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Data: Cite & Evaluate

Why Data Literacy?

Why do we care about the credibility, ethical use, and citation of data?

  1. Reduce harm or negative consequences to individuals referenced in data
  2. Reproducibility
  3. Accuracy
  4. Develop authority in your work

Basic Elements of Data Citation

  1. Author (who created/collected the data?)
  2. Title (name of the dataset)
  3. Source (where did you find the data?)
  4. Date (when did you access it?)
  5. Persistent Identifier (URL or DOI if available)

Adapted from:

Be sure to use formatting from the style guide you are using (ie MLA, APA etc.).  Check out Purdue OWL for style-specific guidelines.

Assessing Credibility

Elements to consider when evaluating credibility:

  • Source
  • Author
  • Collection method
  • Statistical method
  • Purpose
  • Currency
  • Units and scale
  • Bias in any of the above
  • Compare with other sources

Use Data Ethically

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