Sheffield Harvard style

Rob Mowry
Zotero is great, the only issue I really have--it won't cite the way I need it to!

University of Sheffield's version of Harvard referencing format isn't available in the style repository. Since starting to use Zotero last October I've been experimenting with different similar styles but continue to experience frustration.

Is there anyone else from Sheffield on here with this issue? Sheffield recommends using EndNote. I stubbornly chose Zotero because it integrates with Linux and OpenOffice--EndNote doesn't.

I'm pretty technically inept when it comes to writing code. I'd be interested in hearing from anyone Sheffield-affliliated or otherwise who might want to work together on a solution. I want Zotero to work for Sheffield users too.
  • adamsmith
    edited February 18, 2011
    If you don't say what isn't working correctly for you it's kind of hard to help...

    http://www.zotero.org/support/requesting_styles
  • alu
    Hi all,

    I am actually working on the Sheffield University Reference system, but I am doing it for the Planning Department, which has some modifications from the original.
    I ran into a small problem though: How can I edit the formatting for the Et al. and Ed/Eds text? I, for instance have to use italic and lowercase for et.al, and have ( prefiz and ) suffix for Eds.

    If someone could please help with these issues I will try to put up the style!

    Thank you!
  • adamsmith
    et al in italics is only possible in csl 1.0, implemented in the Zotero 2.1bx version, but not in the stable 2.0.x branch.
    http://citationstyles.org/downloads/specification.html#et-al
    Et al should be lowercase by default, unless you have authors in all caps, in which case the same as above applies.

    The prefix and suffix for Eds. can be set by using something like
    <label form="short" prefix=" (" text-case="capitalize-first" suffix=".)"/>

    see e.g. the APA style as an example.
  • alu
    I am using Zotero standalone, as I am more of a Chrome user than firefox, but I am doing the testing in the ff plugin.
    I have to say that I only have some experience with xthml and css, but xml does not look that difficult.

    Anyway, I don't quite understand what do you mean with the caps in Et al. I just want to make Et al = et al. So just to lose the capital E.

    Thanks for the reply Adam!
  • adamsmith
    huh - I'd have to see the style - normally et al. should be in lowercase.
    Post to gist.github.com as a public gist.
  • alu
    edited February 19, 2011
    Sorry, my bad! There was a capitalize option in the wrong place!
  • Rob Mowry
    Sorry alu...but do you mean you are working on writing a Harvard-Sheffield .csl file for the style repository? Or did I misunderstand.

    Thanks in advance for the clarification
  • alu
    Yes Rob, you understood correctly! I am working on it, but I am using the reference style recommended by the department of Town and Regional Planning in their dissertation handout. I don't think there are a lot of differences. It doesn't seem to different from the normal one. You can look at it on the University IC Information Skills Resources > Tutorials by Department.

    Although writing it, is a bit of an overstatement, I am just putting bits together and making modifications.

    At this moment I am trying to figure out the 'Retrieved from' addition and if anyone can tell me how can I remove the pp. from the pages, that would be great!

    Cheers!
  • Rob Mowry
    Hello alu, good luck with your project and let me know if I can be of assistance. Unfortunately I am not all that technical when it comes to writing code, and the East Asian Studies style (which I need) is fairly different from that of the Town and Planning department.

    e.g.
    Town and Planning:
    Hoesli, M., & MacGregor, B. (2000). Property investment: principles and practice of portfolio management. Harrow: Longman.

    East Asian:
    Hasegawa, Harukiyo and Hook, Glenn D. (eds.) (1998), Japanese Business Management: Restructuring for Low Growth and Globalization, London: Routledge.

    I support your efforts since once your .csl file is finished it may be a good building block for a future East Asian Studies version.

    By the way you do realize that APA style is already in the style repository? http://www.zotero.org/styles
  • alu
    Hi Rob,

    Thank you for your support. I'm not big on coding either, but as I said I had some experience with CSS and HTML so I basically understand the XML code.
    Regarding the APA style, I found one even better, which is called Urban Studies, that is actually even closer to my requirements, the tweaks in this case regard et-al-min and formatting, which should not be that difficult.
    I did not have take to properly over it as Monday and TUesday are busy for me, but I'll give it a go tomorrow I hope.

