Upgrade StorageSuitable Item Type for dramatic works?
I am new to zotero. At first blush, it looks good. I am only unsure which Item Type is appropriate for dramatic works (e.g. plays).
Often, dramatic works are published in a collection or anthology. E.g. Middleton, Thomas. Five Plays. Ed. Bryan Loughrey & Neil Taylor. Penguin, 1988.
Obviously, we can enter this as a Book. So far so good.
But what about the individual plays in the collection? Entering them as a Book Section seems logical, but if you cite this with MLA style the play appears in quote marks: i.e. "I warrant you, my life for yours" ("The Revenger's Tragedy", 5.1.2).
While the title in quote marks is correct for essays, poems, etc. in a collection or anthology, it is incorrect for dramatic works. Instead, the name of the play should be in italics. I.e. "I warrant you, my life for yours" (The Revenger's Tragedy, 5.1.2).
Likewise, the bibliographic entry should have the title of the play in italics, rather than quote marks, i.e. Middleton, Thomas. The Revenger's Tragedy. Five Plays. Ed. Bryan Loughrey & Neil Taylor. Penguin, 1988. 71-160. and not Middleton, Thomas. "The Revenger's Tragedy." Five Plays. Ed. Bryan Loughrey & Neil Taylor. Penguin, 1988. 71-160.
This becomes especially problematic when citing Shakespeare's plays. These are typically cited with certain MLA-standard abbreviations, such as Ham., Mac., Oth., AYL etc.. Clearly, the Short Title field is appropriate here, but these abbreviations also must appear in italics, not quote marks. ("Ham.", 2.1.1 looks really wrong...)
Does anyone know how to do this, or do we need a new Item Type for dramatic works?
Often, dramatic works are published in a collection or anthology. E.g. Middleton, Thomas. Five Plays. Ed. Bryan Loughrey & Neil Taylor. Penguin, 1988.
Obviously, we can enter this as a Book. So far so good.
But what about the individual plays in the collection? Entering them as a Book Section seems logical, but if you cite this with MLA style the play appears in quote marks: i.e. "I warrant you, my life for yours" ("The Revenger's Tragedy", 5.1.2).
While the title in quote marks is correct for essays, poems, etc. in a collection or anthology, it is incorrect for dramatic works. Instead, the name of the play should be in italics. I.e. "I warrant you, my life for yours" (The Revenger's Tragedy, 5.1.2).
Likewise, the bibliographic entry should have the title of the play in italics, rather than quote marks, i.e. Middleton, Thomas. The Revenger's Tragedy. Five Plays. Ed. Bryan Loughrey & Neil Taylor. Penguin, 1988. 71-160. and not Middleton, Thomas. "The Revenger's Tragedy." Five Plays. Ed. Bryan Loughrey & Neil Taylor. Penguin, 1988. 71-160.
This becomes especially problematic when citing Shakespeare's plays. These are typically cited with certain MLA-standard abbreviations, such as Ham., Mac., Oth., AYL etc.. Clearly, the Short Title field is appropriate here, but these abbreviations also must appear in italics, not quote marks. ("Ham.", 2.1.1 looks really wrong...)
Does anyone know how to do this, or do we need a new Item Type for dramatic works?
The other thing is that missing information isn't actually the problem in this case (though it is in others). It's that we need to be able to distinguish between an article in a book (which is currently what book section assumes) and a complete work (like a drama or a classic text) included in a book. I'm not even sure that MARC makes that distinction, since while it matters for citations, it doesn't matter for cataloging.