Sortdate

Sortdate is a term used in bibliographic and citation management to refer to the date that should be used for sorting entries in a bibliography or reference list. This date is typically different from the publication date or the date of access, and is chosen based on specific criteria to ensure consistency and accuracy in sorting.

The primary purpose of sortdate is to standardize the sorting process, especially when dealing with different types of sources that may have varying date formats or multiple dates associated with them. For example, in the case of edited volumes, the sortdate might be the date of the original publication of the work, rather than the date of the edition being cited.

In citation management software and databases, sortdate is often automatically generated based on predefined rules or user-defined settings. These rules can take into account various factors such as the type of source, the presence of multiple dates, and the specific requirements of the citation style being used.

Sortdate is particularly useful in large bibliographies or reference lists where manual sorting can be time-consuming and error-prone. By using sortdate, users can ensure that their references are consistently and accurately sorted, regardless of the complexity of the sources involved.