Integrate CiteProc into Biblio

For more information or to ask questions about this proposal, see http://groups.drupal.org/node/9815.

The Bibliography module allows users to create and maintain bibliographic lists of publications (books, articles, etc.). Optionally, the full text of a publication can be included. The module is important for research institutions and other information providers who wish to use Drupal to create online document repository. This functionality is also useful to researchers and writers of all types, from high school students using mainstream media sources to scholars using peer-reviewed journals, to collect and organize complex lists of research sources. (To see the Bibliography module in action, visit the demonstration site.)

The Bibliography module currently allows users to format publication citations in a limited number of styles, including American Psychological Association (APA), Council of Science Editors (CSE) and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). In order to meet the needs of more disciplines, each of which has a different preferred citation format for publications, support needs to be extended to include as many citation formats as possible. This includes Modern Language Association (MLA), Chicago Manual of Style and the legal Bluebook, to name but a few. (For a more detailed explanation of citation formats, see Citing Your Sources from the UC Berkeley Library.)

This project will entail two things: (1) porting CiteProc to PHP and including it in the bibliography module; and (2) integrating Zotero functionality into this configuration. CiteProc uses an XML file (CSL) to describe the output formating of the various bibliographic styles, however there is currently no PHP version of CiteProc. Zotero, on the other hand, has implemented CiteProc in JavaScript and uses the CSL file for styling. Zotero also provides an open repository for these style files which could be accessed by the Bibliography module to pick up new styles on the fly.

Porting of CiteProc to PHP is already underway. A student could continue this work, and within a couple of months complete the PHP implementation of all Zotero JavaScript and style files.

This project could lead to further opportunities in the future, including a tighter integration between Zotero and Drupal. Also the author of the CSL format (Bruce D'Arcus) has been working towards an RDF specification for bibliographic material which will tie in nicely with D7s proposed use of RDF.

Mentors: rjerome, Bruce D'Arcus

Difficulty: Medium