Talk:Eliza's Cottage

Latest comment: 5 years ago by Mitch Ames in topic inHerit name

inHerit name edit

re: [1][2]

The place name as shown on the specific web pages [3][4][5], and Register Entry - as opposed to the search results (which is what the template links to) - is "Eliza's Cottage". Mitch Ames (talk) 11:34, 27 June 2018 (UTC)Reply


the title on the citiation as quoted http://inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au/Public/Search/PlaceNoSearch?placeNo=2868 is Eliza's Cottage (Burtons Cottage, Lookout for Trains Cottage) -- the additional pages you are referring to are irrelevant as the citation is a specific url that is the name on that page. Gnangarra 12:21, 27 June 2018 (UTC)Reply

The template instructions say

Parameters:

  • name: name of the heritage place;
so the intent is obviously to display the name of the place, rather than the name/title of the web page. (Strictly speaking, the "name" of the page that the template links to is "Search Results", not "Eliza's Cottage...".) In general, we are citing a database entry, not a web page - the web page is merely the path to the database entry.
The problem here is that the name appears differently on the search results to what appears on the specific pages and the formal documents (downloadable PDFs). This is presumably some anomaly of inHerit's handling of this particular place. Ideally the template would link directly to the place's page [6], rather than "Search Results", but it doesn't, and it's not feasible to because the unique IDs, and thus the direct links, change from time to time (whereas the place number does not).
Note that in this case we are actually citing the Assessment Documentation (note the page numbers), which does not appear on the search result pages at all - and again, it is not feasible to link directly to the document because the unique ID, and thus the link, is subject to change.
Mitch Ames (talk) 12:49, 27 June 2018 (UTC)Reply
The name of the place is what the place is known as in this case there are three names, inHerit has no problem they have used the name the building was referred to as when the assessment was done along with the alternative names. That is why subsequent documents use that one name, this may not be the most common name because the Heritage council doesnt make such decisions. The whole issue here is the reference use that title for the page then abbreviates it in the subsequent documents for ease of the reporting, assessing and reading. The point is this citation was created exactly as every other citation is, we dont make a judgement about such things we just go with what the reader will see when they follow the link as to ensure they dont get lost. Gnangarra 11:23, 28 June 2018 (UTC)Reply
what the reader will see when they follow the link as to ensure they dont get lost — I think we should give the reader a little more credit that that. If the reader is going to "get lost" because the results on the search page don't exactly match the text in the references, they'll have no hope finding the Assessment Documentation that does not appear on the linked page at all. As I previously mentioned, a direct link to the PDF document is much likely to suffer from link rot (as is a direct link to the Eliza's Cottage page) than the place name search provided by the template, so I don't think that the former is an option. Given that "Eliza's Cottage (Burtons Cottage, Lookout for Trains Cottage)" is not the title of the linked page (which is "Search Results", or simply "inHerit - State Heritage Office", if you look at the web page's meta-data), nor is it the name used by the Assessment Documentation that we are actually citing (with page number), nor the name used by either of the inHerit pages that contain details about the place [7][8], nor the name used by any other actual reference page (not search results) that I can find, I still think that "Eliza's Cottage" is the correct name to use in the article reference.
I have posted a request on WT:WA asking for other editors' opinions.
Mitch Ames (talk) 12:52, 28 June 2018 (UTC)Reply