Data is/are.
Dear Professor Mean, Should I write "data is" or "data are"?
I've always been open minded and allow people to say either. But the purists among us will insist that data is the plural of datum. These are the people who took Latin in High School while you and I were taking Wood Shop.
If you're writing something that someone else will review, always use "data are". It will make the purists happy and you won't hear any criticism from the rest of us (the impurists?).
I have changed the format of these web pages to use "data are" because I want the proof readers of these web pages to look for other things. If you do find an inappropriate use of the word "data" though, feel free to email me (my email link is at the bottom of every page).
Further reading
- Data "Are". The Albatross Project, Wake Forest University. Accessed on 2003-11-26. "A note on the word DATA, which means facts. But first, a note on the word people, which means persons. This word is plural. It means more than one person. Since it is plural, the following sentence would be wrong: "Those people is nice." The sentence is wrong because people is plural, and the verb that goes with people must agree in number with the noun people. The word "are" does the job, like "Those people are nice." www.wfu.edu/albatross/dataare.
- Data Is. Glenn Vanderburg, O'Reilly Developer Weblogs. Accessed on 2003-11-26. "I know that "data" is technically the plural of "datum". But I find it jarring when I read that "the data are transmitted" somewhere. In common usage (both speech and informal writing) that data "is transmitted."" www.oreillynet.com/pub/wlg/2527
- Data Is/Data Are. Article #334. Dan O'Neill. Accessed on 2003-11-26. "Unlike the laws of science, the laws of language are often subject to the will of the people. And while we cannot change carefully tested scientific truths to fit the fashion, grammarian's rules, when they no longer serve clarity or naturalness of expression, we can throw out the window." Published in the Alaska Science Forum, August 24, 1979. This column is provided as a public service by the Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, in cooperation with the UAF research community. www.gi.alaska.edu/ScienceForum/ASF3/334.html
- "Data Is" vs. "Data Are". John Cullen. Accessed on 2003-11-26. "For the non-specialist, so many of these issues seem like nothing more than a difference of opinion. Even if there are gray areas, it helps to at least understand the background to common grammar and usage problems. "Data is" vs. "Data are" is one of those lightning rod flash points that cause office bickering. Let's take a closer look." Published July 1, 2001. www.sharpwriter.com/aaacontent/data_is.htm
This webpage was written by Steve Simon on 2003-11-26 and was last modified on 2008-07-14. Category: Ask Professor Mean, Category: Writing research papers