Paste a dataset DOI and fetch its DataCite metadata, or fill the form by hand if the API is down. Free, no sign-up.
What this tool does
Datasets deserve citations like papers do, but their metadata lives in DataCite, not on a journal page. Paste a DOI and this tool asks the DataCite API for the creators, title, publisher and year, then builds a DataCite-style citation. If the API is unreachable, the page says so plainly and the manual form below still builds the same citation from your own typing — you are never stuck staring at a spinner.
Why it matters
Good citations do quiet work. They let a reader find every source you used, they show that your argument rests on real evidence rather than memory, and they protect you: a clean reference list is much harder to challenge than a vague one. Most marks lost on referencing are not lost on difficult sources. They are lost on small, repeated slips — a missing year, a swapped initial, a title in the wrong case — that a quick tool pass catches before submission.
How to use it
- Paste a dataset DOI, e.g. 10.5061/dryad.123.
- Click Fetch from DataCite and check the fields.
- If the fetch fails, fill the form by hand and copy the citation.
Worked example
DOI 10.5061/dryad.123 returns creators, title, publisher and year from DataCite, formatted as: Creator(s). (Year). Title. Publisher. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.123. When the API is down, typing the same four facts into the form produces the identical citation.
Tips for good results
Cite the dataset itself, not just the paper that used it. That is how data creators get credit.
Work from the source itself, not from another paper’s copy of it. And keep one style for the whole list: a single mixed entry undermines an otherwise perfect bibliography.
Honest limits
Live mode needs the DataCite API to be reachable from your browser; the tool shows which mode produced your citation. It does not verify that a DOI resolves to a downloadable dataset, and DataCite records vary in completeness — check the year and publisher against the dataset landing page.
Common mistakes to avoid
Common mistakes to avoid: copying a reference from another paper without checking it against the original, trusting a PDF filename for the title or year, and mixing two styles in one list. Each of these looks harmless alone and careless together. Run the tool, read its output once, and compare it with the source itself before you paste it into your document.
Before you submit
Run through this short check before you submit: is every author name spelled as it appears on the source, is every year present and correct, and does every in-text citation have a matching entry in your reference list? Read the list once from top to bottom rather than skimming it. Most referencing errors are found in that single slow read, and fixing them there is far cheaper than fixing them after a reviewer finds them. If one entry still looks odd after that read, check it against the original source before you change anything else.
Frequently asked questions
Is this tool really free?
Yes. It runs in your browser on this page, with no account and no payment. For live lookups, your query goes to the public API named in the tool; nothing else is sent anywhere.
Do I still need to check the result?
Yes, once. Tools apply rules; they cannot verify facts about your source. Compare the output with the source itself before submitting.
Can I use the output in my paper?
Yes. The output is a formatted reference or analysis for your own work. Keep the source’s facts accurate and the formatting consistent across your list.
What if the tool’s output differs from my style guide?
Trust the style guide. Tools encode the common rules of a style; your university or journal’s own sheet wins every disagreement. Use the tool to do the routine work, then apply the local rule where it differs.
Also available in Spanish: Rellenador Automático de Citas de Datos – Búsqueda DOI en DataCite y Generador de Citas Gratis.