Talk:Greater earless lizard

Latest comment: 2 months ago by Mr.choppers in topic Citation style

Citation style

edit

I believe using citation templates is superior to freehand notes - more consistent, easier to change, allows automatic reviews of outdated links, etc. The difference in style is microscopic (dates in parenthesis, volume number bolded). There is already variation in the references, including punctuation differences (spacing, and the way page numbers are listed) and whether to use "and" or "&".

In short, using citation templates will not alter the output any more than the existing reference variations, while allowing for greater consistency.  Mr.choppers | ✎  15:35, 31 August 2024 (UTC)Reply

WP:CITECONSENSUS “Citation templates can be used to format citations in a consistent way. The use of citation templates is neither encouraged nor discouraged: an article should not be switched between templated and non-templated citations without good reason and consensus”
WP:CITEVAR “Editors should not attempt to change an article's established citation style, merely on the grounds of personal preference or to make it match other articles”
The citations used in this article are Harvard style citations, used by many (if not most) science journals and academic press books for well over a century. They appear consistent to me. Are there specific citations with issues? Most of the references here are for journals and academic press books. Only 4 of the 43 references are linked to websites, and two of those are just online versions of hardcopy publications for convenience, they are not dependent on a link. WiLaFa (talk) 07:27, 2 September 2024 (UTC)Reply
I see - I have no interest in using policy to run rough-shod over editors who care for earless lizards - I was merely trying to improve it, to repair minor formatting quirks by using the templates. Here are a few examples of odd punctuation and minor st:[1]: 5 p. [2][3][4]

References

  1. ^ Clarke, Robert F. 1965. An ethological study of the iguanid lizard genera Callisaurus, Cophosaurus, and Holbrookia. The University of Oklahoma, Ph.D. Dissertation,. Emporia Slate Research Studies, 13: 1-66. (page 5
  2. ^ Guttman, S. I. 1970. An electrophoretic study of the hemoglobins of the sand lizards, Callisaurus, Cophosaurus, Holbrookia, and Uma. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology 34(3): 569-574.
  3. ^ Cox, Douglas C. & Wilmer W. Tanner. 1977. Osteology and Myology of the Head and Neck Regions of Callisaurus, Cophosaurus, Holbrookia, and Uma (Reptilia: Iguanidae). Great Basin Naturalist 37: 35-56.
  4. ^ Ballinger, Royce E., Earl D. Tyler, and Donald W. Tinkle. 1972. Reproductive ecology of a west Texas population of the greater earless lizard, Cophosaurus texanus. The American Midland Naturalist, 88/2: 419-428.
Minor niggles, for sure, and if the editors here prefer fixing them by hand, then by all means. I find the templates useful because everything is automated. Optimal would be if WP allowed the output to reflect user preferences; that way you could see them in Harvard and I could read them MLA. Anyhow, not looking to change your mind, just wanted you to know that I was fiddling for a reason. Best,  Mr.choppers | ✎  20:11, 3 September 2024 (UTC)Reply