Unless otherwise noted, the basic elements and guidelines described here are fromthe Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th edition (McHenry Reference Desk BF 76.7 .P83 2010). You may also wish to consult the Purdue OWLor How to Cite Data from Michigan State University for MLA examples and explanations.
Notes:
1. Include format type in brackets [ ] to describe format, not title information (e.g. data set, data file and codebook). [See APA guidelines for "Nonroutine information in titles" (pp. 186)]
2. Use “Available from” if the URL or DOI points you to a website or information on how to obtain or download data at a general site that houses data sets. Use “Retrieved from” if the URL or DOI takes you directly to the data table or database. (APA Style Manual, 2001 ed., pp.281orPurdue OWL Electronic Sources: Data Sets)
I. Data sets:
Basic Elements:[Follow APA guidelines for "Data set" (pp. 210-211) or online from MSU]
Author/Rightsholder, A. A. (Year). Title of publication or data set(Version number if available)[Data File]. Retrieved from (or available from) http://xxxx
The title of the data set should be italicized unless the data set is included as part of a larger work or volume
Example:
The World Bank, World Development Indicators (2012). GNI per capita, Atlas method [Data file]. Retrieved from http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GNP.PCAP.CD
Example ofTable generated from an interactive data set:
Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Department of Commerce (2013).U.S. Direct Investment Abroad, All U.S. Parent Companies 2009-2010. [Data file]. Available from BEA.gov/iTable
II. Table from a publication
Basic Elements: [Follow APA guidelines for "entry in a reference work" (p. 205)]
Author. (Year). Title of entry. In Editor (Edition),Title of publication(pp. xxx-xxx). Retrieved from http:// OR Location: Publisher OR doi:xxxx.
Example: (Note: Editor & Edition elements are not applicable in this example)
World Trade Organization. (2012). Table I.3:World merchandise trade and trade in commercial services byregion and selected economy, 2005-2011. In International Trade Statistics, 2012(p. 22). Retrieved from:http://www.wto.org/english/res_e/statis_e/its2012_e/its12_toc_e.htm
The title of the data set should be italicized unless the data set is included as part of a larger work or volume, as in the example above.
