DOIs: the easy way to cite data
Article dated: 6 July 2012
Now every data collection held by the ESDS is assigned a digital object identifier (DOI), a globally unique string of letters and numbers that identifies the exact data cited.
And each DOI is a persistent identifier, meaning that even if the data change or move location, the DOI will always link or 'resolve' to the same data.
Any publication based wholly or in part on data from the ESDS collection must be accompanied by the correct citation and acknowledgement information.
So how to get started? For most ESDS data collections:
- Find the catalogue record in the ESDS Data Catalogue
- Scroll down. The Persistent Identifier just above the documentation table is the DOI.
- Click on the DOI link, which will take you to the dataset's change log. There you will find the appropriate data citation.
- Simply copy and paste the full citation for the edition you used into the reference section of your research paper.
Each data collection used must have a separate citation.
Those who use ESDS international data have access to a citation tool integrated into the data delivery software Beyond 20/20.
This means that each time you access data from the system, the bibliographic citation information (including DOI) will appear in the download file.
As before, simply copy and paste this information into your publication's
reference list.
Examples of the recommended formats:
National Centre for Social Research, British Social Attitudes Survey, 2010 [computer file]. Colchester, Essex: UK Data Archive
[distributor], February 2012. SN: 6969, http://dx.doi.org/10.5255/ UKDA-SN-6969-1
International Monetary Fund (2011): Direction of Trade Statistics (Edition:
September 2011). ESDS International, University of Manchester. DOI:
http://dx.doi.org/10.5257/imf/dots/2011-09
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