Upgrade StorageNeeded feature: dealing with pen names and other special names
When saving a work, let's say for example by the philosopher Voltaire, this was the pen name of François-Marie Arouet, so, as there is a field for his name François-Marie and for his surname Arouet, it lacks a field for his pen name Voltaire, which should be the first/main appearing in the Creator column in the middle pane (and also the main used by citing styles?)
What I currently do is including his name as it is and as surname Voltaire Arouet, but this is a bit weird.
Other special case are ancient Greek authors, which may have just a unique name (Homer, Euclid, ...) name with surname but with name as more relevant (Diogenes Laertius) or name with reference to origin (Lucian of Samosata).
If single field for author is thought more for institutions, it's a bit odd use this form to include Homer, so one has to place Homer as a surname (otherwise, Creator column appears empty). Same for names as Lucian of Samosata. Do we use single field author as if they were an institution? Do we use name = Lucian surname = of Samosata, so they appear as 'de Samosata, Lucian'? We end using surname ='Lucian of Samosata'...
And finally king names as Friedrich II, the Great. Should be name = 'Friedrich II, the Great' so empty creator as for Homer?
I think there should be together with name and surname, a field maybe called 'main name, which would be useful for cases as 'Lucian' or 'Diogenes' as more relevant than 'of Samosata' or 'Laertius', also for 'Homer', for pen names as 'Voltaire' and for king names as 'Friedrich II'. And then we could include 'of Samosata', 'Arouet', 'the Great', etc. as surnames. These beyond other useful and necessary fields for contemporary authors as ORCiD or email.
What I currently do is including his name as it is and as surname Voltaire Arouet, but this is a bit weird.
Other special case are ancient Greek authors, which may have just a unique name (Homer, Euclid, ...) name with surname but with name as more relevant (Diogenes Laertius) or name with reference to origin (Lucian of Samosata).
If single field for author is thought more for institutions, it's a bit odd use this form to include Homer, so one has to place Homer as a surname (otherwise, Creator column appears empty). Same for names as Lucian of Samosata. Do we use single field author as if they were an institution? Do we use name = Lucian surname = of Samosata, so they appear as 'de Samosata, Lucian'? We end using surname ='Lucian of Samosata'...
And finally king names as Friedrich II, the Great. Should be name = 'Friedrich II, the Great' so empty creator as for Homer?
I think there should be together with name and surname, a field maybe called 'main name, which would be useful for cases as 'Lucian' or 'Diogenes' as more relevant than 'of Samosata' or 'Laertius', also for 'Homer', for pen names as 'Voltaire' and for king names as 'Friedrich II'. And then we could include 'of Samosata', 'Arouet', 'the Great', etc. as surnames. These beyond other useful and necessary fields for contemporary authors as ORCiD or email.
EDIT: I guess in the interim it would be nice to be able to handle the later addition of pseudonyms using the extra field as with other not yet implemented fields, like volume titles.
Currently, I fall-back to the citation reference, and in this way, both cases, pen names and pseudonyms – widely used and less-known – are supported in a kind of patchwork manner (not as well as I'd like but hopefully sufficient).
For example, the way that I handle my own bibliography and citations (I am an author who publishes under a pen name) using MLA9 is that I give Zotero, under Presenter or Author (i.e., Creator) my first name as 'FirstName', and my last name as 'LastName (PenName).' This is in accord with the following:
In MLA 9th edition, if an author is known by a pen name (pseudonym), you should use the pen name in the citation, especially if it's widely recognized. If the author is also known by a real name, you can include the real name in square brackets, or use a "see also" note in the Works Cited. For less common pen names, you can use the real name in the citation and include the pen name in parentheses, according to Purdue OWL. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Here's a breakdown:
1. Widely Known Pen Names:
• If the pen name is well-known (e.g., Mark Twain, Dr. Seuss), use it as the author's name in your citation, according to EasyBib. [2, 3]
• You can add the real name in square brackets if desired, according to Chegg. [2, 4]
• Example: Carroll, Lewis [Charles Dodgson] [2]
2. Less Common Pen Names:
• Use the pen name as presented in the source, according to Proofed. [2]
• If the real name is relevant and readily available, include it in square brackets, according to LibAnswers. [1, 2]
• Example: Film Crit Hulk [2]
• If the pen name is not a standard first name, last name format, use the clearest and least confusing option, says Cite This For Me. [2, 5]
3. "See also" Notes:
• For situations where the author has published under both a pen name and their real name, use a "see also" note in the Works Cited.
• Example: Bachman, Richard (see also King, Stephen) [2]
4. General Guidelines for Author Names: [2, 6, 7]
• MLA 9th edition emphasizes using a consistent author name for all works by the same author. [2, 2, 6, 6]
• Omit titles like Dr. or Sir. [8, 8]
• If the author's name has changed, use the current name for all works. [1, 1]
AI responses may include mistakes.
[1] https://linfield.libanswers.com/MLAFAQS/faq/386566[2] https://proofed.com/writing-tips/a-quick-guide-to-author-names-in-mla-referencing/[3] https://www.easybib.com/guides/citation-guides/mla-format/how-to-format-a-mla-works-cited-list/[4] https://www.chegg.com/writing/guides/style-guides/mla-format/mla-8-vs-mla-9/[5] https://www.citethisforme.com/citation-generator/citation-basics/citing-a-pseudonym[6] https://www.bachelorprint.com/mla/mla-author/[7] https://nwtc.libguides.com/citations/MLA[8] https://libguides.southernct.edu/mla/core/author