MLA 8 Suggestion

[Amafortas]

Hi,
Since the MLA 8 Citation standard simply requires the writer to fill in a number of fields and does not provide special punctuation or formatting for different types of fields, would it be possible to have a single citation type in Bookends with all the fields named in the manual add-in interface? Then, we could just add what we need?

[Jon]

You can reorder the sequence of the fields in the reference pane any way you like (Command-drag the fields where you want them). Please see the user guide for more information.

Jon
Sonny Software

[Amafortas]

Hi Jon,

I don't think I can reorder the fields in quite they way I'd like. For instance, I'd like it to go author then title.

It would also help to be able to rename the fields.

In any case, it would be much, much nicer to just have an interface tailored to the new MLA 8 standard.

Cheers,

Ama.

[Jon]

You can change the field names (labels) in preferences, Refs tab.

You tailor the interface to meet your specific needs. That's why we made it editable.

Jon
Sonny Software

[Philologist]

Since the MLA 8 Citation standard simply requires the writer to fill in a number of fields and does not provide special punctuation or formatting for different types of fields

This is not correct. According to the 8th edition of the MLA Handbook, capitalization and the punctuation between the main title and a subtitle are standardized (in English papers.) Book titles are always italicized; and whether a comma or a period is to be entered before and after certain fields,—like the date, for example—can be tricky. It's the Formats Manager which takes care of that.

would it be possible to have a single citation type in Bookends with all the fields named in the manual add-in interface? Then, we could just add what we need?

I think you are asking whether it is possible to change the field-order in the reference pane, so that you can just see the fields you need. Well, judging from your screenshot, that's already the case.

I'd like it to go author then title.

On your screenshot, the author and editor fields are already above your title field. To make them fully visible, you may have to refresh the layout by executing the "Reset Window Position" from the Window menu.

I don't think I can reorder the fields in quite they way I'd like.

You should be able to rename fields and move them around in the reference pane, like Jon said.
What field order would you like to have exactly?