# How to cite Hong Kong data and check freshness

Use original provider citations, inspect timestamps and reference periods, and distinguish catalogue coverage from validated and semantically qualified records.

## Cite the original provider

mcp.hk is an access layer. Cite original provider URLs and attribution from the response provenance, and add the mcp.hk query or guide as the access method when useful. DATA.GOV.HK and CSDI are discovery portals; the dataset publisher is the authority for the underlying records.

[DATA.GOV.HK](https://data.gov.hk/en/)

[CSDI portal](https://portal.csdi.gov.hk/geoportal/)

[DATA.GOV.HK reuse terms](https://data.gov.hk/en/terms-and-conditions)

## Three different clocks

A catalogue sync time describes metadata discovery. A retrieval or validation time describes a source read or check. The observation time or reference period describes when the underlying event or statistic applies. A recent read does not turn an old statistic into current data. Inspect stale flags, warnings and the original source before making a time-sensitive claim.

[Source status](https://mcp.hk/sources)

[Source documentation](https://github.com/heathermhuang/mcp-hk/blob/main/docs/sources.md)

## Interpret each data pack within its limits

Restaurant licence records are not reviews or a guarantee that a venue is currently open. District population is a district statistic, not population within a restaurant search radius. Plate.hk provides historical auction results, not current ownership, availability or valuations. SeeHouse listing asking prices and their changes are not completed transactions. Transport checks apply to the requested source, route and stop; a timetable is not a live arrival prediction.

[Neighbourhood example](https://mcp.hk/demo)

[Plate.hk history](https://mcp.hk/plates)

[SeeHouse listings](https://mcp.hk/properties)

## Coverage and failure states

A catalogue entry may be metadata-only. Sources can be unsupported, restricted, unavailable, require selection, exceed capacity or have schema drift. Preserve those states in applications and AI answers. A successful raw read still needs semantic checks for units, field meaning and suitability.

[Browse source access states](https://mcp.hk/coverage)

[Software and data terms](https://mcp.hk/terms)

Canonical: https://mcp.hk/guides/data-sources-and-freshness