Data and Statistics

How to cite:

There are many different types of data that are cited in different ways. Below are the most frequent ones that you will encounter during your academic studies.

 Infographics, Charts, Tables, & Graphs

To cite a visual data element from a published article or report see Seneca Libraries' citation guides for APA (7th Edition) and MLA (9th Edition).

Statistical Data

To cite published statistics from resources such as Statistics Canada or Statista see Seneca Libraries' citation guides for APA (7th Edition) and MLA (9th Edition).

 GIS Data

To cite data from Geographic Information Systems (GIS) see Seneca Libraries' Environmental Science subject guide on citing GIS data for APA (7th Edition) and MLA (9th Edition).

 Data from a Repository or Set

The APA publication manual includes data set references starting with their 7th edition.

Some data sources provide their own citation standards and guidelines - follow these if they are available. Otherwise, format them as you would format other resources. 

DataCite recommends the following format:

Creator (PublicationYear). Title. Version. Publisher. ResourceType. Identifier

For more information, see the Joint Declaration of Data Citation Principles (final). For more examples see IASSIST's Quick Guide to Data Citation and Data Planet's guide to data citation.