How to Use Links As Data Citations
Some methods are public sharing links, URLs, Query parameters, DOIs, and private sharing links. All rely on the accuracy of the reference data. If you use links in your research, make sure they are accurate.
Using private sharing links
When it comes to data citations, private sharing links are a convenient way to make data accessible to others without having to log in. Figshare has a private sharing link generator that allows you to create a link to your data, which you can send to anyone via email. The link does not include the Author field or any other Figshare branding, and it expires after one year. You can also create a private sharing link through another service like Dryad, which has professional curators to ensure the data is valid.
Using URLs
Data URLs can be used for citing a source. The format of data URLs is quite simple. They can contain a query string as well as the data itself. However, there are some practical problems with these URLs. For example, the data URLs are not case-sensitive. For this reason, most modern browsers block the top-level navigation to these URLs.
The URL is a short address that specifies the location of digital information on the Internet. It is found in the address bar of a web browser. The URL used in citations should link to the cited work. Any work that has a DOI should include the URL, but it is not necessary if the work is only available online.
The URL should not be longer than three lines, as the length of the URL will impede the readability of the entry. The MLA Handbook recommends that you use the shortest URL possible.
Query parameters
If you are creating a data product, you should include a DOI and a direct access link for it. Additionally, it is important to provide sufficient documentation to allow others to recreate the data product and use it in their own research. The data citation should include information about the parameters, such as the bounding coordinates, date range, temperature, site numbers, and data format.
If the parameters aren't present in the query, users should add them manually. This will enable them to insert them at runtime. This can be done by clicking the Add Parameter button, or by using the associated keyboard shortcut. A new parameter will be inserted at the position where a text caret is located in the query. A user can select the parameter, cut and paste the text, or type it directly.
The timeAllowed parameter specifies the time in milliseconds needed for the query to complete. If timeAllowed expires before the search is complete, only partial results will be returned, and those results may not be accurate enough. This check is periodically performed, so the actual processing time is often more than the specified value.
Using DOIs
In some cases, it can be difficult to find the exact data a researcher wants to reference, especially if they need to search for it over time. A DOI can help you do this by providing you with a link to the relevant data use links as data citations. However, a DOI doesn't necessarily guarantee that the information source will be able to be accessed over time. Research institutions are often faced with this challenge because of the ever-increasing amount of digital data being produced. In addition, research institutions are also faced with the costs of storing the large volume of data.
In order to make sure that the material you cite is accessible to researchers, you should consider a variety of options for assigning a DOI. For example, you can assign DOIs to a data collection, or to individual items within the data collection. However, it is important to consider the expectations of your data users when creating a DOI.
