link to Publications from DCC (Digital Curation Centre)
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How Should I Cite Data & Statistics?

Data Basics is a module in Data-Planet that provides resources and examples for citing datasets and statistics when incorporating them into research.

Includes examples from APA, MLA, and Chicago styles.

A comprehensive guide with examples from Michigan State University Libraries.

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Citing sources: Cite data

• Citation style guides

Manage your references

Use these tools to help you organize and cite your references:

• Citation Management and Writing Tools

If you have questions after consulting this guide about how to cite, please contact your advisor/professor or the writing and communication center .

Cite data in your paper/presentation so that you can:

• Give the data producer appropriate credit
• Enable readers of your work to access the data, for their own use and to replicate your results
• Fulfills some publisher requirements

Include in your citation:

• Year of publication
• Publisher or distributor
• URL, identifier, or other access location

Using citation software or style guides ? In Endnote use the reference type for "dataset." If you're using Mendeley or Zotero, make due with using other more generic reference type templates and fill in the essentials for your dataset.

Cite data: examples

Want detailed guidelines for citing data?  See:

• Quick Guide to Data Citation (IASSIST)
• How to Cite Data (MSU)
• How to Cite Datasets and Link to Publications (DCC)

Examples of data citations include:

• Bachman, Jerald G., Lloyd D. Johnston, and Patrick M. O'Malley. Monitoring the Future: A Continuing Study of American Youth (12th-Grade Survey), 1998 [Computer file]. Conducted by University of Michigan, Survey Research Center. ICPSR02751-v1. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [producer and distributor], 2006-05-15. http://dx.doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR02751 .
• ASTER Global Digital Elevation Model, version 1, ASTGTM_N11E122_num.tif, ASTGTM_N11E123_num.tif, Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) of Japan and NASA, downloaded from https://wist.echo.nasa.gov/api/ , October 27, 2009
• Cite a subject archive entry, e.g.: Genbank accession number, available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov .

Data archives may provide guidelines on how to cite the data, e.g.,:

• Data catalogs like the Harvard Dataverse Network and ICPSR have standard citations included in the study record.
• ICPSR: Why and how should I cite data?
• How to Cite Roper Center Data
• Dryad Good Data Practices
• Earth Science Information Partner Federation Data Stewardship/Citations
• NOAA Paleoclimatology Program: Data Citation
• PANGEA Citation
• Citing and linking to the Gene Expression Omnibus (NCBI) database

Cite data using Zotero

As Zotero lacks an "item type" for datasets, enter the citation in the system as a "Document," depending upon if/how the data producer provides a recommended citation; either:

• Export an RIS file and import this file into Zotero
• Copy and paste the information from a recommended citation into a new Zotero item with the type "Document"
• Otherwise, use the "Document" item type to add the components of the citation
• << Previous: Citation style guides
• Last Updated: Jan 16, 2024 7:02 AM
• URL: https://libguides.mit.edu/citing

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Citing Data |  Data Availability Statements | Citing Code

Cite Your Own Data

Are you publishing a paper referencing your research data? Include a reference to your data in the text of the paper with a data availability statement and add a data citation to your references section.

This will ensure that the data citation becomes part of the scholarly record and provides pathways for others to find your work. Research funders also want you to share data and a citation is proof of your data being shared.

If you are depositing data with the UI, we can reserve a DOI for your dataset, so you can include it in the article submission. We can also assist with sharing and publishing data.  More here

Cite Others’ Data

Give credit to other data sources when you use them, just as you do when using published literature. Whether for a paper or a presentation, it’s important to cite the data files used.

Citation Elements for Data

A data citation should include at least the following elements. The specific information will depend on established practices in your research field, as well as the type of data, the repository you use, and the citation style of the publication.

• Responsible party (i.e., investigator, sample collector, creator)
• Title of dataset
• Date of publication of the dataset
• Version, when appropriate
• Name of data center, repository, and/or publication
• Analysis software, if required
• Date accessed
• Identifier (e.g., DOI or other persistent link)

Tip: Citation formatters If you have a DOI, you can use the CrossCite DOI data citation formatter  or the  DataCite citation formatter  to create citations corresponding to a variety of citation styles.

Most data repositories will provide a suggested citation for their datasets. Some will also request that you cite the related publication(s) along with the data. Follow the most appropriate format while meeting the requirements of the data creators and repositories.

Guidelines and Examples

Citation style guides/manuals are beginning to include data as a resource type. The Citation Formatters (above) will provide the information in a style that approximates style requirements, so you may want to confirm that those generated citations completely follow a particular citation style guide.

