How to Cite the Gale Crater Mineralogy and Geochemistry Database

Updated

Use the citation the database itself provides, including the DOI, and identify it as a data set. The site gives this reference:

Lafuente, B., Blake, D., Bristow, T., Rampe, E., Downs, R., Sarrazin, P., Downs, G., Stone, N., Pires, A., Vaniman, D., Yen, A., Franz, H., Lyness, E., & Fraeman, A. (2021). Gale Crater Mineralogy and Geochemistry database (GCMG). [Data set]. Open Data Repository. https://doi.org/10.48484/JN48-YW52.

That entry is the safest default because it matches the database's own "Cite the database" note. The DOI is the part that makes the reference resolvable and distinguishes it from a generic web page.

What each part of the citation does

Element Value in the provided citation Why it matters
Authors Lafuente, Blake, Bristow, Rampe, Downs, Sarrazin, Downs, Stone, Pires, Vaniman, Yen, Franz, Lyness, Fraeman Credits the people who compiled the data set
Year 2021 Anchors the version you used
Title Gale Crater Mineralogy and Geochemistry database (GCMG) Names the resource and its abbreviation
Resource type [Data set] Signals that this is data, not an article
Publisher Open Data Repository Identifies the hosting repository
DOI 10.48484/JN48-YW52 Persistent link for readers and reviewers

Practical points when you use it

  • Keep the "[Data set]" label. Many style guides expect a resource type for non-article sources, and the database supplies it.
  • Use the DOI link rather than the hostname alone, since the DOI is the stable identifier given on the site.
  • If your style requires an access date, add the date you consulted the database; the provided citation does not include one.
  • The database notes that its sample data and mineral composition tables are updated over time (for example, added samples and revised tables listed in its news). If your work depends on a specific sample or table, state which samples you used so readers can match your results to the right data.

When you need more than the standard citation

If you are citing individual samples or mineral tables rather than the database as a whole, name the samples in your text or methods and still include the full data set citation above. That way the overall source is credited and the specific records you relied on are identifiable.