Upgrade StorageMLA 8th edition
MLA has recently released the eighth edition of its handbook. I wonder when the Zotero system will be upgraded to the new edition? Thank you.
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https://www.zotero.org/styles?q=id%3Amodern-language-association-8th-edition
We'll wait a while, though, before automatically moving people from the current default MLA style in Zotero (i.e. the 7th edition) to this one, but you can obviously install it.
Let us know if you find any problems. It usually takes a little until every little detail of a style is right.
I don't have the manual in front of me, so I can't cite the page, but an example from their online style guide makes the point pretty clear: https://style.mla.org/works-cited-a-quick-guide-journal/
Styles also update automatically within 24hs for Zotero 4.0+
In an existing document, you may have to switch to a different style and back for the changes to take effect once the style is updated.
Any further problems please let us know & thanks for reporting
Dates of publication:
"In the list of works cited, use the day-month-year style (12 Jan. 2014) to minimize the number of commas. Months may be abbreviated. Dates in the works-cited list should be given as fully as they appear in your sources." (MLA 8 p. 94)
-Currently MLA 8 CSL only seems to give month-year (Apr. 2014), even when a date is specified.
URLs:
"When giving a URL, copy it in full from your Web browser, but omit http:// or https://. [...] When possible, cite a DOI instead of a URL." (MLA 8, p. 110)
-Currently MLA 8 CSL includes http prefixes on URLs and seems to include neither DOI nor URL for journal articles when provided.
Database Names:
"It is usually best to account for all of the containers that enclose your source, particularly when they are nested. [...] Add core elements 3-9 (from "Title of container" to "Location") to the end of the entry to account for each additional container." (MLA 8, p. 31)
-MLA 8 would call a database a "container," which should be documented. Elements 3-9 referenced above are: Title of container, Other contributors, Version, Number, Publisher, Publication date, and Location. For most databases, this would just need Title of container (database name) and Location (URL/DOI). Currently MLA 8 CSL only includes database name when listed in "Archive" field; most translators seem to place this data in the "Library Catalog" field.
Thanks for your work on this! It's very much appreciated.
So the style now is coded to print a DOI (if available) when it would otherwise print a URL, which is for journal articles without a page range.
I get that the manual is sparse on examples, which is hugely frustrating. After consulting with the resident MLA expert in my library, FWIW, she says that it's more correct to include BOTH page numbers and DOI. I'd agree.
"How to specify a work's location depends on the medium of publication. In print sources a page number (preceded by p.) or a range of page numbers (preceded by pp.) specifies the location of a text in a container such as a book anthology or a periodical. [...] The location of an online work is commonly indicated by its URL, or Web address. [...] If your source offers URLs that it says are stable (sometimes called permalinks), use them in your entry (see fig. 7). Some publishers assign DOIs, or digital object identifiers, to their online publications. A DOI remains attached to a source even if the URL changes. When possible, citing a DOI is preferable to citing a URL."
They then go on to provide an example from Project MUSE, which provides full text in HTML, thus no page numbers. Its example citation uses a DOI but no page numbers, accordingly.
However, there are numerous examples throughout the manual that provide both page ranges and a stable URL (see pages 103, 113, and 114, as well as this example on their online style guide). Providing both seems to be totally fine if an article was retrieved online, as most are these days.
I say if a page range is indicated, the source shouldn't automatically be treated as print, and should always include DOI/URL data when provided.
- if record includes page numbers, then DOI, URL, and database name are ignored and are not included in the citation.
- if record includes NEITHER page numbers NOR URL, then DOI and database name are ignored and are not included in the citation.
- if record includes NEITHER page numbers NOR DOI, but does include URL, then URL and database name are included in the citation.
- if record includes NO page numbers, but includes BOTH URL and DOI, then DOI and database name are included in the citation.
How I think it should work, as supported by the references to the manual in my comments above:
- if either DOI or URL are present, one should always be included, regardless of presence of page numbers. See this example on the MLA online style guide, which provides a URL and database name alongside page numbers.
- if both DOI and URL are present, DOI should take priority. It currently does this, but only when page numbers are not present.
- if database name is present, it should be included, but only when accompanied by URL or DOI.
- http:// prefixes--for some reason--need to be omitted from URLs. This baffles me, but them's the rules.
Thanks!I'll switch the DOI behavior -- the URLs will depend on checking or unchecking the "include URL" box.
But just to re-iterate my issue:
Look e.g. at the John Belton reference at the bottom of page 94 in the Manual. That article does have both a URL and a DOI. Why is neither in the sample citation? Are we to believe someone went to the stacks and got the paper copy???
Going with their stated rule, not the examples:
"If your source offers URLs that it says are stable (sometimes called permalinks), use them in your entry (see fig. 7). Some publishers assign DOIs, or digital object identifiers, to their online publications. A DOI remains attached to a source even if the URL changes. When possible, citing a DOI is preferable to citing a URL." (pp. 46-48).
EDIT: thanks for the info on CSL not being able to omit prefixes. Didn't know that.