Here are some examples of guidelines:

• American Geophysical Union (AGU)  author guidelines  for citing data sets
• Federation of Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP) Interagency Data Stewardship/Citations
• Citing and linking to the Gene Expression Omnibus (NCBI) database
• Using data in  Dryad
• The Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) provides recommended citation procedures
• DataCite citation examples

Data Availability Statements

If you’re publishing an article using your research data, the journal may require a data availability statement that briefly describes if and how readers can access the data that informs the research. The chart below shows some sample language you might use for a data availability statement. More examples of template data availability statements, which include examples of openly available and restricted access datasets, are from several publishers, including Taylor & Francis and Cambridge University Press .

The chart above is adapted from the article cited below and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (CC-BY): Hrynaszkiewicz, I, Simons, N, Hussain, A, Grant, R and Goudie, S. 2020. “Developing a Research Data Policy Framework for All Journals and Publishers.” Data Science Journal , DOI: http://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2020-005

Citing code (your own and that of others) is equally important as citing data, and for similar reasons: you’re providing appropriate credit, facilitating reproducibility, and ensuring future researchers can find and use the code.

Citation Elements for Code

• Creator (i.e., authors or organization who developed the software)
• Date of publication
• Publisher (e.g., repository name)

The Force11 Software Citation Implementation Working Group has created principles for software citation. Their GitHub page shows examples of citing software in both APA and Chicago Style.

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• How to Cite a Website | MLA, APA & Chicago Examples

How to Cite a Website | MLA, APA & Chicago Examples

Published on March 5, 2021 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on January 17, 2024.

To cite a page from a website, you need a short in-text citation and a corresponding reference stating the author’s name, the date of publication, the title of the page, the website name, and the URL.

This information is presented differently in different citation styles. APA , MLA , and Chicago are the most commonly used styles.

Use the interactive example generator below to explore APA and MLA website citations.

Note that the format is slightly different for citing YouTube and other online video platforms, or for citing an image .

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Table of contents

Citing a website in mla style, citing a website in apa style, citing a website in chicago style, frequently asked questions about citations.

An MLA Works Cited entry for a webpage lists the author’s name , the title of the page (in quotation marks), the name of the site (in italics), the date of publication, and the URL.

The in-text citation usually just lists the author’s name. For a long page, you may specify a (shortened) section heading to locate the specific passage. Don’t use paragraph numbers unless they’re specifically numbered on the page.

The same format is used for blog posts and online articles from newspapers and magazines.

You can also use our free MLA Citation Generator to generate your website citations.

Generate accurate MLA citations with Scribbr

Citing a whole website.

When you cite an entire website rather than a specific page, include the author if one can be identified for the whole site (e.g. for a single-authored blog). Otherwise, just start with the site name.

List the copyright date displayed on the site; if there isn’t one, provide an access date after the URL.

Webpages with no author or date

When no author is listed, cite the organization as author only if it differs from the website name.

If the organization name is also the website name, start the Works Cited entry with the title instead, and use a shortened version of the title in the in-text citation.

When no publication date is listed, leave it out and include an access date at the end instead.

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

An APA reference for a webpage lists the author’s last name and initials, the full date of publication, the title of the page (in italics), the website name (in plain text), and the URL.

The in-text citation lists the author’s last name and the year. If it’s a long page, you may include a locator to identify the quote or paraphrase (e.g. a paragraph number and/or section title).

Note that a general reference to an entire website doesn’t require a citation in APA Style; just include the URL in parentheses after you mention the site.

You can also use our free APA Citation Generator to create your webpage citations. Search for a URL to retrieve the details.

Generate accurate APA citations with Scribbr

Blog posts and online articles.

Blog posts follow a slightly different format: the title of the post is not italicized, and the name of the blog is.

The same format is used for online newspaper and magazine articles—but not for articles from news sites like Reuters and BBC News (see the previous example).

When a page has no author specified, list the name of the organization that created it instead (and omit it later if it’s the same as the website name).

When it doesn’t list a date of publication, use “n.d.” in place of the date. You can also include an access date if the page seems likely to change over time.

In Chicago notes and bibliography style, footnotes are used to cite sources. They refer to a bibliography at the end that lists all your sources in full.

A Chicago bibliography entry for a website lists the author’s name, the page title (in quotation marks), the website name, the publication date, and the URL.

Chicago also has an alternative author-date citation style . Examples of website citations in this style can be found here .

For blog posts and online articles from newspapers, the name of the publication is italicized. For a blog post, you should also add the word “blog” in parentheses, unless it’s already part of the blog’s name.

