Question

is a reference is required fora graph you made from data gathered by another source.

Answer 1

Short answer: yes — if the data you used came from another source, you should cite that source when you present a graph made from those data.

Why and how:
- Citation gives credit to the original data creators and avoids plagiarism.
- It documents provenance so readers can check the data and reproduce your work.
- Some datasets require attribution by license (e.g., CC BY) and some proprietary datasets require permission for reuse.

Practical rules:
- In academic work, put a data citation in the figure caption and include a full reference in the reference list. Example caption: “Figure 1. Monthly sales (data: Smith et al., 2020; visualisation by author).”
- For reports or a blog, include a clear “Source:” line near the graph (and a link if the data are online).
- If you modified or aggregated the original data, say so: “Adapted from…” or “Data transformed by author from…”
- If you reproduced a published figure exactly (not just the data), you may need the publisher’s permission in addition to attribution.
- If the data are public domain, attribution may not be legally required, but cite anyway for transparency and good practice.

Example citations:
- Dataset: Smith, J., & Lee, A. (2020). National energy consumption, 1990–2019 [Dataset]. Data Repository. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx
- Web data: “Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (accessed 2025-03-01).”

Checklist before publishing a graph:
1. Identify the original data source and license/terms of use.
2. Add a short source line in the figure caption or near the graph.
3. Add a full citation in the references if appropriate.
4. Note any transformations/processing you performed.
5. Seek permission if the original figure was reproduced wholesale or if license restrictions apply.

If you want, tell me the source and the context (paper, blog, class assignment) and I can suggest a specific caption and reference format.