Web resources in MLA format, output as Print

ssrosen
Zotero standalone has Item Type options for "Blog Post" and "Web Page." However, on output, these do not meet MLA citation guidelines. They fail to output Date Accessed and they output "Print" rather than "Web."

I'm using Zotero 4.0.17 on Mac. Has anyone had this issue?
  • adamsmith
    Start by updating Zotero to 4.0.19. Then, check if the fields for URL and date accessed actually contain data for the items you're citing. This certainly works under normal circumstances.
  • ssrosen
    @adamsmith, Thank you for the advice. Just upgraded to 4.0.19.

    I found that the bug is fixed or avoided when I fill the "URL" field. This strikes me as odd since the Item Type, not the presence of a URL, should identify the resource as "Web." In any case, I can work with it now. Thanks for the tip.
  • adamsmith
    I disagree - there are many sources - books, articles etc - that can be both print and web. The presence of a URL - which every item published on the web has - is a much better way to distinguish between web and print sources than the item type. I.e. this is done on purpose, it's not a bug.

    (Btw. since it may come up - for journal articles to be identified correctly as "Web" in MLA style you need to check the "Include URL" box under Cite --> Styles in the Zotero preferences).
  • ssrosen
    I see now! Therefore URL is the field you use to convert any resource into "Web" rather than "Print." I have been wondering for a long time how to do this. And conversely, leaving URL blank for "Blog Post" etc. allows for the very unlikely but possible case of having a blog post in print, somehow.

    Thank you!

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