Welcome! COMPADRE and COMADRE contain matrix population models of hundreds of plant and animal species, as well as algae, fungi, bacteria, and viruses!
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How to Cite COM(P)ADRE

This guide provides an overview for common ways to cite our databases.

The COMPADRE Plant Matrix Database and COMADRE Animal Matrix Database provided via this portal are open-source data and free of charge. In accordance with the COM(P)ADRE data user agreement, users are obligated to provide appropriate citation for the use of data contained herein.

Providing appropriate database citation in publications and presentations ensures transparency and reproducibility—cornerstones of scientific integrity. It also encourages researchers and organizations to contribute their data as they would be comfortable knowing that their work will be attributed appropriately.

Citing the databases

Users who need to cite the entire database can use the following examples:

COMPADRE Plant Matrix Database (year). Available from: https://www.compadre-db.org [DD Month YYYY, Version X.X.X].

COMADRE Animal Matrix Database (year). Available from: https://www.compadre-db.org [DD Month YYYY, Version X.X.X].

Citations should include the date of download and database version number. Version numbers can be found on COMPADRE and COMADRE download pages and in their respective RData objects (e.g., compadre$version or comadre$version).

Please note: RData objects are updated regularly, so if you didn’t note the version number on the day of download, it’s best to check the version from the RData object.

Citing individual species and matrices

The examples above are for citing the entirety of the COMPADRE and COMADRE databases. For small projects or reports, it may be more prudent to cite one or a few species or matrices. We encourage users to use the formats below on those occasions.

Citing a species page

Users who need to cite a single species within the databases may choose to use the following citation example:

Sternula antillarum in COMPADRE Plant Matrix Database (year). Available from: https://www.compadre-db.org/Species/47721 [DD Month YYYY, Version X.X.X].

Citing an individual matrix

Users who need to cite a single matrix within the databases may choose to use the following citation example:

Matrix 248846 in COMADRE Animal Matrix Database (year). Available from: https://www.compadre-db.org/Species/47975 [DD Month YYYY, Version X.X.X].

Please note: Matrix ID numbers are permanent and can be found with their associated matrices on the website or in the RData object.

Other citation examples

Citing non-data pages on the website

Users who choose to cite non-data pages on the website are encouraged to use the following citation example.

COMPADRE-DB.org (year) How to Cite COM(P)ADRE. Available from: https://www.compadre-db.org/Help/HowToCite [DD Month YYYY].

Citing the databases as an entities

If users choose to cite COMPADRE or COMADRE in a more general context, we recommend using the following citations.

Salguero-Gómez R, Jones OR, Archer CA, Buckley YM, Che-Castaldo J, Caswell C, Scheuerlein A, Conde DA, Baudisch A, Brinks E, de Buhr H, Farack C, Gottschalk F, Hartmann A, Henning A, Hoppe G, Römer G, Runge J, Ruoff T, Wille J, Zeh S, Vieregg D, Altwegg R, Colchero F, Dong M, Hodgson D, de Kroon H, Lebreton J-D, Metcalf CJE, Neel M, Parker I, Takada T, Valverde T, Vélez-Espino LA, Wardle GM, Franco M & Vaupel JW (2014) The COMPADRE Plant Matrix Database: an online repository for plant population dynamics. Journal of Ecology 103: 202-218. DOI: 10.1111/1365-2745.12334

Salguero‐Gómez R, Jones OR, Archer CR, Bein C, de Buhr H, Farack C, Gottschalk F, Hartmann A, Henning A, Hoppe G, Römer G, Ruoff T, Sommer V, Wille J, Voigt J, Zeh S, Vieregg D, Buckley YM, Che‐Castaldo J, Hodgson D, Scheuerlein A, Caswell H & Vaupel JW (2016) COMADRE: a global database of animal demography. Journal of Animal Ecology 85: 371-384. doi:10.1111/1365-2656.12482