Citations - They're Not Just for Publications Anymore

By definition, metadata exists to describe data or information. Descriptive metadata enables appropriate use, and facilitates re-use of data. Once data has been discovered and used, it should be cited. Publications frequently reference data sets, but the question remains - how should authors cite data?

As part of its Data Policy, the International Polar Year (IPY) indicates

"To recognize the valuable role of data providers (and scientists who collect or prepare data) and to facilitate repeatability of IPY experiments in keeping with the scientific method, users of IPY data must formally acknowledge data authors (contributors) and sources. Where possible, this acknowledgment should take the form of a formal citation, such as when citing a book or journal article. Journals should require the formal citation of data used in articles they publish..."

The IPY Data and Information Service (DIS) explored the answers to the data citation question, and presented their findings on a newly published web page. This page includes recommendations, and a link to a disussion forum hosted by IPY.

As the world of marine metadata continues to mature, the question of data citation will become extremely important. Just like publications, datasets are a resource that scientists use to develop and prove theories. Metadata forms an important link between data, discovery, use/re-use and citation.