Is there an update that fixes the MLA reference citation?

[younme6075]

I purchased Office 2007 mainly because Word comes with a reference and
citation portion. However I have discovered that at least in MLA format it
cites references wrong. Does anyone know of a trick to make this work
correctly?

Thanks!

 

[CS Hayes]

Here's a link to a Word template:

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/TC010183761033.aspx?pid=CT101172711033&AxInstalled=1&c=0

I don't know much about what you are asking but this template cites MLA...?

 

[CS Hayes]

This also might help:

http://blogs.msdn.com/joe_friend/archive/2006/07/13/664960.aspx

 

[younme6075]

Hi Chris,

Thank you for the two links they were helpful but still not what I am
looking for. I already know how to cite MLA but that template is useful
nonetheless. The blog had even more information. There was even a reply on
there from someone about one of the other formats not citing correctly.

What happens with MLA is: when you cite a reference in the body of the work
it cites just the author. It should cite the author and the page number.

Now I can go in a change each citation to reflect the page number but if the
program is designed to cite the reference I believe it should cite it
correctly. I believe this error is a huge oversight because every MLA
citation should include a page number is appropriate.

But again, thank you for your help.

Bunny

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

Hi Bunny,

I think that blog post that Chris gave you has a comment from the person
in charge that they really wanted to get the format right, so this is a
huge oversight. But, I haven't seen anyone else make this complaint,
and MLA is pretty common--which makes me wonder if something might not
be quite set up right in your machine. That seems like a really big
blunder for them to make, and it would surprise me for it not to have
been caught along the way.

I don't have Word 2007 myself, so cannot give you any specific advice,
but maybe see if it works on another computer?

Anyhow, I don't think any updates are out yet.

 

[younme6075]

Hi Daiya,

I too would be suprised that a mistake this big wouldn't have been caught.
However, I have searched through Word 2007 and I can't find anywhere where I
could have possibly turned off this function. I am open to try almost
anything.

I would like to know if anyone else has noticed this problem.

I'm assuming the average user will not use the reference section of the
program.

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

Without having used it at all, I wonder whether the page number might
not be entered in the right place. That is, each time you enter a
citation, it's going to have a different page number, so Word can't just
pull the information from the master source list, it has to get the page
number from somewhere. It may be, because of that, that you do have to
enter the page number manually, as otherwise how will Word know whether
to cite Bunny p.6 or Bunny p.15?

I think a lot of students will be using the feature, or trying to, and
that's a pretty "average" base. There have been quite a few posts
asking for more customizability.

 

[younme6075]

When you input reference information one of the slots is for page number(s).
This one time input was really what sold me on the upgraded program. I love
the fact that I input all of information in one spot and Word will put it
where it belongs in the biography AND in the right order with the right
punctuation.

I can understand if my reference spaned several pages however mostly they
are one page.

I do have the option to "edit citation" and add the page number but then it
doesn't add the comma or it adds an extra space which I then have to go back
and correct. It's just frustrating.

Bunny

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

Well, never mind that guess, then. I don't know. I tried a general
google but nothing relevant came up.

Sorry,
Daiya