Need for Global Edit of Autors' First Names OR synomyn definition

My Problem:
Depending on the source, authors' first names are imported into Zotero either as initials or as full names. e.g:

Hartmann, A
Hartmann, Armin

In the APA-Style, the first name is printed to the in-text citation, if authors with the same name have different fist names. Zotero doesn't recognize that "Hartmann, A" and "Hartmann, Armin" are the same persons and it creates unnecessarily distinct citations.

One solution is to unify all first names - a very silly job, if you have to edit a heap of citations manually.

Thus, I plea for new features, like a global "Search/Replace" integrated into the advanced search, or a possibility to define synonyms, telling Zotero that certain persons are "the same".

Armin

PS: Have I missed an existing solution of the problem?
  • edited February 8, 2009
    PS: Have I missed an existing solution of the problem?
    Not really. Thing is, Zotero cannot know beforehand that authors are the same if different databases do not provide exactly the same format. So what is really needed is an interface within Zotero where different variants can be harmonized and/or linked.

    This has been requested several times before; here and here are threads about it. Apparently, the feature is planned.
  • Thanks for the links!
    Armin
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