Author initials instead of complete first name in bibliography

luftikus143
edited September 27, 2024
I would like to change the "Modern Language Association 8th edition" style so that the bibliography shows only the initials of the first names, instead of the full first name.

Original:
Hesslerová, Petra, et al. “The Effect of Forest Disturbance on Landscape Temperature.” Ecological Engineering, vol. 120, Sept. 2018, pp. 345–54. Crossref, doi:10.1016/j.ecoleng.2018.06.011.

New:
Hesslerová, P., et al. “The Effect of Forest Disturbance on Landscape Temperature.” Ecological Engineering, vol. 120, Sept. 2018, pp. 345–54. Crossref, doi:10.1016/j.ecoleng.2018.06.011.

I tried different things and compared with other styles, but didn't succeed.

Can anyone give me a hint?


<macro name="author">
<names variable="author">
<name name-as-sort-order="first" and="text" delimiter-precedes-last="always" delimiter-precedes-et-al="always" initialize="false" initialize-with=". "/>
<label form="long" prefix=", "/>
<substitute>
<names variable="editor"/>
<names variable="translator"/>
<text macro="title"/>
</substitute>
</names>
</macro>
<macro name="author-short">
<group delimiter=", ">
<names variable="author">
<name form="short" initialize-with=". " and="text"/>
<substitute>
<names variable="editor"/>
<names variable="translator"/>
<text macro="title-short"/>
</substitute>
</names>
<choose>
<if disambiguate="true">
<text macro="title-short"/>
</if>
</choose>
</group>
</macro>

<bibliography hanging-indent="true" et-al-min="3" et-al-use-first="1" line-spacing="2" entry-spacing="0" subsequent-author-substitute="---">
<sort>
<key macro="author"/>
<key variable="title"/>
</sort>
<layout suffix=".">
<group delimiter=". ">
<text macro="author"/>
<text macro="title"/>
...
</group>
</layout>
</bibliography>
</style>
  • adamsmith
    delete initialize="false" from the 3rd line above
  • luftikus143
    Cool. Thanks so much!
  • ole77
    edited 13 days ago
    Hi, my thread title would be the same but it is for one I downloaded from the CSL Site "American Psychological Association 7th edition (annotated bibliography)".

    I am new to editing. I don't know how to get the lines in a separate box, hopefully this works.

    I would like only initials on the first names in the bibliography.

    <!-- words -->
    <macro name="author-bib">
    <names variable="composer" delimiter=", ">
    <name name-as-sort-order="all" and="symbol" sort-separator=", " initialize-with=". " delimiter=", " delimiter-precedes-last="always"/>
    <substitute>
    <names variable="author"/>
    <names variable="illustrator"/>
    <names variable="director">
    <name name-as-sort-order="all" and="symbol" sort-separator=", " initialize-with=". " delimiter=", " delimiter-precedes-last="always"/>
    <label form="long" prefix=" (" suffix=")" text-case="title"/>
    </names>
    <choose>
    <if variable="container-title">
    <choose>
    <if type="book entry entry-dictionary entry-encyclopedia" match="any">
    <choose>
    <if variable="title">
    <group delimiter=" ">
    <text macro="title"/>
    <text macro="parenthetical"/>
    </group>
    </if>
    <else>
    <text macro="title-and-descriptions"/>
    </else>
    </choose>
    </if>
    </choose>
    </if>
    </choose>
    <names variable="editor" delimiter=", ">
    <name name-as-sort-order="all" and="symbol" sort-separator=", " initialize-with=". " delimiter=", " delimiter-precedes-last="always"/>
    <label form="short" prefix=" (" suffix=")" text-case="title"/>
    </names>
    <names variable="editorial-director">
    <name name-as-sort-order="all" and="symbol" sort-separator=", " initialize-with=". " delimiter=", " delimiter-precedes-last="always"/>
    <label form="short" prefix=" (" suffix=")" text-case="title"/>
    </names>
    <names variable="collection-editor">
    <name name-as-sort-order="all" and="symbol" sort-separator=", " initialize-with=". " delimiter=", " delimiter-precedes-last="always"/>
    <label form="short" prefix=" (" suffix=")" text-case="title"/>
    </names>
    <choose>
    <if variable="title">
    <group delimiter=" ">
    <text macro="title"/>
    <text macro="parenthetical"/>
    </group>
    </if>
    <else>
    <text macro="title-and-descriptions"/>
    </else>
    </choose>
    </substitute>
    </names>
    </macro>


    Also, when I look at the citation in the style editor in zotero it looks right (no first names), and when I put it in my word doc the first names appeared. I will make another thread for that if I can't figure it out by luck.

    Update - I don't know why it won't show the CSL lines I dropped here. I will go learn how to do that.
  • adamsmith
    If you have full first names showing in APA style, you almost certainly have incorrect data in Zotero.

    Place CSL code in HTML <code></code> tags to show here
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