Title/Subtitle Formatting

[lethe]

Please remove the link to the librarian. Either flag a few edits or report to Support.

(This is how actual librarians (outside GR) catalogue titles. I can imagine there are more pressing problems on GR, but when I come across them and also see something else that should be changed, I correct them.)

ETA I see this librarian actually changes correct titles to incorrect ones. Sigh.

[rivka, Former Moderator]

lethe wrote: "This is how actual librarians (outside GR) catalogue titles."

How odd. In English, that's not how colons are ever used in normal writing. (I believe they are in some languages, though.)

But yes, please flag edits like that or use the Contact Us link on the Help page.

[Zaz]

Yes, in several languages (French and Spanish for example), there's a space before and after colons.

[lethe]

It does not have to do with how interpunction is used in different languages, but with separating the different (sub)fields in a book record according to the ISBD (International Standard Book Bibliographic Description):

Title : subtitle / Author ; Illustrator. - Place of publication : Publisher, Year of publication. - Page number. : ill. ; format. - (Series title ; number). - ISBN

The only interpunction not preceded by a space are the , and the .
See Wikipedia for an actual example: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interna...

(I always get confused with the International Standard Book Number, tsk.)

[rivka, Former Moderator]

The semicolons too? Oh, that's just so wrong to me. Maybe it's best I never got an MLS.

[lethe]

Haha!

[Krazykiwi]

I am having horrible flashbacks of some professor or other at school always wanting some random different citation style to all the others, and nightmares of failing a paper because I got my italics in the wrong place.

Probably for the best I don't have an MLS either :)

[lethe]

Hee! At least my professors taught me that it doesn't matter what citation style you use in a bibliography, as long as you use it consistently.

(Of course for my LIS I had to use the ISBD rules. Every comma, dot and space had to be in the right place ;) )

[Zaz]

So, we have to use "Title : Subtitle" for english titles? And if there's a colon in the title, we use "Words: words"? It's confusing!

[Arenda]

The librarian manual says to use separator and a single space between title and subtitle. (Not: space, separator and space).
https://www.goodreads.com/help/show/2...

[lethe]

Zaz wrote: "So, we have to use "Title : Subtitle" for english titles? And if there's a colon in the title, we use "Words: words"? It's confusing!"

No, no. I was just explaining that the reason the librarian uses space colon space is probably because they are a librarian in real life, since that is how it's done in the real world ;)

GR has its own policy and we should all follow that. It's just a shame that some librarians apparently never bother to check out the manual.

[Zaz]

Ok, thanks :)