Library Advanced Research Competencies

Citing Data

Format:

• Author. (Year). Title of data set (Version number) [Description of form]. Location: Name of producer.
• Author. (Year). Title of data set (Version number) [Description of form]. Retrieved from http://
• Author. (Year). Title of data set (Version number) [Description of form]. doi:xxx.

Example:

Lowe, Tristan, Garwood, Russell J., Simonsen, Thomas J., Bradley, Robert S., and Withers, Philip J. (2013). Data from: Metamorphosis revealed: time-lapse three-dimensional imaging inside a living chrysalis. [Dataset]. doi:10.5061/dryad.b451g

Citing Statistics

In text format:

• (Author, Year, Table #)

Bibliography format:

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

Examples:

(U.S. Census Bureau, 2012, Table 270)

U.S. Census Bureau. (2012) "Table 270. Public High School Graduates by State: 1980 to 2009." In U.S. Census Bureau (131st ed.), Statistical Abstract of the United States. Retreived from http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2012/tables/12s0270.pdf.

Citing Data

Format:

• Author. Title. Version. Source, Year. Medium of publication.
• Author. Title. Version. Source, Year. Web. Access Date.
• Author. Title. Version. Source, Year. Web. Access Date. <URL>.

Example:

Lowe, Tristan et al. “Data from: Metamorphosis Revealed: Time-lapse Three-dimensional Imaging Inside a Living Chrysalis.” Dryad Digital Repository, 2013. Web. 24 October 2013.

Citing Statistics

Format:

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

Example:

U.S. Census Bureau. "Table 270. Public High School Graduates by State: 1980 to 2009." Statistical Abstract of the United States. 131st ed. U.S. Census Bureau. Washington D.C.: U.S. Census Bureau, 2012. Web. 25 October 2013. <http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2012/tables/12s0270.pdf>.

README.txt's document digital files and add context whenever clarity is required. They are useful for:

• Providing a general project overview in the main project folder
• Describing the organization or naming conventions for files in a folder
• Providing clarity for a group of files
• Detailing one particular file's contents

See this post for more information on README.txt files.

Methods are important documentation that you need to remember to keep with your data. Methods include:

• Protocols
• Code
• Survey
• Codebook
• Data dictionary
• Anything that lets someone reproduce your results

Data dictionaries are particularly useful for spreadsheet data. Data dictionaries describe:

• Variable names
• Variable meanings
• Null values
• Variable codings
• Relationships between variables in a dataset
• Anything unusual about the data

Use a data dictionary when you share data, when you expect to reuse the data, or have a particularly large and complex dataset.

Read more about data dictionaries.

Consistent file naming means you can tell at a glance what a file contains. This is useful for searching through content, for organizing data, and for collaborations/your own reuse.

Use consistent naming for groups of related files. Pick 2-3 things that will help you distinguish a file's contents, such as:

• Date
• Site
• Analysis
• Sample
• Short description

Combine into a patten for naming your files. Follow these other rules:

• Files should be named consistently
• Files names should be descriptive but short (<25 characters)
• Use underscores instead of spaces
• Avoid these characters: “ / \ : * ? ‘ < > [ ] & $
• Use the dating convention: YYYY-MM-DD

Examples:

YYYYMMDD_site_sampleNum
    "20140422_PikeLake_03", "20140424_EastLake_12", etc.

AuthorLastName-Year-Title
    "Smith-2010-ImpactOfStressOnSeaMonkeys", "Hailey-1999-VeryImportantDNAStudy", etc.

Files using proprietary file formats are more difficult to use over time. Convert your data into an open, non-proprietary format that is in wide use. This will improve the odds on reusing your data in the future.

Keep a copy of your data in both formats. The original file lets you use all of the file features and the open copy is a backup in case something happens to the software.