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Item Type Options
As I have been entering my items into Zotero for use, I have come across a couple puzzling questions that perhaps someone here may have an answer for.
First - I have images (Photos specifically) that I'd like to have cited. I want to know who gave it, where it originally came from, when I got it, when it was taken - you know the usual. There is no Photo (or Image) option under Item Type. What should I use?
Second - I have quite a few FOIA requests that I need to have entered. While I could use the item type of Document, I'm not sure that really fits. Suggestions?
Finally - I'm currently looking at a sample page from a google books preview. It happens to have the info I need in one paragraph. I don't have this item in my possession. I do want to cite it since I can actually see/read it to know what it says. However, it isn't actually a book as a book is defined, I don't think. It is actually a Historical Guide to Downtown Memphis. I could use (and likely will use) the Book item type for this, but wondered if you had a more accurate suggestion for this kind of item? And since it is not in my possession, should I include a link to purchase the item from the suggested source? Also, would I be able to save a image of that preview without fear of copyright infringement?
Sorry, Yes I know that is a lot of specific questions. LOL I promise you, I can have fifteen more for you by the end of the week.
Michele
Hi Michele,
Personally, I am using Zotero more like my personal card catologue on steroids. The search abilities within the program are phenomenal. I am really not using Zotero to format my citations. Primarily because it is easier for me to just write the citation out and then paste it into Zotero in one of the note sections or to add a sperate note.
With that being said.
For photographs, I use "artwork title" and when you think about a photograph it really is a piece of artwork. The person who took the photograph is the 'artist.' I don't know what the formatted citation would look like or which spaces you would add what information to but looking at the template Donna provided it looks like everything you need is there.
Your FOIA requests. I am not sure I understand what you are wanting to cite? If you are using what you received you would be citing the item you received and not the request. For example, if I requested a pension file from NARA the only item that would be cited would be the pension file, not the paperwork I filed out to get the file. Personally, I do keep copies of that paperwork with my documents. Just because in the past it would contain most of the information I needed to create my citation and it also served as a pseudo log as to when I sent for the file.
If someone were diligent about a research log the date of the request and the date you received the information would be logged in the research log. I have never been diligent about a research log hence the reason I keep the 'request' paperwork with the actual document.
The book. Is this the book you are talking about?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XQMVPJE/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1
Or something similar? If so it is a book and would be cited just like any other book. Author, Title, publisher, page number.
The above could be cited as:
William Patton, A Guide to Historic Downtown Memphis, e-book edition, (Charleston, S.C.: The History Press, 2011), p. xx; Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com : accessed 10 April 2016).
I don't know if it is really necessary to add e-book as there are only two editions. The physical form in 2010 and the ebook in 2011. You certainly could since, in this case, it is an ebook.
There are those myself included who would not add the second layer to the above citation. (The website information.) The reason being I don't add the name of the library I found a particular book at unless it is the only library that holds a copy. I might add a note that stated I found the book on such and such site but that would not be included in the actual citation.
I am not a lawyer and as such can not advise you on copyright law. As far as I know, there is not a copyright issue when you are coping a small part of a page for personal use. That falls under fair use.
Hope this helps.
Thanks for the great questions, Michelle, and Ann, as always for being our on top of things. Ann is correct. A photograph is an "artwork" item type. For the FOIA requests, I would use the Document item type, probably. When the requests are fruitful, you probably won't need to cite the request, but it's a great idea to keep them logged here.
Like Ann, I don't want to step over my bounds in the area of copyright law, regarding the citation of a snippet view online. I know that authors HATE that people can find things in their book without buying it. But we were always able to go to the library and flip through, so it's not a new problem. My gut (not a law degree) says that you should simply cite the book, as Ann advised.
Thank you!
I know I'm late coming back. I need to figure out how to get notifications of replies here. Its new for me so I'm not in the habit of checking regularly yet.
Re: FOIA requests. Several of my requests are actually negative replies. However, I do keep this as not only citations, but a timeline of items pertaining to this event, and a pretty important research log. Of course, that would mean that I'd have to also log negative search results. With this particular research topic, I personally feel like it is important for me to do so. With that said, I suppose I could choose any of these: Email, as I did technically email a FOIA and they replied via postal mail, but either way; Interview, it could be considered a Q&A I supposes; Report, it is definitely giving me a report of something; or document, which it technically is as well.
Just off-topic, that I thank you for introducing me to this program. I am in love with it. I probably over-use it. I probably also over-think it. But, I've never been more organized in my life. LOL
M
I agree. When I get positive FOIA documentation, just citing the information and where it came from is good. In this case, people are going to say - "Well, did you check xx place too?"
I have to leave nothing undone, even though negative results will not necessarily be published, right.
Just an FYI there is a tick box at the bottom when you make a post that you need to check to get replies. Took me a bit to figure that one out! LOL.
As to negative results yes they should be published with your case study or proof argument.
This is one of the things that I am not very proficient at yet! I seem to forget to add the footnotes for statements like "a record marriage has not been found in the available records." The citation for the statement should be a listing of the records that were searched.
Not too long ago, I had a case study reviewed that I have since published on my blog. The reviewer sent me a note that she forgot to mention to me that I forgot to include a citation for my negative results.
The reviewer admitted that she too forgets to add those types of citations. There is just something about them that doesn't jump to the forefront of your mind.
Same here, Ann. I remember when I'm working in a formal research plan, but rarely when I'm doing searching in Ancestry without a formal plan in mind.
Michelle, great discussion above, and I am so glad you're loving Zotero, as I do. Sorry I've been so long in responding. It's been a hectic, dizzying (literally) several weeks. You raise an interesting potential use for the Related feature that I had not thought of. Keeping the thread of a correspondence together. You can cite the request as an email and the response as a letter--just as they were. Then tie them with the Related feature.
Another possibility is a subcollection that gathers them. That could be particularly useful for a more robust set of correspondence, where sorting things in order by date or sender could be useful.
On citing the absence of information, it just occurred to me--after I responded to Ann--that I do have a way of doing it. I blogged about it a while back. See https://genohistory.com/hit-and-run-data-grabbing-technique/. I add a note whenever I am searching the contents of a source for a particular name (usually all episodes of a surname). If I don't find anything, I write "None" beside it. That becomes my research log, if anyone ever asks what I have searched in a particular source.
Ann, Yes! I found it when I was writing that last comment because I suppose I was specifically looking for it! haha.
That's a great Idea Donna, thank you. However, When I just changed one from "report" to email, I lost several things within it that may not seem like a big deal but for me, I like how these function so I use every part I can.
I lost "report type" - which was entered as FOIA Request
and I lost "institution" - which for me in this particular instance is important. While the FOIA request may be to a specific person - some are to say - "Central Records Division" of a police department or wherever. I used "Author" as the person actually sending me the letter or email in response.
I'll play around with these a little and see what happens. Thanks all for your replies!
I really do love this program.
