Using BioTIME data
While we remain open-access and free, we do ask that you abide by a few terms to properly acknowledge our data contributors and database staff.
We now have an R package BioTIMEr to help with spatial gridding, sample-based rarefaction, and diversity metric calculation.
Guidelines
We ask you to provide proper attribution. Cite our database as well as the relevant citations for the individual studies you use in any publication. Our citation and metadata tables will help with locating the right information about references and licences.
Whenever you download and use data from the BioTIME database, we ask that you respect the licences associated to the database and datasets. In the data download, you will find the licences for each study in the metadata table. We break down the core differences between these licence types below, but it is ultimately your responsibility to consult the actual licence. Violation of licence terms mean that BioTIME and/or the data contributors can revoke the freedom to use and share data.How to cite BioTIME
You can cite our database in this style below or using the RIS file download if you use citation management software like Endnote, Zotero, Mendeley, etc.Maria Dornelas, Laura H. Antão, Amanda E. Bates, Viviana Brambilla, Jonathan M. Chase,
Cher F. Y. Chow, Ada Fontrodona-Eslava, Anne E. Magurran, Inês S. Martins, Faye Moyes,
Alban Sagouis, et al. BioTIME 2.0: Expanding and Improving a Database of Biodiversity Time Series. Global Ecol Biogeogr. 2025; 34(5):e70003. https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.70003
Download citation ↓
Each individual study is associated with a specific Open Data or Creative Commons licences. These licences are selected by data contributors in the BioTIME consortium and outline the terms under which they would like their data to be used and shared. Always consult the licence document if you are unsure.
Creative Commons Licences
CC0: Public domain
Also known as a "no rights reserved" licence. There are no copyrights, patents, or warranties associated with this type of licence, essential there are no limits to how this work can be used and is part of the public domain.Official summary and licence ↗
CC-by: Attribution
Sharing and adaptations are allowed given that the original authors/contributors are given proper attribution and credit. Commercial use is allowed as well.Official summary and licence ↗
CC-by-SA: Attribution and share-alike
Similar to the CC-by licence with an additional stipulation that you must distribute your contributions to this data under the same licence. Essentially, contributors ask that you keep work open-access.Official summary and licence ↗
Open Licences for Databases
PDDL: Public domain
There are no restrictions on how data can be used with this licence. Similar to CC0 above.Official summary and licence ↗
ODC-by: Attribution
You're allowed to share, adapt, and create works from data, as long as you attribute the original authors and contributors and outline the changes you've made.Official summary and licence ↗
ODbL: Attribution and share-alike
Also similar to ODC-by above with an additional condition that distribution of your work stemming from this data is shared under an ODbL licence and kept open-access as well.Official summary and licence ↗
