Summary
This document contains recommendations, with supporting narrative, in response to the Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS) Leadership request for standardization of dataset citation practices and data use guidelines. It draws heavily from a 2023 study conducted by NASA's National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center (NSIDC DAAC), as well as the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) DAAC's experience and understanding of DOI and citation best practices.
Status
The Data Use and Citation Guidance recommendations document is an approved Technical Note for use in NASA Earth Science Data Systems.
| ESCO RFC | ESDS-RFC-055 Data Use and Citation Guidance |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.5067/DOC/ESCO/ESDS-RFC-055 |
| Suggested Citation | Wilson, Bruce E. (2025). Data Use and Citations Guidance. NASA Earth Science Data and Information System Standards Coordination Office. doi:10.5067/DOC/ESCO/ESDS-RFC-055 |
| Resources | Data Use and Citations Guidance |
NASA Earth Science Community Recommendations for Use
Strengths
Providing a recommended citation makes it easier for a researcher using NASA data to accurately cite the NASA data product in their publication. The APA (American Psychological Association) Style contains the necessary elements for a data citation, is widely used in the Earth science community, and is the style followed by the AGU (American Geophysical Union) for its publications.
Weaknesses
The citation format ultimately used will be determined by the publisher of the research article. The researcher may need to reformat the suggested citation to meet the publisher’s requirements, including reducing the number of cited authors.
Applicability
A standard citation format is applicable to all data available through the ESDIS project and is consistent with current article citation practices.
Limitations
Use of this format for any purpose other than the one stated above is not recommended.