Chicago citation questions

This discussion was created from comments split from: Chicago 17th ed. Full notes on subsequent citations?.
  • Can someone help me with this?
    I have had problems with my citations because
    1. I inserted my footnote reference under footer (my mistake. Didn't know how to use the style pane and could not find explanation between footnote reference and footnote text and footer)
    How do I change this without jeopardizing my citations? Now, the classic Chicago format won't appear.

    2. Inserted pages cited manually instead of using the prefix, suffix etc.
    How do I correct this? Go through each and redo cites or is there a faster way?
  • For 2, yes, manually switching to using the page number field is the only option. You should disable Automatic Updating in the Document Preferences window first.

    I’m not sure what you mean by 1.
  • Thank you biwiernik.
    By "inserting footer by mistake" I meant that when I started on my dissertation 4 years ago, I started using Zotero.
    I also started using Word for writing. I couldn't figure out the diffs between Footer (which I instinctively knew should be an auto text), foot note reference and footnote text in Word.
    I tried looking it up, but came across a doc on formatting that said, leave all the formatting to last. I assumed (that's where my mistake is) that I could specify the text as either footer or reference, and could change it later.
    It appears that I can't.
    Every time I try to format my references, both the in-text citation and the footnote reference format change. I need superscript for in text, and normal numbering for footnote. But can't figure out how to format this.
  • Every time I try to format my references, both the in-text citation and the footnote reference format change. I need superscript for in text, and normal numbering for footnote.
    I'm fairly certain this simply isn't possible in Word, completely independent of Zotero. You're sure this is required?
  • This is the format in the Chicago 17th edition. However, I think having a footnote reference number in superscript is the lesser of two evils. So I am hoping the uni will accept it. Thanks for your help again.
  • @ChinaDoll0054 Note format is controlled by Word, and you can customize it. The formatting of the footnote and endnote numbers is controlled by the “Footnote Reference” and “Endnote Reference” Word Styles. Edit these and you can remove the superscripting. Unfortunately, this will change both the formatting for both the in-text and in-note numbers. You can manually set the in-text numbers to be in superscript for each number.
  • @bwiernik -- right, that's the problem though -- you go either or in Word. FWIW, LibreOffice allows for individually styling the number in the text and the one in the footnote/endnote.

    @ChinaDoll0054 -- Chicago Manual is very explicit that this is a rule for typesetters, not for authors of papers, so I wouldn't worry too much about that.
  • Right, what I meant was that it was possible to achieve this with some manual effort by manually superscripting the in-text notes, but I agree that it's not worth worrying about for authors.
  • I thank everyone who has contributed to this thread. This is not directed at you but I have reached my limit. I may not be particularly tech savvy but I am competent.
    I have struggled with Zotero ever since I started using it. My job is to produce research papers and looking back, I have spent more time fighting Zotero than writing. This is because the information is always piecemeal.

    I am at a point where I want conduct a class on using Zotero at the uni.As a cautionary tale to new phd candidates.

    I took your advice and did each citation all over. Everything worked fine, until for some strange reason, in the middle of my sleep I remembered bwiernik's instruction to turn automatic updating off, which I did this morning.
    Now I can't even get to my library. It keeps saying that Zotero had a problem updating my work. And I lose another few hours.
  • I’m not exactly sure what you mean by “information is always piecemeal”. The documentation on how to use the Zotero Word plugin is comprehensive and I believe straightforward (e.g., indicating to use the page number field and not manually typing in page numbers):
    https://zotero.org/support/word_processor_plugin_usage

    If something wasn’t clear there, please let us know.

    What exactly do you mean by “can’t get to my library”? What is the precise error message you are getting and what exactly are you trying to do when you get it? You don’t need to spend hours trying to figure out things for yourself. As you’ve found, the volunteers on this forum tend to respond very quickly to questions.
  • Dear bwiernik, please don't be offended. I certainly didn't mean to come across as demanding or ungrateful. Please forgive any impatience on my part. It's tiredness and sleep deprivation talking.
    1. I couldn't cite at all this morning. When I tried to input a citation, Zotero went directly to my document, with no citation field or selection option. I tried for about an hour, but finally
    2. decided to shut everything down, reinstall Word plugin. No help.
    3. Turned laptop completely off. Went back into Zotero, re-installed Word plugin for second time, turned automatic updating on.
    4. It's working again!
    5. Yes, the volunteers on this forum are great. No argument there. I think I created a lot of problems myself by not having enough info at the beginning. And am trying to address problems piecemeal.
    6. What I mean by "piecemeal" is that when I research a help topic, most times the info gives a solution but does not actually warn of a possible side effect. The comment was referring to general forum, or support pages for Word and Zotero. It wasn't directed at you. You actually did pre-empt a problem by telling me to turn the update off. So thanks.
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