Abstract

Federal agencies, professional societies, and research organizations in the geo-sciences are moving towards requiring researchers to formally cite data that led to a given research result. This trend promotes transparency in research by offering a direct pathway to the data so the research can be... Show moreFederal agencies, professional societies, and research organizations in the geo-sciences are moving towards requiring researchers to formally cite data that led to a given research result. This trend promotes transparency in research by offering a direct pathway to the data so the research can be validated or easily carried forward from a known starting point. Such data citations also raise the profile of data, that is, they promote data as being as valued and rewarded in scientific settings as peer-reviewed publications. This paper is the product of an inter-divisional working group created to study, promote, and implement citations to NCAR/UCP digital resources. The paper describes how citations to NCAR/UCP digital resources could make our research products more accessible, and provides a number of recommendations for creating citations and assigning web-accessible identifiers to digital resources. Show less