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Author initials sometimes missing from ref?

Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2011 9:46 pm
by wildbiologist
I'm a relative newbie to BE (and updated to v 11.1.5), and have solved some issues by searching through the forums, but can't figure out an issue with loss of author's middle initials. I have 2 references by the same authors; possibly imported from different library databases, but they look the same in the detailed reference view window. Both the 2000 ref and 2001 ref have authors entered:
Barboza, PS
Bowyer, RT
The 2000 ref correctly displays both initials for Barboza, but only "R" for Bowyer, while the 2001 ref displays only the first initial for both.
Barboza, P. S., and R. Bowyer. 2000...
Barboza, P., and R. Bowyer. 2001...
Any suggestions? Also, is it a problem to have heterogeneous reference entries; some with names, some with naked initials, others with punctuated initials (e.g., "Perry S." "PS", "P.S.")? OK, while typing this question, highlighting and opening detailed view on these references, I sometimes get the "S" to show in the preview, and sometimes get the "T" to show -something is not behaving consistently...

Re: Author initials sometimes missing from ref?

Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2011 10:41 pm
by Jon
You should contact us directly for tech support. And include your database and the format you are using, both zipped, please.

Jon
Sonny Software

Re: Author initials sometimes missing from ref?

Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2011 6:49 pm
by wildbiologist
Thanks for the speedy reply -Now that I read your directions, I'll send any future requests to "support"

Re: Author initials sometimes missing from ref?

Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2011 5:17 am
by nicka
There was a non-technical question in your post, though, too:
Also, is it a problem to have heterogeneous reference entries; some with names, some with naked initials, others with punctuated initials (e.g., "Perry S." "PS", "P.S.")?
Answer: yes, it can be, because it can mess up the order of the references in the generated bibliography. That's more likely to happen when you have some entries with just initials and some with full given names, or full first name plus middle initial. These all look like different names to Bookends -- reasonably enough -- and so it sorts each one separately. The result might look like this:

Other, A. N. (2008) ....
Other, A. N. (2001) ....
Other, A. N. (2007) ....