Guide to Citation of Spatial Data & Software
Why Cite Spatial Data?
Data sources require citation just as any other type of publication does. Citation gives proper credit to the people and institutions who created, processed, published, or distributed the data you use. It also helps other researchers find, verify, evaluate, and reuse those same materials.
This matters especially in GIS and remote sensing, where a final map or analysis may depend on:
- spatial datasets
- imagery
- web services
- software platforms
- code libraries
- derived products
If someone else made it, published it, or maintains it, you should assume it deserves citation.
A Good General Rule
When in doubt, cite:
- the data
- the software
- the platform
- the map or basemap service, if it played a substantial role
For this course, I would much rather see students slightly over-cite than under-cite.
There Is No Single Universal Data Citation Style
There is still no single universal standard for citing datasets across all disciplines, although major style guides increasingly provide instructions and examples.
That means your job is not to find the one perfect citation formula. Your job is to provide enough information that:
- the original creator gets credit
- the source can be found again
- the exact version you used is clear
Core Elements of a Data Citation
As a general strategy, a good dataset citation should include as many of the following as are available:
- Author: Who created the data?
- Title: What is the dataset or study called?
- Date of publication
- Edition or version
- Publisher
- Place of publication, when relevant
- Distributor, if different from the publisher
- Format: What kind of file or medium is it?
- Persistent identifier: DOI, stable URL, or other permanent locator
What to Cite in a Spatial Project
For a typical course project, you may need to cite several different kinds of materials:
Spatial datasets
Examples:
- shapefiles
- GeoJSON files
- GeoTIFFs
- CSV tables with coordinates
- census downloads
- administrative boundaries
Imagery and raster products
Examples:
- Sentinel-2 imagery
- Landsat imagery
- Dynamic World
- Hansen Global Forest Change
- NAIP
- Planet imagery
Interactive web data sources
Examples:
- ArcGIS Online layers
- web maps
- data portals
- interactive census tables
Maps, figures, and tables reproduced from elsewhere
If you did not make the original map, chart, table, or figure, cite it.
Software and platforms
Examples:
- QGIS
- ArcGIS Pro
- ArcGIS Online
- ArcGIS StoryMaps
- Google Earth Engine
- geemap
- GDAL
Practical Advice for This Course
For final projects in this course, I recommend that students maintain a running bibliography while they work instead of trying to reconstruct everything at the end.
As soon as you use a source, record:
- title
- creator
- URL or DOI
- date accessed, if the source is online and dynamic
- version, if given
- a short note on how you used it
That last note is especially helpful when you return to your project later and wonder, "Wait, what did I use this for?"
Data Citation Examples from Common Style Guides
Below are examples from several styles. These are not here because I expect everyone to memorize them. They are here to show that dataset citation is a normal scholarly practice, and that there are recognizable ways to do it.
APA (6th edition)
Minimum example:
Milberger, S. (2002). Evaluation of violence against women with physical disabilities in Michigan, 2000-2001 (ICPSR version) [data file and codebook]. doi:10.3886/ICPSR03414
With optional publisher and distributor details:
Milberger, S. (2002). Evaluation of violence against women with physical disabilities in Michigan, 2000-2001 (ICPSR version) [data file and codebook]. Detroit: Wayne State University [producer]. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor]. doi:10.3886/ICPSR03414
MLA (7th edition)
Minimum example:
Milberger, Sharon. Evaluation of Violence Against Women With Physical Disabilities in Michigan, 2000-2001. ICPSR version. Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research, 2002. Web. 19 May 2011.
With optional publisher and distributor details:
Milberger, Sharon. Evaluation of Violence Against Women With Physical Disabilities in Michigan, 2000-2001. ICPSR version. Detroit: Wayne State U [producer]. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2002. Web. 19 May 2011. doi:10.3886/ICPSR03414
Chicago (16th edition)
Bibliography style:
Milberger, Sharon. Evaluation of Violence Against Women With Physical Disabilities in Michigan, 2000-2001. ICPSR version. Detroit: Wayne State University, 2002. Distributed by Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research, 2002. doi:10.3886/ICPSR03414.
Author-date style:
Milberger, Sharon. 2002. Evaluation of Violence Against Women With Physical Disabilities in Michigan, 2000-2001. ICPSR version. Detroit: Wayne State University. Distributed by Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research. doi:10.3886/ICPSR03414.
American Chemical Society Style for Printed Data Sets
Rind, D. 1994. General Circulation Model Output Data Set. IGBP PAGES/World Data Center for Paleoclimatology Data Contribution Series #1994-012. NOAA/NCDC Paleoclimatology Program, Boulder, Colorado, USA.
Geoscience Information Society Style for Data Sets
Defosse, G.E., and M. Bertiller. 1998. NPP Grassland: Media Luna, Argentina, 1981-1983. Data set. Available online from Oak Ridge National Laboratory Distributed Active Archive Center, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, U.S.A. [http://www.daac.ornl.gov/]
Citing Tables, Charts, Graphs, Maps, and Figures
Tables, charts, graphs, maps, and figures appearing in a publication should also be cited.
Example:
United States Bureau of the Census. "Table 151. Retail Prescription Drug Sales: 1995 to 2007." Statistical Abstract of the United States. 2009. http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/tables/09s0151.pdf. Accessed 11/4/09.
Citing Interactive Databases
Interactive database with a stable URL
United States Bureau of the Census. "P3. RACE [71] - Universe: Total Population." Dataset: Summary File 1. American FactFinder. 2000. http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DTTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=01000US&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U&-_lang=en&-mt_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U_P003&-format=&-CONTEXT=dt. Accessed 11/04/09.
Interactive database without a stable URL
Bureau of Economic Analysis. "Per Capita real GDP by state (chained 2000 dollars)." Dataset: Gross Domestic Product by State. Parameters: all industry total, 2008, all states and regions. Regional Economic Accounts. Date generated: 11/04/09.
Citing Software
Software should be cited too, especially if it plays a major role in your workflow, analysis, visualization, or final product.
For this course, software citations are especially appropriate for:
- QGIS
- ArcGIS Online
- ArcGIS StoryMaps
- Google Earth Engine
- geemap
- GDAL
When possible, include:
- software name
- version
- publisher or developer
- year
- URL
For example, a simple software citation might include:
- QGIS Development Team. QGIS Geographic Information System. Open Source Geospatial Foundation. Version number if known. URL.
Or:
- Google. Google Earth Engine. Accessed date if appropriate. URL.
A Simple Citation Strategy for Student Projects
If you are unsure how formal you need to be, use this practical approach:
- Choose one citation style and be consistent.
- Include the creator, title, year, version, and URL or DOI whenever possible.
- Cite both the dataset and the software used to analyze or present it.
- If a web source is dynamic, include an access date.
- If a layer, basemap, or web service played an important role in the final map, cite it.
What Should Appear in Your Final Project?
At minimum, I recommend that your final project include:
- a bibliography of written sources
- a separate list of data sources
- software and platform acknowledgments
- image or media credits where needed
For StoryMaps, bullet points are often the clearest way to present data sources and credits.
Final Note
Citation is not just a bureaucratic add-on. It is part of good scholarly and professional spatial practice. Maps, datasets, imagery, and software do not appear by magic. Someone made them, maintained them, processed them, hosted them, or shared them. Your work should make that visible.