When a web source doesn’t list an author , you can usually begin your bibliography entry and short note with the name of the organization responsible. Don’t repeat it later if it’s also the name of the website. A full note should begin with the title instead.

When no publication or revision date is shown, include an access date instead in your bibliography entry.

The main elements included in website citations across APA , MLA , and Chicago style are the author, the date of publication, the page title, the website name, and the URL. The information is presented differently in each style.

In APA , MLA , and Chicago style citations for sources that don’t list a specific author (e.g. many websites ), you can usually list the organization responsible for the source as the author.

If the organization is the same as the website or publisher, you shouldn’t repeat it twice in your reference:

• In APA and Chicago, omit the website or publisher name later in the reference.
• In MLA, omit the author element at the start of the reference, and cite the source title instead.

If there’s no appropriate organization to list as author, you will usually have to begin the citation and reference entry with the title of the source instead.

When you want to cite a specific passage in a source without page numbers (e.g. an e-book or website ), all the main citation styles recommend using an alternate locator in your in-text citation . You might use a heading or chapter number, e.g. (Smith, 2016, ch. 1)

In APA Style , you can count the paragraph numbers in a text to identify a location by paragraph number. MLA and Chicago recommend that you only use paragraph numbers if they’re explicitly marked in the text.

For audiovisual sources (e.g. videos ), all styles recommend using a timestamp to show a specific point in the video when relevant.

Check if your university or course guidelines specify which citation style to use. If the choice is left up to you, consider which style is most commonly used in your field.

• APA Style is the most popular citation style, widely used in the social and behavioral sciences.
• MLA style is the second most popular, used mainly in the humanities.
• Chicago notes and bibliography style is also popular in the humanities, especially history.
• Chicago author-date style tends to be used in the sciences.

Other more specialized styles exist for certain fields, such as Bluebook and OSCOLA for law.

The most important thing is to choose one style and use it consistently throughout your text.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

Caulfield, J. (2024, January 17). How to Cite a Website | MLA, APA & Chicago Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved June 18, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/citing-sources/cite-a-website/

Is this article helpful?

Jack Caulfield

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APA Style (7th Edition)

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In this section

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How to Cite - Tools, Tricks, & Tips for Managing Citations: Cite Data or Statistics

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Citing Data

What do i need to cite data or statistics.

Data requires citations for the same reasons journal articles and other types of publications require citations: to acknowledge the original author/producer and to help other researchers find the resource.

Some style manuals provide instructions for the citation of data, and selected examples are listed below. If the style manual you are using does not address data citations, you can follow these general rules below. Be sure to follow the general citation format for the style manual your professor has asked you to use. It is always better to provide more information about a resource rather than less!

These are the citation elements you need to consider when building a data citation:

Author : Who is the creator of the data set?  This can be an individual, a group of individuals, or an organization.

Title : What name is the data set called, or what is the name of the study? 

Edition or Version : Is there a version or edition number associated with the data set?

Date : What year was the data set published?  When was the data set posted online?

Editor : Is there a person or team responsible for compiling or editing the data set?

Publisher and/or Distributor : What entity is responsible for producing and/or distributing the data set?  Also, is there a physical location associated with the publisher? 

In some cases, the publisher of a data set is different than how we think of the publisher of a book.  A data set can have both a producer and a distributor.

The producer is the organization that sponsored the author’s research and/or the organization that made the creation of the data set possible, such as codifying and digitizing the data.

The distributor is the organization that makes the data set available for downloading and use. 

You may need to distinguish the producer and the distributor in a citation by adding explanatory brackets, e.g., [producer] and [distributor].

Some citation styles (e.g., APA) do not require listing the publisher if an electronic retrieval location is available.  However, you may consider including the most complete citation information possible and retaining publisher information even in the case of electronic resources.

Material Designation : What type of file is the data set? 

For example, is it on CD-ROM or online?

This may or may not be a required field depending on the style manual.  Often this information is added in explanatory brackets, e.g. [computer file].

Electronic Location or Identifier : What web address is the data set available at?  Is there a persistent identifier available? 

If a DOI or other persistent identifier is associated with the data set it should be used in place of the URL.

Examples with the General Rules

• APA 7th Citation Style
• Chicago Citation Style
• MLA 7th Citation Style

Minimum requirements based on instructions and example for dataset reference:

With optional elements:

Bibliography style (based on documentation for books):

Author-Date Style

Minimum requirements based on instructions and examples for books and web publications.

