Tell Apart Two Sources with the Same Title
This guide shows you how to keep two Descriptions that share a title. You add a disambiguator. The registry then treats them as two records.
Prerequisites
- You have signed in.
- You own both sources, or you are about to describe the second one.
- You know why the two works are not the same work.
When you need a disambiguator
Use a disambiguator when two different sources share a title. A review can reuse the title of the paper it reviews. A talk can reuse the title of a book. Those are two sources. They must not share one Description.
Do not use a disambiguator for a later edition of the same work. Use the version marker for that. Read About Versions.
Add a short label
Open the Description, or start a new one. Keep the real title of the source. Add a short disambiguator. The label is a semantic tag. It is not a second title.
Choose a word that a future you will recognise. A family name can tell two papers apart. The word "review" can mark a review article. The word "original" can mark the first of two colliding works.
Keep the label short. The registry limits it to sixty characters.
Save the second record
Save the Description. The registry checks the pair of title and disambiguator for your account. It does not let you hold two of your own records with the same pair. The check ignores letter case.
If the save is rejected, change the disambiguator. Or open the existing Description and edit that one.
The rule is per owner. Another person can describe the same title. Their record is theirs. Your disambiguator only separates your records.
What you get
You now have two Descriptions. Each has its own permanent identity. Each can have its own authors, summaries, visibility, and shares. Other tools cite the identity they mean. They do not guess from the title alone.
The disambiguator is visible to readers unless you mark it private. If you hide it, non-owners still see two records with the same title. They tell them apart by identity, authors, and date.