Repeated citations of type `comdoc' in OSCOLA

Question

I am using oscola-biblatex for my thesis. OSCOLA allows for repeated citations in a short format with a cross-reference to the full citation. This is typically handled really well by oscola-biblatex. However, it does not seem to work for entries of the sub-type comdoc. Consider the following MWE:

\documentclass[10pt,a4paper]{article}
\usepackage[style=oscola,backend=biber]{biblatex}

\begin{filecontents}{test.bib}
    @report{com13,
    title = {Action Plan on consumer access to justice
        and the settlement of disputes in the internal
        market},
    type = {Communication},
    number = {COM (96) 13 final},
    institution = {Commission},
    entrysubtype = {comdoc}
    }

    @report{autumnperf,
    title = {2008 Autumn Performance Report},
    institution = {Department for Children, Schools
        and Families},
    series = {Cm},
    number = {7507},
    date = {2008},
    }
\end{filecontents}

\addbibresource{test.bib}

\begin{document}
Here is some text with a first reference to the `comdoc' 
document.\footcite{com13}
And here a reference to a general report.\footcite{autumnperf}
The repeated citation to the `comdoc' document will output the full 
citation.\footcite{com13}
Whereas the repeated citation to anything else works as 
expected.\footcite{autumnperf}

\printbibliography
\end{document}

When compiled, this produces:

The repeated citation for the general report works as expected (with a cross-reference to fn. 2). The repeated citation for the comdoc entrysubtype produces the full citation again. According to the oscola-biblatex manual, p. 72:

Subsequent references will use simply the com number, as oscola requires.

How can I troubleshoot this so repeated citations only output the number field if the entrysubtype is comdoc? Is it a problem with oscola's driver, and if so, could I patch it through xpatch? Any help is greatly appreciated!

Answer 1

Since this appears to go explicitly against documented behaviour (and apparently against behaviour required by OSCOLA style) I strongly urge you to open an issue at https://github.com/PaulStanley/oscola-biblatex/issues.

Currently, oscola.cbx contains

\renewbibmacro*{footcite:note}{%
  \ifboolexpr{test {\ifentrytype{legislation}}
              or ( test {\ifentrytype{legal}} 
                   and ( not test {\iffieldequals{entrysubtype}{\treatysubtype}} ))}%
    {\usebibmacro{cite:short}}%
    {\ifboolexpr{ test {\ifentrytype{commentary}} 
                   or  ( test {\ifentrytype{legal}} and not test {\iffieldequals{entrysubtype}{\treatysubtype}}) }%
      {\usebibmacro{footcite:full}}%
      {\ifboolexpr{ ( test {\ifentrytype{jurisdiction}} 
                      and 
                    ( not test {\iffieldundef{userc}} 
                      and not test {\iffieldundef{postnote}} )) 
                    or (test {\ifentrytype{legal}} 
                        and test {\iffieldequalstr{type}{parliamentary}} )}
         {\usebibmacro{cite:full}}%
     {\ifboolexpr{ ( test {\ifentrytype{report}} and test {\iffieldequalstr{entrysubtype}{comdoc}} )}
            {\usebibmacro{cite:refonlyfull}} % FIX THIS: will need a separate macro
            {\usebibmacro{footcite:note:old}}}}}}%

And the FIX THIS comment is exactly at the line that needs to be fixed here.

If I understand correctly the following small redefinition might do what you want

\documentclass[10pt,a4paper]{article}
\usepackage[style=oscola,backend=biber]{biblatex}

\renewbibmacro*{footcite:note}{%
  \ifboolexpr{test {\ifentrytype{legislation}}
              or ( test {\ifentrytype{legal}} 
                   and ( not test {\iffieldequals{entrysubtype}{\treatysubtype}} ))}%
    {\usebibmacro{cite:short}}%
    {\ifboolexpr{ test {\ifentrytype{commentary}} 
                   or  ( test {\ifentrytype{legal}} and not test {\iffieldequals{entrysubtype}{\treatysubtype}}) }%
      {\usebibmacro{footcite:full}}%
      {\ifboolexpr{ ( test {\ifentrytype{jurisdiction}} 
                      and 
                    ( not test {\iffieldundef{userc}} 
                      and not test {\iffieldundef{postnote}} )) 
                    or (test {\ifentrytype{legal}} 
                        and test {\iffieldequalstr{type}{parliamentary}} )}
         {\usebibmacro{cite:full}}%
         {\ifboolexpr{ ( test {\ifentrytype{report}} and test {\iffieldequalstr{entrysubtype}{comdoc}} )}
            {\usebibmacro{cite:comdoc}}
            {\usebibmacro{footcite:note:old}}}}}}%

\makeatletter
\newbibmacro{cite:comdoc}{%
  \printfield{number}%
  \iffootnote
    {\setunit*{\addspace}
     \bbx@unsetpostnotedelim
     \printtext[parens]{%
       \midsentence
       \bibstring{seenote}\addnbspace
       \ref{cbx@\csuse{cbx@f@\thefield{entrykey}}}%
       \iftoggle{cbx:pageref}%
         {\ifsamepage{\the\value{instcount}}%
                     {\csuse{cbx@f@\thefield{entrykey}}}%
            {}%
            {\addcomma\space\bibstring{page}\addnbspace%
             \pageref{cbx@\csuse{cbx@f@\thefield{entrykey}}}}}
         {}}}
    {}%
}
\makeatother

\begin{filecontents}{\jobname.bib}
@report{com13,
  title        = {Action Plan on consumer access to justice
                  and the settlement of disputes in the internal
                  market},
  type         = {Communication},
  number       = {COM (96) 13 final},
  institution  = {Commission},
  entrysubtype = {comdoc},
}
@report{autumnperf,
  title       = {2008 Autumn Performance Report},
  institution = {Department for Children, Schools
                 and Families},
  series      = {Cm},
  number      = {7507},
  date        = {2008},
}
\end{filecontents}

\addbibresource{\jobname.bib}

\begin{document}
Here is some text with a first reference to the `comdoc'
document.\footcite[12]{com13}
And here a reference to a general report.\footcite[13]{autumnperf}
The repeated citation to the `comdoc' document will output the full
citation.\footcite[14]{com13}
Whereas the repeated citation to anything else works as
expected.\footcite[15]{autumnperf}

\printbibliography
\end{document}

We just replace the generic macro cite:refonlyfull by a specialised cite:comdoc that just prints the number.