Citing dictionary from the Mac

jcmeunier
I am trying to cite the Mac Dictionary. It's actually a collection of several dictionaries, but the one I am quoting from is the British English one :
Oxford Dictionary of English, Copyright © 2010, 2017 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.

Initially, I looked for the ISBN, but really difficult to find and to know if it's the right edition. When I entered it, the item was a "book", but I suppose it should actually be a "dictionary entry", so I created it manually. It yields this :
Stevenson, Angus, editor. “Talking Blues.” Oxford Dictionary of English, 3rd ed, Oxford University Press, 2010.

The problem is : where do I indicate that it comes from the Mac. If it's an online dictionary, I would need to indicate the location on the web, as well as the date when I visited the page.

I really have no clue how to indicate this. I can't write "Epub" in edition, because the fils is actually a .dict file AND the edition field already contains something : "3rd edition"

If anybody had an idea...

Thanks
  • bwiernik
    Enter the source of the item in the Library Catalog field. Styles that require such information, such as MLA, will pick it up from there.
  • jcmeunier
    @bwiernik Do you mean with the item "dictionary entry" ?

    I've just tried it, but it doesn't yield anything in MLA. I get exactly the same thing :

    Stevenson, Angus, editor. “Talking Blues.” Oxford Dictionary of English, 3rd ed, Oxford University Press, 2010.
  • bwiernik
    edited September 8, 2018
    Does MLA style actually require source information for dictionary entries, or only for journal articles, websites, etc.? Can you look up and refer to the relevant spot in the style guide.
  • jcmeunier
    Well, actually, from what I've found, if it's a paper dictionary, it requires the usual info of a book, and if it's an online dictionary, it requires the URL and the date when it was consulted.

    The problem is I can't find anything in between "in print" and "website" or "online database"

    I really don't know how to solve this problem. If I put it in the "Archive" field, it yields this :

    Stevenson, Angus, editor. “Talking Blues.” Oxford Dictionary of English, 3rd ed, Oxford University Press, 2010. Mac Dictionary.

    I guess it's what makes the most sense to me. I wonder if I should add "Version 2.2.2" after Mac Dictionary, actually.

    I'm very surprised that I can't really find a decent answer on the web. I can't be the only one who uses this dictionary...

    Sorry, I really don't know if you can be of any help in this case, since the problem is not specifically with Zotero itself.
  • bwiernik
    This is a requirement that is unique to MLA and I think pretty pointless (why does it matter if you look at the dictionary online, in print, or on a local computer app? The content is the same).

    Using Archive would be a fine workaround, as would adding it to the Dictionary Title:
    Oxford English Dictionary (Mac Dictionary Version 2.2.2)
  • jcmeunier
    I completely agree with you. If it's the same dictionary, I suppose it would be the same content, whether it is online or not.

    Yes, adding it to the title could be a solution too, but I think I will keep it in archive, as it allows me to put this information at the end, exactly where the info should be if it were an online dictionary. Very convenient... and I will add the 2.2.2, it's probably better. Actually, the app says "Version 2.2.2 (203)". I was tempted to include it, since I don't know what it means.

    Do you have any idea what this (203) at the end means ?

    If not, it's OK, I've taken enough of your time for this. Thank you very much for your help !
  • bwiernik
    (203) would probably be a specific patch number or similar. You should include it as part of the version number
  • jcmeunier
    Thanks a lot ! Done. :-)

    Have a nice day
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