More Examples of Citing Data and Statistics

• Data - Style Manual Examples
• Data - Archive Examples
• Data - Publisher Examples
• Statistical Tables - Style Manual Examples
• Statistical Tables - Government Reports Examples

APA 6th edition

Basic form: Author/Rightsholder. (Year). Title of data set (Version number) [Description of form]. Location: Name of producer. or Author/Rightsholder. (Year). Title of data set (Version number) [Description of form]. Retrieved from http://  

Example:   Pew Hispanic Center. (2008).  2007 Hispanic Healthcare Survey  [Data file and code book]. Retrieved from http://pewhispanic.org/datasets/

Unpublished raw data from study, untitled work

Basic form:   Author, F. N. (Year). [Description of study topic]. Unpublished raw data.

Example: Smith, J.A. (2006). [Personnel survey]. Unpublished raw data.

APA Style Guide to Electronic References

Pew Hispanic Center. (2008).  2007 Hispanic Healthcare Survey  [Data file and code book]. Available from Pew Hispanic Center Web site: http://pewhispanic.org/datasets/

Note: Available from, rather than Retrieved from, indicates that the URL takes you to a download site, rather than directly to the data set file itself.

Graphic Representation of Data

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2005). [Interactive map showing percentage of respondents reporting "no" to, During the past month, did you participate in any physical activities?]. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Retrieved from http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/gisbrfss/default.aspx

APA 5th edition

APSA Style Manual for Political Science

For a complete description of citation guidelines refer to the  APSA Style Manual for Political Science .

Data Archived and Available at the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR)

Eldersveld, Samuel J., John E. Jackson, M. Kent Jennings, Kenneth Lieberthal, Melanie Manion, Michael Oksenberg, Zhefu Chen, Hefeng He, Mingming Shen, Qingkui Xie, Ming Yang, and Fengchun Yang. 1996. Four-County Study of Chinese Local Government and Political Economy, 1990 [computer file] (Study #6805). ICPSR version. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan/Beijing, China: Beijing University [producers], 1994. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 1996.

American Sociological Association Style Guide

Machine-Readable Data Files

CBS News. 2009.  CBS News Poll: Energy USCBS2009-02A Version 2  [ MRDF]. New York: CBS News [producer]. Storrs, CT: The Roper Center for Public Opinion Research, University of Connecticut [distributor].

ICPSR Data Archive

Duncan, Otis D., and Howard Schuman. Detroit Area Study, 1971: Social Problems and Social Change in Detroit [Computer file]. ICPSR07325-v2. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 1997. doi:10.3886/ICPSR07325

Read the FAQ page,  Why and How Should I Cite Data? , for additional information on citing ICPSR datasets, as well this Quick Guide to Data Citation .

Manuscripts and dissertations based on ICPSR data should be submitted for inclusion in the ICPSR  Bibliography of Data-Related Literature .

Roper Center for Public Opinion Research Data Archive

Cable News Network & USA Today. Gallup/CNN/USA Today Poll: Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina [computer file]. 1st Roper Center for Public Opinion Research version. Lincoln, NE: Gallup Organization [producer], 2006. Storrs, CT: The Roper Center, University of Connecticut [distributor], 2006.

Read the  How to Cite Roper Center data  page for additional information.

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Dataverse Network

Gary King; Langche Zeng, 2006, "Replication Data Set for 'When Can History be Our Guide? The Pitfalls of Counterfactual Inference'"  hdl:1902.1/DXRXCFAWPK  UNF:3:DaYlT6QSX9r0D50ye+tXpA== Murray Research Archive [distributor]

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National Center for Education Statistics

Kroe, E. (2002).  Data File (Public-Use): Public Libraries Survey, Fiscal Year 1994  (NCES 2003–304). U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Washington, DC: 2002.

Holton, B., and George, A. (2007). Data File and Documentation, Public Use: Academic Libraries Survey (ALS): Fiscal Year 1996 (NCES 2008-318). U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved [date] from http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2008318.

Centers for Disease Control/National Center for Health Statistics

National Center for Health Statistics. National Ambulatory Medical Survey, 1994. Public-use data file and documentation. ftp://ftp.cdc.gov/pub/Health_Statistics/NCHS/. 1996.

Read the Citations for  NCHS Publications and Electronic Media  page for more information.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2005). [Interactive map showing percentage of respondents reporting "no" to, During the past month, did you participate in any physical activities?].  Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System . Retrieved from http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/gisbrfss/default.aspx

Citing Specific Parts of a Source

For in-text citations, indicate the page, chapter, figure, or table within the paranthetical citation.

