Austin Principles of Data Citation in Linguistics
By Lauren Gawne
Data is central to empirical linguistic research. Linguistic data comes in many different forms, and is collected and processed with a wide range of methods. Data citation recognizes the centrality of data to research. Furthermore, it facilitates verification of claims and repurposing of data for other studies.
The FORCE11 Joint Declaration of Data Citation Principles* state that “[s]ound, reproducible scholarship rests upon a foundation of robust, accessible data. For this to be so in practice as well as theory, data must be accorded due importance in the practice of scholarship and in the enduring scholarly record. In other words, data should be considered legitimate, citable products of research. Data citation, like the citation of other evidence and sources, is good research practice and is part of the scholarly ecosystem supporting data reuse.”
The FORCE11 Joint Declaration of Data Citation Principles is intentionally broad so to be as inclusive of data from as many scientific disciplines as possible. This document, the Austin Principles of Data Citation in Linguistics, interprets the FORCE11 document to address linguistic data specifically. These guiding principles have been created to enable linguists to make decisions about their data that ensure it is as accessible and transparent as possible. Some subfields of linguistics may already have specific guidelines for data citation; in these cases the Austin Principles can supplement extant guidelines to ensure that data citation conforms with current best practices.
[RDA LDIG members can download the full charter via the File Repository in the righthand sidebar. The Austin Principles are also available on our public-facing website, where a PDF version is also available]