Upgrade StoragePage numbers only
Maybe this has been discussed before, but I was unable to find a thread discussing it.
I sometimes discuss a single work by a single author in a single paragraph, but make reference to multiple pages. For example:
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Jones (2011, 32) claims his theory proves the earth is flat, even going so far as to say it is "as smooth as a billiard table." But a few pages later, he qualifies this claim, "Of course, this flatness does not apply to the Rocky Mountains" (p. 45). By the end of the book (p. 789), Jones contradicts his earlier assertion: "The error of this way of thinking is to conclude the earth is flat just because it is not perfectly round. The earth may not be round, but surely it is not flat."
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Now I know I can either (a) insert full citations (e.g., Jones 2011, 45) in place of the parenthetical page numbers or (b) just use Zotero for the initial citation and do the others as just plain text.
But the optimal way seems to allow just the page numbers with neither the author's name nor the date. This way the reference will still appear in the List of References even if the first one is removed. Also, the inserted page-number citations can be easily changed into the initial citation format, presumably by unchecking a box or otherwise making the citation into a standard one.
Is there any way to do this?
I sometimes discuss a single work by a single author in a single paragraph, but make reference to multiple pages. For example:
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Jones (2011, 32) claims his theory proves the earth is flat, even going so far as to say it is "as smooth as a billiard table." But a few pages later, he qualifies this claim, "Of course, this flatness does not apply to the Rocky Mountains" (p. 45). By the end of the book (p. 789), Jones contradicts his earlier assertion: "The error of this way of thinking is to conclude the earth is flat just because it is not perfectly round. The earth may not be round, but surely it is not flat."
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Now I know I can either (a) insert full citations (e.g., Jones 2011, 45) in place of the parenthetical page numbers or (b) just use Zotero for the initial citation and do the others as just plain text.
But the optimal way seems to allow just the page numbers with neither the author's name nor the date. This way the reference will still appear in the List of References even if the first one is removed. Also, the inserted page-number citations can be easily changed into the initial citation format, presumably by unchecking a box or otherwise making the citation into a standard one.
Is there any way to do this?
It would be possible to code this into a style as an ibid. option:
I.e. when the same item, but a different page is cited immediately following the last citation, we could just print the page number.
The disadvantage is that there is no way to restrict this to the same paragraph - i.e. you'd get the same if the next citation is two paragraphs down if you don't cite anyone else in between.
The downside to implementing something along the lines of what you're suggesting -i.e. an additional checkbox or so - is that added complexity decreases user friendliness and increases the possibility of errors.
Maybe, one way would be to let Zotero add the author outside parenthesis, rendering "Author (Year)" and still be able to work it as a recognizable field. This way doesn't seem to be as difficult, but the "only page" feature will be unresolved, unless there's a way for the plug-in to recognize a previous citation without locator (as it would be an "only year" or "omit author" one) and have a blank Ibid. function as you have previously pointed out.
Searching in the APA 6th. ed. Manual I found this on section 6.03 Direct Quotation of Sources: ". . . if the quoted source is cited in the sentence introducing the block quote (e.g., «In 1997, Purcell contradicted this view . . .»), only the page or paragraph number is needed at the end of the quotation." (p. 171)
Finally, maybe it all comes down to the question: Does Zotero collects locator information to use it somehow? I usually use APA style and don't see it would be necessary for constructing the reference list (or bibliography, as usually named). I suppose there could be interesting statistical information, or a warning for using a repeated locator, but that's a all new territory. So, I guess we shouldn't be using Zotero for those separate author, year and page citations.
P.S.: I'm sorry if something is not completely well written, Spanish is my native language.
For citing the author as in "Smith (1776) says..." use the suppress author button in the plugin, this is still recognized as a Zotero citation.
On locators, Zotero doesn't "collect" any information of what you use (so no statistics, warnings etc.) but locators are recorded as part of the document so that ibid. can work correctly (if you use the same locator - say p. 17 - in two consecutive citaitons in a style using ibid., Zotero will only print "ibid." not "ibid. 17" for the second ciation.
Like most social scientists, I use the Chicago author-date system. In that system there are no "ibid.'s," "op. cit.'s," etc. The only thing really necessary would be the option of omitting the year as well as the author. This would be done in the word-processor plugin.