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(National Center for Education Statistics, 2008, Table 3)

Entry in a Reference Work APA does not provide specific information on how to cite a statistical table, but use this general format to cite part of a source (e.g. a statistical table) in the bibliography.

Author. (Year). Title of entry. In Editor (Eds.),  Title of reference book  (pp. xxx-xxx). Retrieved from http:// OR Location: Publisher OR doi:xxxx.

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2009).  Table 151: Percentage of public and private high school graduates taking selected mathematics and science courses in high school, by sex and race/ethnicity: Selected years, 1982 through 2005. In U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (Ed.),  Digest of Education Statistics  (2009 ed.). Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d09/tables/dt09_151.asp.

American Veterinary Medical Association. (2010). Table 1204: Household Pet Ownership: 2006. In U.S. Census Bureau (Ed.),  Statistical Abstract of the United States  (129th ed.). Retrieved from http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2010/tables/10s1204.pdf

A work in a Reference MLA does not provide specific information on how to cite a statistical table, but use this general format adapted from the rules for citing a work in an anthology (p. 157), an article in a reference work (p. 160), and guidelines for citing electronic materials (p. 181).

Author. "Title of entry."  Title of book . Edition. Ed. Editor's name(s). Place of publication: Publisher, Year. Page range. Medium of publication.

For web publications, add date of access.  URL is optional (MLA 7th no longer requires the use of URLs as an acknowledgement that they change often).

American Veterinary Medical Association. "Table 1204: Household Pet Ownership: 2006."  Statistical Abstract of the United States . 129th ed. Ed. U.S. Census Bureau. Washington D.C.: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010. Web. 14 July 2010. <http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2010/tables/10s1204.pdf>.

Data Table in an Online Statistical Volume

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"Table 385: Unemployment Rate of Persons 16 Years Old and Over, by Age, Sex, Race/Ethnicity, and Highest Degree Attained: 1996, 1997, and 1998" (PDF file; 13 kb). In  Digest of Education Statistics, 1999 . Available at: http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2000/-Digest99/tables/PDF/Table385.pdf; Accessed: 11/25/01.

American FactFinder Table

"Commuting to Work (1990 QT)—State College, PA" Part of:  Quick Table: DP-3—Labor Force Status and Employment Characteristics: 1990 . Data Set: Census of Population and Housing, 1990 (STF 3). Available at American FactFinder (Census Bureau), http://factfinder.census.gov; Accessed: 1/28/01.

" PCT5. Sex by Age:2000—Race or Ethnic Group: Black or African American—Rhode Island ." Data Set: Census, 2000 (SF2). Available at American FactFinder (Census Bureau), http://factfinder.census.gov; Accessed: 1/28/01.

Acknowledgement

This guide is adapted from the How to Cite Data LibGuide  by Hailey Mooney and Scout Calvert (Michigan State University Libraries).

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Dataset repositories, also known as research data repositories , provide researchers with a stable place to store and provide others with access to their research data.

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Some dataset repositories also have their own guidelines and suggestions for how to construct a data citation, which elements to include, and where to find those on the site. Look carefully around the repository's website to see if you can find any information about citing their data.

If you are interested in looking at some research data repositories here is a very short list. Databib maintains a very extensive list of research data repositories if you would like to explore further.

• Abacus Abacus is the Research Data Collection of the British Columbia Research Libraries' Data Services, a collaboration involving the Data Libraries at Simon Fraser University (SFU), the University of British Columbia (UBC), the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) and the University of Victoria (UVic).
• figshare A cloud-based storage system which "allows researchers to publish all of their data in a citable, searchable and sharable manner." NOTE: "all figures, media, poster, papers and multiple file uploads (filesets) are published under a CC-BY license... All datasets are published under CC0 "
• UK Data Service Provides "single point of access to a wide range of secondary data including large-scale government surveys, international macrodata, business microdata, qualitative studies and census data from 1971 to 2011." Mostly UK data, but also includes some data from IGOs like the IMF, OECD and the World Bank.
• ICSPR "An international consortium of more than 700 academic institutions and research organizations....ICPSR maintains a data archive of more than 500,000 files of research in the social sciences. It hosts 16 specialized collections of data in education, aging, criminal justice, substance abuse, terrorism, and other fields."

source: http://wiki.ubc.ca/Library:How_to_Cite_Data

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Ye (Nicole) Yang, Julie L Ozanne, Marcus Phipps, Using Cultural Repertoires during Unsettled Times, Journal of Consumer Research , 2024;, ucae036, https://doi.org/10.1093/jcr/ucae036