    Regarding your EAS version, if your style only needs some "," instead of "." and tweaks on formatting, as I can see then I might be able to help, but I could use a comparative reference of the same book, article, or other reference where there are differences in both our styles, so I can see the differences.

    Cheers!
  • Rob Mowry
    To take the example from above:

    East Asian:
    Hasegawa, Harukiyo and Hook, Glenn D. (eds.) (1998), Japanese Business Management: Restructuring for Low Growth and Globalization, London: Routledge.

    Town and Planning:
    Hasegawa, H. and Hook, G. D. (eds.) (1998). Japanese business management: restructuring for low growth and globalization. London: Routledge.

    It looks like I'm either going to have to learn the code myself to get that style, or submit a style request. Choices, choices.
  • fbennett
    edited February 22, 2011
    Figuring out the necessary changes will give you freedom and flexibility going forward. In these particular examples, it looks like only two small changes are needed to the CSL. You'll need to add an initialize-with=". " attribute to a <name/> element, and add a text-case="sentence" attribute to a <text variable="title"/> element.

    (Edit: Oops, wrong way around. To go from the Town and Planning example to the East Asian example, you would remove those two attributes, and also remove a form="short" attribute from the <name/> element).
  • alu
    edited February 24, 2011
    Hi all,

    Been busy tonight and I think the styles are done! :)

    If someone with more experience can have a look here (LINK REMOVED BY ALU) before I upload them, that would be great!

    Rob,
    I also adapted your CSL but in the University Referencing guide for your department I could not find the et al limits. You do not use them in the References? just in citation?

    Night!
  • alu
    edited February 24, 2011
    Sorry about the last version of files but it seems that my skills in coding are a bit more then rusty and I was using some inappropriate tools.

    So while I wait for my SVN account if anyone is interested you can get the code here and take it for a spin: https://gist.github.com/841408 (code updated -- see next 2 posts)
    Generated with oXygen, validated with oXygen and Validate.nu, tested in Zotero Standalone 2.1a3 and Zotero 2.1b7.
  • adamsmith
    hi, had a quick look, I'd suggest deleting
    <option name="et-al-subsequent-min" value="2"/>
    <option name="et-al-subsequent-use-first" value="1"/>
    from both styles - it doesn't do anything and has caused problems in 2.1 in the past.
    Also, just to clarify, you really want et al to start with _two_ authors? i.e. a paper by Meyer and Smith would be "Meyer et al." - seems highly unusual.
  • alu
    Hi adam,

    Thanks for pointing that out!

    You are right, for both of them it should be 3 not 2 for et-al-min. I think while I was copy pasting from one file to another different bits I must have got confused somehow.

    I am also going to modify the code on gitbub, in case Rob wants to take it for a test drive.

    Also while browsing the reference tutorial to check the et-al min I noticed that I actually missed the sorting for multiple citations, for TRP year descending, author and for EAS year ascending, author.

    Thanks for the feedback!
  • alu
    Hi guys sorry for the absence around here since I did the styles but I had a lot of stuff on my plate the last month.

    As I don't have the privileges to upload styles, and as long as I made them, can someone please help me by uploading the two styles for:

    University of Sheffield- Town and Regional Planning Department
    https://gist.github.com/906370

    University of Sheffield - East Asian Studies
    https://gist.github.com/906374

    Thank you!
  • adamsmith
    I'll get to it asap.
  • alu
    Thank you Adam!
  • adamsmith
    they're committed now.
  • Rob Mowry
    To alu and adam, thanks very much for working on the sheffield styles (including the East Asian Studies style). I just checked back here after a long absence. There's been a lot on my plate this year.

    I was quite pleasantly surprised that there is actually a Sheffield East Asian style to use now. Very cool! Thanks and sorry I checked out for so long.
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