In-text Citations of a Work by Author with Multiple Works - MLA Referencing Style (8th ed.)

Hi All,
I've just started using the MLA referencing style, required by my College, and my Supervisor complained about the in-text citations making the reading very cumbersome. The problem is, when citing a book by an author who appears in my bibliography with multiple works, the in-text citation uses the format (author, title) rather than the (author date) one. I understand this is part of the referencing style guidelines, but the Supervisor says she has never come across it before and doesn't like it... I'll have to change it somehow, so I wonder if there's an easy way I can do it?

And an additional question, very similar to the above in nature. Zotero adds to each entry in my bibliography whether it is 'print' or 'web' or other... Is there any way I can delete this field? It doesn't seem to appear on the examples of MLA (8th ed.) bibliography I'm finding online.

Many thanks,
Cristina
  • For the second issue, you're just using the wrong style. Install and use:
    https://www.zotero.org/styles?q=id:modern-language-association-8th-edition

    For the first issue in that style, find
    <choose>
    <if disambiguate="true">
    <text macro="title-short"/>
    </if>
    </choose>


    change to

    <choose>
    <if disambiguate="true">
    <date variable="issued" form="numeric" date-parts="year"/>
    </if>
    </choose>


    general instructions here: https://www.zotero.org/support/dev/citation_styles/style_editing_step-by-step

    (Though, for the record, the "have never seen" part is nonsense. This has been part of the MLA rules since at least two editions back and is done in, among others, every MLA journal)
  • Thanks AdamSmith, and apologies for the belated reply.
    I'll follow your advice on both topics, really appreciate your help!
    I've also found strange my Supervisor's comment, but must add that I hadn't been filling in the 'short title' field in my bibliography (it wasn't needed for the style I was using until recently), so when I changed to MLA, my in-text references became very long indeed. Maybe that's why she didn't recognise it as a standard feature of this style, but who knows... "Supervisors work in mysterious ways" ;)
Sign In or Register to comment.