Reasons to cite data correctly

Attributes credit to the data provider of the original data used for your research and ensures the data is Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable, thereby helping to maximize the added-value of the datasets created.

Citing datasets enables research data funders to track the reuse and measure the impact of the data they provide, thereby demonstrating the wider value of creating and maintaining costly datasets.

It is good scholarly practice to acknowledge any data source you use in your research, as you would cite a book or an article.

Unless you know where datasets have come from, it is not possible to analyse and verify new research.

Citing data supports reproducibility of your research as it shows other researchers how you used which specific data and why.

Citations should include a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) which will always link to the data even when its location changes.

If your research uses data that is correctly cited, people are more likely to build on your research and cite you, which is good for your career as a researcher.

Learn how to cite data correctly in our Learning Hub.