How to Cite a Dataset in IEEE Referencing

If you refer to a dataset in you work, you need to cite it like you would any other source. But how do you cite a dataset in IEEE referencing? Our guide below explains both in-text citations and reference list entries for datasets.

Citing a Dataset in IEEE Referencing

IEEE referencing is a number–note system. This means that you number sources sequentially in the order you cite them in your work, which then determines:

1. The number you will cite in the main text to reference a source.
2. The order of sources in the reference list.

To cite a dataset in IEEE style, then, you will need to give the source number (i.e. its position in your reference list) in square brackets in the text. For instance:

Visualisation design environments are key for this process [3].

Here, we’re citing the third source for the reference list. For more information on citing sources in the IEEE referencing style, see our blog post on the subject.

Datasets with a URL in an IEEE Reference List

Datasets are now typically accessed online. This means you will need to include details for how you accessed the data in the reference list entry. But the exact format will depend on whether the dataset has a URL or a DOI.

The basic format for a dataset with a URL in IEEE referencing is:

[#] INITIAL(S). Surname or Organisation Name, Title of Dataset. (Date and Year). Distributed by Publisher/Distributor. Accessed: date of access. [Online]. Available: URL

Note that IEEE style does not require a full stop after the URL in a reference list entry. In practice, then, an entry for a dataset with a URL would look like this:

[1] G.R. Brakenridge, Global Active Archive of Large Flood Events. (2 September 2019). Distributed by Dartmouth Flood Observatory, University of Colorado. Accessed: 21 November 2020. [Online]. Available: http://floodobservatory.colorado.edu/Archives/index.html

Finally, don’t forget to add a small hanging indent for each line after the first.

Datasets with a DOI in an IEEE Reference List

The basic format for a dataset with a digital object identifier (DOI) is:

[#] INITIAL(S). Surname or Organisation Name, Title of Dataset. (Date and Year). Distributed by Publisher/Distributor. doi: DOI Number.

As you can see here, IEEE referencing does not require a date of access for a dataset with a DOI, or a full stop after the DOI itself. For example:

[2] R. Knutti, IPC Working Group I AR5 Snapshot: The RCP85 Experiment. (20 September 2014). Distributed by World Data Center for Climate (WDCC) at KDRZ. doi: 10.1594/WDCC/ETHr8.

As above, don’t forget to use a hanging indent for each line after the first.

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