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This research draws on the theory of culture in action, which explains how consumers selectively mobilize their cultural repertoires to understand and solve daily problems. Contemporary life, however, is increasingly unsettled, challenging the adequacy of consumers’ repertoires and how they use existing institutional cultural resources. This qualitative study identifies four ways that consumers use their cultural repertoires and institutional resources during unsettled times. Formulaic uses are when consumers mobilize familiar cultural tools and existing resources to resettle. Versatile uses are when consumers develop new cultural tools to transform while working within demanding institutional resources. Freewheeling uses are when consumers mobilize familiar cultural tools for play but rework institutional resources to be less demanding. Finally, troubleshooting uses are when consumers extend their existing cultural tools to suffice but reject institutional resources. These varied uses of culture capture how consumers either mobilize or develop their cultural repertoires and institutional resources to serve different ends. This study provides a more dynamic, pragmatic, and nuanced explanation of how consumers summon culture to solve problems during unsettled times. A conceptual model explains this process, and the discussion highlights the theoretical contributions.

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Interventions for Children and Adolescents With High Body Mass Index—Implementing the Recommendations in Clinical Practice

• 1 Center for Better Health and Nutrition and Heart Institute, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio
• 2 Division of Endocrinology, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio
• Editorial Treatment Interventions for Child and Adolescent Obesity Thomas N. Robinson, MD, MPH; Sarah C. Armstrong, MD JAMA
• US Preventive Services Task Force USPSTF Recommendation: Interventions for High Body Mass Index in Children and Adolescents US Preventive Services Task Force; Wanda K. Nicholson, MD, MPH, MBA; Michael Silverstein, MD, MPH; John B. Wong, MD; David Chelmow, MD; Tumaini Rucker Coker, MD, MBA; Esa M. Davis, MD, MPH; Katrina E. Donahue, MD, MPH; Carlos Roberto Jaén, MD, PhD, MS; Marie Krousel-Wood, MD, MSPH; Sei Lee, MD, MAS; Li Li, MD, PhD, MPH; Goutham Rao, MD; John M. Ruiz, PhD; James Stevermer, MD, MSPH; Joel Tsevat, MD, MPH; Sandra Millon Underwood, PhD, RN; Sarah Wiehe, MD, MPH JAMA
• US Preventive Services Task Force USPSTF Review: Interventions for Weight Management in Children and Adolescents Elizabeth A. O’Connor, PhD; Corinne V. Evans, MPP; Michelle Henninger, PhD; Nadia Redmond, MSPH; Caitlyn A. Senger, MPH JAMA

The pediatric obesity epidemic continues to assail our nation’s youth, with 1 in 5 children and adolescents affected by obesity, based on 2020 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 1 Given the metabolic disease burden associated with pediatric obesity, clinical and research endeavors to identify evidence-based interventions continue at a rapid pace. Data regarding intensive lifestyle therapy (ILT), pharmacotherapy, and bariatric surgery interventions 2 , 3 have changed the landscape of treatment for pediatric patients in the past decade. In the past 4 years specifically, we have seen a rapid increase in pharmacotherapy options approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for pediatric weight management. As a result, clinicians treating youth with obesity, both in primary and tertiary care, continue to look to professional organizations for how and when to utilize newer therapeutic options.

The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) reassessed their 2017 recommendations on management of high body mass index (BMI; calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared) (≥95th percentile) among children and adolescents. In their updated 2024 statement, the USPSTF reaffirmed the importance of comprehensive ILT targeting pediatric obesity in children aged 6 years and older stating with moderate certainty that these interventions have a moderate net benefit (grade B statement). 4 , 5 Screening for obesity with BMI calculations was removed from recommendation, as it is now a routine part of clinical care. Furthermore, the recommendation reaffirmed the need for contact between patients and ILT practitioners to be frequent, with the data supporting at least 26 contact hours over 3 to 12 months. 4 , 5 The USPSTF found inadequate evidence on the benefits of pharmacotherapy in youth with obesity, encouraging clinicians to use ILT as the primary intervention. 4 , 5

