LibGuides: Datasets & Statistical Sources: Citing Data and Statistics

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Citation Styles

There are many citation styles but the most popular ones are:

APA (American Psychological Association): for sciences and social sciences
MLA (Modern Language Association): for literature, arts, and humanities

We have guides available to use in the library, or you can see the staff at the Jenkins Center on campus as a quick resource.

The Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) is also great for quick APA and MLA reference styles.

MLA Handbook
Call Number: R 808.027 G437
In Reference Collection

Accurately citing data sources is essential because it allows for transparency, credibility, and reproducibility in research and information dissemination. By citing data sources, researchers and authors give credit to the original creators, acknowledging their contributions. It also enables readers to verify the information, evaluate the reliability of the data, and locate the sources for further exploration. Proper citation of data sources promotes academic integrity and ensures that future studies can build upon and replicate previous findings. Additionally, accurate citations facilitate the ethical use of data, respecting intellectual property rights and avoiding plagiarism.

Citing Data and Statistics

It is important to cite not only the literature consulted but also the data or statistics used. The elements of a data/statistics citation include:

Author(s)/Creator
Title
Year of publication: The date when the statistics/dataset was published or released (rather than the collection or coverage date)
Publisher: the data center/repository
Any applicable identifier (including edition or version)
Availability and access: URL or other location information for the data/statistics

Purdue Owl The Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) is a widely recognized and trusted online resource for writing assistance and academic support. It offers comprehensive writing guides, tutorials, and resources to help students, researchers, and writers improve their writing skills and navigate various aspects of the writing process. The Purdue OWL covers a wide range of topics, including grammar, punctuation, citation styles, research methods, and academic writing conventions. It serves as a valuable tool for individuals seeking guidance and resources to enhance their writing proficiency and produce high-quality written work.
DataCite DataCite provides a number of tools to help you cite data, including: A citation generator: This tool allows you to generate a citation for data in a variety of styles, including APA, MLA, and Chicago. A citation style guide: This guide provides detailed instructions on how to cite data in different styles. A list of citation examples: This list provides examples of how to cite data in different styles.
Digital Curation Centre Digital Curation Centre (DCC)is a UK-based organization that provides guidance and support on data management. The guide covers the following topics: What is a dataset? Why cite datasets? How to cite datasets Examples of data citations

Citing Data from ICPSR

Citation Management Software

Zotero Zotero is a free, web-based reference manager that helps you collect, organize, cite, and share research. With Zotero, you can: Collect: Save articles, PDFs, web pages, and other research materials to your Zotero library. Organize: Create folders and tags to organize your research materials. Cite: Zotero automatically generates citations in a variety of styles, including APA, MLA, and Chicago. Share: Share your research with others by exporting your library to a variety of formats, including HTML, PDF, and Word.