# Is it possible to have multiple citation styles in a single csl file

**URL:** <https://discourse.citationstyles.org/t/is-it-possible-to-have-multiple-citation-styles-in-a-single-csl-file/1810>\
**Category:** CSL Development\
**Created:** [April 12, 2023, 7:26pm UTC](https://discourse.citationstyles.org/t/is-it-possible-to-have-multiple-citation-styles-in-a-single-csl-file/1810 "2023-04-12T19:26:54Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![p\_geshev](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/da6949/32.png) [@p\_geshev](https://discourse.citationstyles.org/u/p_geshev)\
**Post date:** [April 12, 2023, 7:26pm UTC](https://discourse.citationstyles.org/t/is-it-possible-to-have-multiple-citation-styles-in-a-single-csl-file/1810/1 "2023-04-12T19:26:55Z")

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Hi,

Is it possible to achieve the citation functionality described in [https://zookeys.pensoft.net/about#CitationsandReferences](https://here) (i.e. using in text citations of `(Smith et al. 1998; Brock and Gunderson 2001; Felt 2006)` and `Smith et al. (1998); Brock and Gunderson (2001); Felt (2006)` depending on the place of the citation in the text) with a single csl style/file.

Thanks,  
Peter G.

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**Author:** ![Sebastian\_Karcher](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/discourse.citationstyles.org/sebastian_karcher/32/176_2.png) [@Sebastian\_Karcher](https://discourse.citationstyles.org/u/Sebastian_Karcher)\
**Post date:** [April 12, 2023, 7:45pm UTC](https://discourse.citationstyles.org/t/is-it-possible-to-have-multiple-citation-styles-in-a-single-csl-file/1810/2 "2023-04-12T19:45:58Z")

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Hi,  
sorry for not replying to your email (but this is a better place for questions anyway).

This can’t be done in CSL directly, but tools using CSL have various ways of handling this. [In Zotero, e.g.](https://www.zotero.org/support/word_processor_plugin_usage#customizing_cites), narrative citations i.e. `Smith (1776)` are handled by typing the author and using “Omit author” in the word processor add-on. [Other tools, like pandoc](https://pandoc.org/MANUAL.html#citation-syntax), have built-in support for narrative citations (`[@smith1776]` forth parenthetical and `@smith1776` for narrative citations) which would work for your example (though you can’t, as e.g. required by APA, define different in and out-of-parentheses formats like Smith and Marx vs. Smith & Marx)

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**Author:** ![Denis\_Maier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8491ac/32.png) [@Denis\_Maier](https://discourse.citationstyles.org/u/Denis_Maier)\
**Post date:** [April 12, 2023, 8:54pm UTC](https://discourse.citationstyles.org/t/is-it-possible-to-have-multiple-citation-styles-in-a-single-csl-file/1810/3 "2023-04-12T20:54:49Z")

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> [@Sebastian\_Karcher](#):
>
> [Other tools, like pandoc](https://pandoc.org/MANUAL.html#citation-syntax), have built-in support for narrative citations (`[@smith1776]` forth parenthetical and `@smith1776` for narrative citations) which would work for your example (though you can’t, as e.g. required by APA, define different in and out-of-parentheses formats like Smith and Marx vs. Smith & Marx)

Not out of the box, but it’s possible if you are willing to use filters.