Twenty-six contact hours of ILT equates to weekly, 1-hour sessions for 6 months. 6 The evidence supports that, in general, the more contact hours, the better the weight outcomes. While ILT with at least 26 contact hours is associated with significant improvement in BMI (mean BMI difference,−0.8; 95% CI, −1.2 to −0.4), interventions with at least 52 contact hours are associated with a stronger and more consistent BMI reduction (mean BMI difference, −2.0; 95% CI, −4.0 to −0.1). 4 , 5 Identification of the necessary dose to improve outcomes is tremendously helpful in setting the bar for clinicians and families. However, this number can also be disheartening, given the limited capacity of staff, resources, and funding in clinical programs. How can health care practitioners supplement clinical care to meet this 26-hour threshold? The key may be the physical activity component. The inclusion of physical activity sessions during behavioral intervention studies was associated with significantly greater reductions in BMI, as stated in the USPSTF evidence review. 4 , 5 These sessions varied in frequency (1-2 times per week), intensity, and type. Given the variability in sessions within studies, athletics participation could be prescribed by weight management practitioners to bridge the gap between clinical care and the 26-hour threshold. For those not interested in group sports or hindered by participation fees, collaborative programming with local community organizations, like the YMCA (eg, FUN2BFIT program) or the Boys & Girls Club, could be arranged. The inability to attain 26 hours should not deter patients or practitioners from participating in, referring to, or implementing obesity interventions. Rather, clinical teams and families should work together to maximize intervention dose using clinical and community programs synergistically.

In the updated USPSTF recommendations, 4 , 5 there is a reinforcement to intervene at a young age when pediatric obesity is identified, with ILT recommended as early as age 6 years. Earlier intervention is better to establish healthy habits early in a child’s development, 7 to intervene prior to puberty (when long-term cardiometabolic risk increases), 8 and to prevent psychosocial morbidity. 2 Establishing referrals to ILT at age 6 years as a standard of care has the potential for significant impact on weight trajectories of our nation’s youth. However, evidence supports that weight patterns develop early in life, suggesting there could be benefit to starting interventions earlier than age 6 years. A prospective analysis of a population-based sample of 51 505 children found that approximately 90% of children who had obesity at age 3 years continued to have an elevated BMI in adolescence. 9 The greatest acceleration in BMI occurred between ages 2 and 6 years. For many young children and their families, intervention in the primary care setting that is less intensive may be adequate. However, for others, especially those with class 2 (BMI ≥120% to <140% of the 95th percentile) and class 3 (BMI ≥140% of the 95th percentile) obesity at an early age, further evaluation and ILT through a tertiary weight management program may be indicated. The absence of the inclusion of children younger than age 6 years in the USPSTF recommendation should not be seen as a reason to wait to refer or initiate treatment: it simply means that additional studies are needed to make an evidence-based recommendation. That said, 20 of the behavioral trials in the USPSTF evidence review 4 , 5 included children younger than 6 years, and 7 trials targeted preschool- to kindergarten-aged children specifically. Children and young adults ages 2 to 19 years participating in these behavioral interventions demonstrated a 0.7 greater reduction in BMI than those in control groups after 6 to 12 months. 4 , 5 Effect modification was not detected by age category (preschool, elementary, adolescent, wide range). Additionally, no behavioral trials reported increased risk of issues with self-esteem, body satisfaction, or disordered eating by participating. 4 , 5 As such, when weighing the risks vs benefits for our youngest patients, we should err on the side of medical beneficence and initiate ILT early when the medical history and anthropometrics indicate concern.

Lastly, the USPSTF found inadequate evidence on the benefits of pharmacotherapy in children or adolescents with pediatric obesity. This statement was made after reviewing the evidence of current FDA-approved anti-obesity medications (AOMs) in adolescents: orlistat, liraglutide, semaglutide, and phentermine and topiramate. 4 , 5 The recommendations acknowledge that the newly available data on these AOMs was sufficient to allow for FDA approval of liraglutide (2020), 10 semaglutide (2022), 11 and phentermine and topiramate (2022) 12 in adolescents aged 12 years and older, given each of these AOMs had larger effects on weight compared with ILT alone. However, the USPSTF identified weight plateau with medications, weight rebound after medication discontinuation, and only temporary weight loss as downfalls of pharmacotherapy. If medications need to be used long-term to maintain weight loss, the USPSTF states that long-term studies of both efficacy and harms are essential. This sentiment is undoubtably shared by the medical community, ie, the need for additional data to characterize long-term safety, with a focus on outcomes in the years of prime development. However, it should be recognized that the recommendations on AOM use differ across medical societies. In 2023, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommended: “Pediatricians and other pediatric health care providers should offer adolescents 12 years and older with obesity (BMI ≥ 95th percentile) weight loss pharmacotherapy, according to medication indications, risks, and benefits, as an adjunct to health behavior and lifestyle treatment.” 2 The differences in between USPSTF and AAP recommendations can be attributed to underlying methodology. The AAP bases recommendations on evidence-based literature and includes expert opinion, clinical guidelines, and position statements from professional societies when necessary. The USPSTF purely uses the evidence-based literature, although USPSTF acknowledges that clinical decisions involve more considerations than evidence alone, stating “Clinicians should understand the evidence but individualize decision-making to the specific patient or situation.” 4 , 5 As such, the updated USPSTF recommendations do not prohibit health care practitioners from using AOMs. So the question remains: do AOMs have a role in pediatric patients with high BMI? The answer should be based on the individual patient profile, including age, BMI, BMI trajectory, current metabolic comorbidities, family history, and patient response with prior ILT. A detailed assessment and longitudinal practitioner-patient care will help patients and families make informed decisions about whether and when to initiate AOM, which we now know is associated with improved weight loss compared with ILT alone. Health care practitioners can turn to organizations, like the Obesity Medicine Association, to access clinical practice guidelines on the use of AOMs in the pediatric population for further direction on choice of agent, dosing, monitoring parameters, and safety information. 13

