The authorship metadata is influencing the correct application of citation style

julianagulka

First, I would like to thank you for your efforts in updating and improving Zotero.

I noticed a possible error in the item authorship field when used in Word.

If we fill in the authorship in direct order: First Name Last Name (e.g., Peter Bishop), the citation and reference do not consider the entry by the author's last name, also presenting it in direct order, which is incorrect. I tested styles such as APA, Chicago, ABNT, and others, and the problem persists.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/zotero.org/images/forums/u18535282/lbdc678bd56b6esr6se9.png

When changed to the standard Last Name First Name in the item metadata (e.g., Bishop Peter), the styles work as they should, considering the author's last name in the entries.

However, I think that the direct (single field) or inverted (two fields) format should not influence the styles. In the previous version, it worked perfectly.

Is this a bug in the new version? Or a planned change? Is there a way to automatically set all the records in my library to two fields in bulk, or will I have to correct them one by one for the styles to work?

I use Zotero 8.0.2 on Windows and Word 365.

adamsmith

You're misremembring this. Single field has always worked like this and single field vs. two field authors aren't equivalent: you can't reliably parse a single field into lastname, firstname as needed for citations, so person authors should never be entered in single field.

Single field is principally intended for corporate authors or other entities without first and lastname.

julianagulka

You're right, I misinterpreted it. I've already realized where the mistake was, thank you.