Citing Data from MERMAID

Properly citing data is essential, especially when using datasets from projects you are not directly involved with. Correct citation ensures appropriate credit to data collectors and supports data transparency and reproducibility.

Project Citation in MERMAID Collect

MERMAID automatically generates a suggested citation for each project. You can find this citation on the Project Info page within the MERMAID Collect. It is also included in all exported data files and displayed in the Metadata section of a site view in MERMAID Explore.

Key Points:

By default only project admins are added to the citation.
The suggested citation can be customized to fit your preferred citation style.
Only project admins have permission to edit the suggested citation.

View and edit your project's suggested citation from the Project Info page in MERMAID Collect.

Citation Format

All suggested citations generated in MERMAID follow the same following format:

[Projects admins]. [Date of last update in project]. [Project name]. MERMAID. [URL to project view in MERMAID Explore].

How to Access and Edit the Citation

Go to the Project Info page inside your project.
Click the Edit Citation button to open the editable citation modal.
Modify the citation text as needed in the Edit Citation field.
When finished, click Update Citation to save your changes.

Admins can update the suggested citation directly from the Project Info page.

Revert Changes

If you want to revert to MERMAID’s original suggested citation after making edits, click the Use Default Citation button located at the upper right of the Edit Citation field.
Remember to click Update Citation after reverting to ensure your choice is saved.

Click “Use Default Citation” to restore MERMAID’s automatically generated citation.

Viewing Project Citation in Exported Data Files

The project’s suggested citation is always included in the data files exported from MERMAID. In each exported file—whether in the Sample Events, Sample Units, or Observations tabs—you will find a column labeled Suggested citation containing the current project citation.

This inclusion guarantees that anyone using exported data has clear guidance on how to properly cite the dataset.

The suggested citation is included in all export tabs to ensure users have proper citation guidance.

Viewing Project Citation in MERMAID Explore

Users can also view the project’s suggested citation while exploring survey data in MERMAID Explore:

Navigate to the Survey Site you want to view.
Open the Metadata tab within the site view on the right metrics panel.
Scroll to the bottom of the Metadata section to find the Suggested Citation area.
The citation displayed here reflects the current project citation, as set on the Project Info page in MERMAID Collect.

This feature ensures that users accessing data through MERMAID Explore can easily reference the project’s citation for proper acknowledgment.

The suggested citation for each project is visible in the Metadata tab when viewing a survey site, helping users properly credit the original data source.