The time to prevent and intervene on childhood obesity is now, and the need to start with ILT is clear. However, it is critical to continue to optimize interventions for each patient. For many patients, ILT alone may not be enough to prevent serious outcomes. In these instances, pharmacotherapy and/or bariatric surgery may need to be considered to improve health outcomes in youth with obesity.

Published: June 18, 2024. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.18201

Open Access: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the CC-BY License . © 2024 Kharofa RY et al. JAMA Network Open .

Corresponding Author: Amy S. Shah, MD, MS, Division of Endocrinology, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH ( [email protected] ).

Conflict of Interest Disclosures: Dr Kharofa reported receiving grants from Rhythm Pharmaceuticals outside the submitted work. No other disclosures were reported.

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Kharofa RY , Crimmins NA , Shah AS. Interventions for Children and Adolescents With High Body Mass Index—Implementing the Recommendations in Clinical Practice. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(6):e2418201. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.18201

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Distribution, abundance, and habitat characteristics of Coastal Cactus Wrens (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus) in San Diego County, California—2023 Data Summary

Executive Summary

We surveyed for coastal Cactus Wren (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus) in 507 established plots in San Diego County in 2023, encompassing 4 genetic clusters (Otay, Lake Jennings, Sweetwater/Encanto, and San Pasqual). Two surveys were completed at each plot between March 1 and July 31. Cactus Wrens were detected in 181 plots (36 percent of plots). Cactus Wrens were detected in 26 percent of plots that have been consistently surveyed since 2020, indicating lower plot occupancy than in 2022 (31 percent), 2021 (34 percent), and 2020 (35 percent). There were 158 Cactus Wren territories detected across all survey plots in 2023. In plots that have been consistently surveyed since 2020, we documented 85 territories, which is a decrease from 94 territories in 2022, 113 territories in 2021, and 109 territories in 2020. The number of territories declined from 2022 to 2023 in the Lake Jennings, Sweetwater/Encanto, and San Pasqual genetic clusters but remained virtually the same in the Otay genetic cluster. At least 80 percent of Cactus Wren territories were occupied by pairs, and 125 fledglings were observed in 2023.

We observed 14 banded Cactus Wrens in 2023, 9 of which we could identify individually by color band combination. Adults of known age ranged from 4 to 7 years old. All individually identifiable adult Cactus Wrens occupied the same territory in 2023 that they occupied in 2022, and we detected no movement of banded Cactus Wrens between genetic clusters.

Vegetation at Cactus Wren survey plots was dominated by coastal sage scrub shrubs, such as California sagebrush (Artemisia californica), California buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum), lemonade berry (Rhus integrifolia), jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis), and San Diego viguiera (Bahiopsis laciniata). No definitive signs of fungal pathogens were observed on cactus within and around survey plots. Blue elderberry (Sambucus mexicana) was detected at 41 percent of plots, and Cactus Wrens occupied proportionally more plots with elderberry than plots without elderberry. Very little dead or unhealthy cactus was observed within all survey plots, and Cactus Wren occupancy did not differ between plots with high or low amounts of dead or unhealthy cactus. Almost 90 percent of plots had more than 5 percent of cactus crowded or overtopped by vines and shrubs, and Cactus Wren occupancy did not differ between plots with high or low amounts of cactus crowded or overtopped by vines and shrubs. Non-native annual cover was more prevalent in survey plots in 2023 than in 2022. Cactus Wrens did not select or avoid plots with more non-native cover.

Citation Information

Related Content

Surveys and monitoring of coastal cactus wren in southern san diego county (ver. 4.0, february 2024 ), suellen lynn, barbara kus, supervisory research ecologist.