Data requires citations for the same reasons journal articles and other types of publications require citations: to acknowledge the original author/producer and to help other researchers find the resource.
Citing data is important because it:
The flow chart below from the Australian National Data Service illustrates the benefits of data citation.
A dataset citation includes all of the same components as any other citation:
It is important to cite / reference data correctly and consistently.
The following provide useful guidelines on how to do this:
Citation software helps you to:
Examples include: