What Are the Data Sources and Citation Guidelines for LPSN?

LPSN (List of Prokaryotic Names with Standing in Nomenclature) draws its data from a regularly augmented database maintained at DSMZ, which since February 2020 has served as the basis of the current LPSN service. If you use LPSN in publications, you must cite it — and the correct citation depends on what you used: the List of Recommended Names for bacteria of medical importance has its own reference, while all other aspects (including the API) require a different one. Both citations are given below.

Where LPSN's Data Comes From

LPSN was founded in 1997 by Jean P. Euzéby and later maintained by Aidan C. Parte. The current service is built on a different technical foundation than the original:

• DSMZ database (from February 2020): The regularly augmented LPSN database at DSMZ is the basis of the new LPSN service. It was originally implemented for the Type-Strain Genome Server (TYGS) and augmented in 2018 to store all kinds of nomenclatural information.
• Legacy data imported: Data from the previous version of LPSN and from the Prokaryotic Nomenclature Up-to-date (PNU) service were imported into the new system. PNU had been established in 1993 as a service of the Leibniz Institute DSMZ and was curated by Norbert Weiss, Manfred Kracht and Dorothea Gleim.

This lineage matters if you are tracing the history of a name record: the current database is a merger of two long-running nomenclature services, not a fresh compilation.

Authority and Recognition

LPSN's standing rests on both institutional support and formal recognition as research infrastructure:

LPSN is described as a free to use service. Note that the site also offers a mailing list subscription option; this is separate from access to the database itself.

How to Cite LPSN

The citation you need depends on which part of LPSN you used. Using the wrong one misattributes the underlying work.

If you used the List of Recommended Names for bacteria of medical importance

Cite:

Göker, M., Christensen, H., Fingerle, V., Kostovski, M., Margos, G., Moore, E.R.B., Oren, A., Patrick, S., Reischl, U., Vázquez-Boland, J.A. (2025). List of Recommended Names for bacteria of medical importance: report of the Ad Hoc Committee on Mitigating Changes in Prokaryotic Nomenclature. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol, 75:6943; DOI: 10.1099/ijsem.0.006943

If you used any other aspect of LPSN (including the API)

Cite:

Freese, H.M., Meier-Kolthoff, J.P., Sardà Carbasse, J., Afolayan, A.O., Göker, M. (2026). TYGS and LPSN in 2025: a Global Core Biodata Resource for genome-based classification and nomenclature of prokaryotes within DSMZ Digital Diversity. Nucleic Acids Research, 54, D884–D891; DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkaf1110

The second citation covers the general database, search functions, nomenclature lookups, and programmatic access via the API. If your work touches both the medical-importance name list and other LPSN content, cite both references.

Practical Notes for Users

• Check which resource you actually queried. A routine species name lookup falls under the general citation; only work drawing on the medical-importance recommendations needs the Göker et al. (2025) reference.
• Include the DOI. Both citations specify DOIs, which makes the reference verifiable even if page numbers or journal formatting change.
• The database is actively maintained. Because the DSMZ database is "regularly augmented," records can change over time — cite the version or access date if your work depends on a specific nomenclature state.
• API users are explicitly covered. The general citation names the API, so programmatic users have clear guidance rather than having to improvise a citation.