Re: [docbook] How to code bibliography citations in regular paragraphs...

[Bob Stayton <bobs@sco.com>]

On Tue, May 27, 2003 at 07:22:41PM +0530, Raju Sharma wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> 
> I need to code bibliography citation using docbook dtd. My question is:
> 
> 1) Which element should I use for bibliography citation links that are
> appearing in paragraphs?
> For example: If I need to link "Blah... Blah... Bent (1987) ..Blah...
> Blah..." in running text. Should I use:
> 
> a) <para>Blah... Blah... <link linkend="Bent1987">Bent (1987)</linkend>
> .Blah... Blah...</para>
> 
> OR
> 
> b) <para>Blah... Blah... <citation><xref linkend="Bent1987"
> endterm="Bent1987.abbrev"/></citation> Blah... Blah...</para>
> 
> while in Bibliography the coding is:
> <biblioentry id="Bent1987"><abbrev id="Bent1987.abbrev">Bent (1987)</abbrev>
> .Blah....</bibliodentry>

Either will work.  Using <link> requires typing consistent
text content for each reference, which is why I would use <xref/> since
it generates the text automatically and consistently.

If your xref linked to the biblioentry id, then the abbrev
would be used automatically as the generated xref text,
but it would be enclosed in square brackets.  Using endterm
pointing to the abbrev element as in your example avoids
the square brackets.

But using <citation> around the xref will add square brackets around
the generated text, which you don't show in your example.
You can use xref with endterm and without a citation wrapper
to get your example.

But it seems to me that "blah blah Bent (1987)" appearing in a sentence
will be misread unless it is marked off in some way as a biblio
reference.  That's why the default xref rendering includes
square brackets.

-- 

Bob Stayton                                 400 Encinal Street
Publications Architect                      Santa Cruz, CA  95060
Technical Publications                      voice: (831) 427-7796
The SCO Group                               fax:   (831) 429-1887
                                            email: bobs@sco.com