Properly citing the data you use in your research is important. It ensures that everyone is given the credit they deserve, helps ensure accuracy and replicability of research, and reduces fraud and theft of work in the academic world.
The exact requirements of a data citation may vary depending on your referencing style but some common best practice is to:
A typical example citation is composed as follows:
Here is an example citation for a dataset from Understanding Society:
If you are using a specific referencing style, you can find specialised guidance through Cite Them Right:
The UK Data Service explains why it is important to #CiteTheData in the video below:
Understanding Society have produced a video explaining how to cite your data clearly:
We’ve produced a new video about citing data – why, when and how #CiteTheData pic.twitter.com/jc0ggscTU1
— Understanding Society (@usociety) July 13, 2022
The Research and Enterprise Office here at the University of Essex oversee the management of both our Research Repository and our Data Repository. They also provide guidance on publishing including Open Access
If you are looking for easily accessible research or data, or to deposit your own, you can find more information through their websites:
The UK Data Service supports research nation-wide by helping to collect & store data. It frequently runs training & events and provides a Learning Hub with reference material to keep you up to date with your data management skills.
If you are new to using data, they have dedicated resources to help you get started on the right foot.
The UK Data Service also have a YouTube channel where they post short information video and recording of full-length workshops on data management & citation. They have a playlist of useful introductory videos here.
If you are looking for data, they have some guidance on how you can search for data in their catalogue here:
If you are looking to deposit your data, you may find their workshop on how to deposit your data with ReShare useful: Workshop: Depositing your data with ReShare
Prefer something to listen to? The Expert’s Experts podcast has experts in the data landscape share their specialist knowledge. Their recent episodes include the launch of the Evidence for Equality National Survey (EVENS) – the biggest ever UK research survey into the lived experiences of ethnic minorities throughout Britain, Census expert insights, celebrations of female social science pioneers, an International Women’s Day interview with Dr. Julia Kasmire, and an exploration of the extensive training that UKDS offers to researchers & data users.
The UK Data Archive is based here at the University of Essex and acts as a partner for the UK Data Service. It provides best practice guides and other resources on research data management.
You can find data for your research or deposit the data you generate in the UK Data Archive.
Understanding Society conducts longitudinal studies of households to gain a data-backed understanding of different generations' experience of life in the UK.
You can find out how to access their data here and more about how to cite and acknowledge their data here.
If you are interested in finding out more about Understanding Society and their data in depth, jump into their new user Learning Pathway. This will support you to access their data and highlight the variety of training and webinars they have available.
Understanding Society have also produced an infographic to explain how & why to cite your data properly:
Useful Resources:
REO: Repository & Publishing | Guide to Open Access
UK Data Archive: Research Data Management Best Practice Guides | UK Data Archive Resources
UK Data Service: Learning Hub | Expert’s Experts podcast | YouTube | Reasons to Cite Data Correctly | 10 Top Tips for Citing Data
Understanding Society: Getting Started | Learning Pathway | Upcoming Training | Webinar Recordings | 'Why we cite' blog post
Want to run your own "Cite The Data" campaign? The UK Data Service has compiled a toolkit to help you get started:
Cite The Data Communications Campaign Toolkit
Except where otherwise noted, this work by University of Essex Library and Cultural Services is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence.
