Modernising Citation Metadata in R: Introducing `bibrecord`"

In dataset: Create Data Frames that are Easier to Exchange and Reuse

knitr::opts_chunk$set(
  collapse = TRUE,
  comment = "#>"
)

library(dataset)

Why We Needed bibrecord

The base R function utils::bibentry() provides a way to structure citation metadata. While effective for simple references, it falls short for modern metadata standards like:

• Dublin Core Terms (DCTERMS)

• DataCite

Both require clear distinction between creators, contributors, and richly typed relationships — things bibentry() doesn't natively support.

To bridge this gap while preserving compatibility with base R, the bibrecord class builds on top of bibentry, adding support for:

• Multiple person() entries for contributors

• Metadata fields aligned with DCTERMS and DataCite

• Safe serialization and printing

What is bibrecord

A bibrecord is a standard bibentry object with additional fields stored in attributes. This means:

• You can use it with any code expecting a bibentry

• You gain structured metadata fields like contributor, subject, identifier

• Methods like print() are extended to reflect these enrichments

Creating a bibrecord

person_jane <- person("Jane", "Doe", role = "cre")
person_alice <- person("Alice", "Smith", role = "dtm")

rec <- bibrecord(
  title = "GDP of Small States",
  author = list(person_jane),
  contributor = list(person_alice),
  publisher = "Tinystat",
  identifier = "doi:10.1234/example",
  date = "2023-05-01",
  subject = "Economic indicators"
)

Printing a bibrecord

print(rec)

This prints both the base citation and the contributors, clearly labelled.

Compatibility with Existing Infrastructure

Because bibrecord inherits from bibentry:

• It works with citation() and other base R citation tools

• It integrates with existing bibliographic pipelines

• You can convert it to as_dublincore() or as_datacite() without loss of structure

Future Extensions

The bibrecord class can be further enriched by:

• Adding support for funder, geolocation, relatedIdentifier, etc.

• Exporting to JSON-LD or RDF formats

• Integrating with Zenodo, Crossref, or Wikidata APIs

Summary

| Feature | bibentry | bibrecord | |----------------|------------|-------------| | Base R support | ✅ | ✅ | | Contributors | ❌ | ✅ | | Semantic roles | ❌ | ✅ | | DCTERMS export | ❌ | ✅ | | DataCite-ready | ❌ | ✅ |

bibrecord is your drop-in upgrade for structured metadata in R.

Start simple. Stay compatible. Go semantic.

dataset documentation built on June 8, 2025, 10:15 a.m.