Citing OBIS Data

We deeply value the contributions of all data providers. To ensure proper recognition, it is essential to cite OBIS data whenever it is used. Always review the data license included with downloaded data to confirm that your intended use is compliant. We have also developed an easy way to obtain a DOI that can be used for specific data downloads, making it easier to cite and reference OBIS data accurately.

If you use OBIS data, you must cite all datasets you have used, as well as include a general OBIS citation.

General OBIS citation

OBIS (YEAR) Ocean Biodiversity Information System. Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO. https://obis.org

Individual datasets

For individual datasets retrieved from OBIS, dataset citations are available from the dataset landing page.

For example:

Sousa Pinto, I.; Viera, R.; 2012. Monitoring of the intertidal biodiversity of rocky beaches with schools in Portugal 2005-2010. CIIMAR - Interdisciplinary Centre for Marine and Environmental Research, Porto. https://dx.doi.org/10.14284/38

Downloads of multiple OBIS datasets

You can request a DOI for subsets of OBIS data (e.g. downloaded from the Mapper). This requires submission of the list of dataset identifiers present in the subset. OBIS does not keep a copy of the database subset, but references to the source datasets are included in the DOI metadata. See https://obis.org/doi/ to obtain a DOI.

Example citation:

OBIS (2026). Distribution records of Eledone cirrhosa (Lamarck, 1798). Downloaded from: Ocean Biodiversity Information System. Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO. (Accessed: 2026-07-29). [INSERT DOI]

In addition to citing the individual datasets (and taking into account the restrictions set at each dataset level), also cite the OBIS database as above.

OBIS Data products

The derived information products from OBIS are published under the CC0 license and can be cited as follows:

OBIS (YEAR) [Information product e.g. Global map showing the Hulbert index in a gridded view of hexagonal cells] (Available: Ocean Biodiversity Information System. Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO. https://obis.org. Accessed: YYYY-MM-DD)