Cite what you actually used
A notebook page, a software tool and a dataset are different research resources.
Citing a notebook page
Use “Cite this page” in any notebook to obtain its edition URL, access-ready reference and BibTeX record. The edition URL identifies the fixed content snapshot. The SHA-256 fingerprint identifies the structured page content and its bibliographic context.
The fingerprint covers the edition identifier, publication date, notebook identity and the complete chapter, including references and the exact definitions of its diagrams. It does not cover the surrounding site design, external websites or files reached through links.
Citing the research resource
For an analysis of POD, cite the exact dataset version. For an implementation of VAO, cite the specification version. A citation of an explanatory notebook helps readers follow your reasoning, but does not substitute for either of those references.
Match the citation to the work performed
| You used… | Cite… | Also record… |
|---|---|---|
| An explanatory chapter | Its fixed notebook edition. | The relevant section and any underlying evidence used. |
| POD records in an analysis | The exact POD version. | Distribution, selection, query and checksum. |
| A software method | The exact application or tool release. | Parameters, environment and input identities. |
| A VAO object | The instrument-package release. | Standard contract, selected resources and client version where relevant. |
| A specification or vocabulary | Its immutable version record. | The profile, term or constraint used. |
Why a version DOI matters
A project or concept record may group successive releases. For a reproducible reference, use the identifier that fixes the version you actually used. A community link helps a reader discover related work but does not identify a unique input. Keep the human-readable citation and the machine-readable identifiers together so the reference remains interpretable outside the original application.
Cuntz · Worked example#
Which Cuntz identifier belongs in a citation?
Versioned citation separates the physical subject, the released research object and the explanation or derived artifact actually used.
Work through the example 3 STEPS
A reader uses the notebook’s model to discuss a geometry, while another uses the 1281 mm workbook observation. Their references should identify different evidence even though both concern Cuntz.
Identify the release
Use version DOI 10.5281/zenodo.22151203 for the inspected dataset. Record the specific realization or observation, rather than citing only the project community.
Identify what was used
For the web preview, retain the derivative’s digest and transformation note. For the observation, identify the pipe, property, source cell and workbook realization.
Cite the explanation separately
Use “Cite this page” for the notebook’s fixed edition. Its fingerprint identifies the explanation; it does not replace the source dataset or model fingerprint.
BASIS FOR THIS EXAMPLE
- Cuntz Positiv · VAO 0.5.0-rc.2 ↗
Published manifest: identities, measurement observations, realization digests, profiles and rights. Exact examples checked against this release.
- VAO Standard 0.5.0 ↗
The standard contract is separate from the Cuntz dataset content version 0.5.0-rc.2.
The dataset content version 0.5.0-rc.2, VAO format version 0.5.0 and website edition are separate version systems.
The useful distinction. A citation chain lets a reader recover both the evidence and the interpretation.
A checksum complements a citation
The digest answers whether a particular sequence of bytes or canonical structured content matches a recorded identity. It does not identify an author by itself, explain why a transformation was made or guarantee that an external service will remain online. Those needs are met by the citation, provenance, release documentation and preservation arrangements working together.
For this site, the downloadable metadata contains the exact canonical string that was hashed. Compare its recomputed digest with the recorded SHA-256 and retain the edition URL. If an external dataset or recording underpins the result, verify that artifact separately: the notebook’s fingerprint covers its own content and references, not the remote bytes behind each link.
Pipe Organ Dataset 1.6.0The fixed dataset release, methods and checksums.
VAO Standard 0.5.0The versioned specification and reference tools.
MODAVIS Ontology Network 0.1.0The published semantic model.
Cuntz · Worked example#
What does the model’s SHA-256 prove?
A checksum is a fingerprint calculated from bytes. Fixity checking compares that fingerprint with a trusted expected value to detect changed or mismatched files.
Work through the example 3 STEPS
The published GLB source for this notebook has SHA-256 beginning 19527c2188b08d85. The display derivative has a different digest because its texture and encoding were changed.
Compare like with like
Check the complete source GLB digest against the exact source realization. Compare the website derivative against its own expected digest, not against the source GLB’s digest.
Notice byte-changing edits
A texture conversion or mesh encoding change produces a different file identity. Even reformatting a JSON manifest can change its exact-byte hash without changing its parsed meaning.
Keep the scientific question separate
Matching bytes establish which representation was obtained. The digest does not verify the model’s physical scale, the pipe measurement method or a claim about the sound of 1610.
BASIS FOR THIS EXAMPLE
- Cuntz Positiv · VAO 0.5.0-rc.2 ↗
Published manifest: identities, measurement observations, realization digests, profiles and rights. Exact examples checked against this release.
- VAO Standard 0.5.0 ↗
The standard contract is separate from the Cuntz dataset content version 0.5.0-rc.2.
This website verifies the model’s expected byte length and full SHA-256 before passing it to the renderer. That is a file-identity check, not a VAO conformance report.
The useful distinction. Fixity makes evidence identifiable; it does not independently validate the evidence’s interpretation.
A citation chain for a derived acoustic result
Suppose a figure reports a pitch statistic from an exported recording excerpt. Cite the exact object or dataset release, identify the signal realization and excerpt, record the analysis tool and configuration, and retain the derived table or figure identity. If this notebook supplied the explanatory method, cite its fixed page edition separately. The notebook explains the procedure; the data and analysis records support the numerical result.
For a standard-dependent operation, also identify the exact standard and profiles used. A concept DOI can help readers discover the family of releases, but the version DOI identifies the release used in the analysis. Keep acquisition receipts and local digests with the working record so that the obtained material can be compared with the cited artifact.
Sources & further reading
- VAO Standard 0.5.0
The versioned specification and reference tools.
- Pipe Organ Dataset 1.6.0
The fixed dataset release, methods and checksums.
- VAO Standard 0.5.0
Normative standard, profile index, Dynamic Delivery Profile and conformance specification in the versioned release.
Page editions 2026-09-r5 ↓
Read a fixed snapshot of this chapter, or return to the current notebook.
Edition 2026-09-r5 · SHA-256
e7b5d70356b6Page metadata ↗