Upgrade StorageFeature request: dictionary of author name variants
Unfortunately, author name variants are introduced in different ways into a Zotero database. For instance, parsing a PDFs might add only initials for first name or introduce the name as "name surname" as opposed to "surname", "name". One learns this is a big issue when disambiguation rules are applied and there are sorting issues with the resulting bibliography.
I think it would be great if Zotero had a feature to correct variant names. One way this could be implemented would be to allow a "dictionary of name variants" to be accesssed on command and suggest equivalents applied to the Zotero database.
For instance, I have compiled a database for all author name variants in my database as a simple two column table in excel: names as inserted in the database (Column A) and names as I would want them corrected to (Column B). for example:
Column A
J. Smith
Smith, J. Mike
Smith, Jonny
Jane Smyth,
Column B
Smith, John Michael
Smith, John Michael
Smith, John Michael
Smythe, Jane
I plant to substitute any occurrence in Column A with the corresponding entry in Column B on an exported RIS file that I will then need to re-import back into Zotero, with expected consequences. If there was a feature that simply consulted my database and made these changes, I would then be able to apply it everytime I find a new paper by "Jane Smythe," correcting it to "Smythe, Jane". And of course we can leaveto users the feed the database...
pls, pls, pls consider this suggestion
I think it would be great if Zotero had a feature to correct variant names. One way this could be implemented would be to allow a "dictionary of name variants" to be accesssed on command and suggest equivalents applied to the Zotero database.
For instance, I have compiled a database for all author name variants in my database as a simple two column table in excel: names as inserted in the database (Column A) and names as I would want them corrected to (Column B). for example:
Column A
J. Smith
Smith, J. Mike
Smith, Jonny
Jane Smyth,
Column B
Smith, John Michael
Smith, John Michael
Smith, John Michael
Smythe, Jane
I plant to substitute any occurrence in Column A with the corresponding entry in Column B on an exported RIS file that I will then need to re-import back into Zotero, with expected consequences. If there was a feature that simply consulted my database and made these changes, I would then be able to apply it everytime I find a new paper by "Jane Smythe," correcting it to "Smythe, Jane". And of course we can leaveto users the feed the database...
pls, pls, pls consider this suggestion