diff --git a/components/instantsearch-sortby.tsx b/components/instantsearch-sortby.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..87e777f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/components/instantsearch-sortby.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+import { type MessageKeys, useTranslations } from "next-intl";
+import type { ReactNode } from "react";
+import { Label } from "react-aria-components";
+import { useSortBy } from "react-instantsearch";
+
+import { collectionName } from "@/lib/data";
+
+import { Select, SelectContent, SelectItem, SelectPopover, SelectTrigger } from "./ui/select";
+
+interface InstantSearchSortByProps {
+	sortOptions: Array<string>;
+}
+
+export function InstantSearchSortBy(props: InstantSearchSortByProps): ReactNode {
+	const t = useTranslations("SearchPage");
+
+	const sortByItems = props.sortOptions.map((field) => {
+		return {
+			// eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any
+			label: t(`sort.${field}` as MessageKeys<any, any>),
+			value: `${collectionName}/sort/${field}`,
+		};
+	});
+
+	const { currentRefinement, options, refine } = useSortBy({
+		items: sortByItems,
+	});
+	// enforce initial sort
+	if (currentRefinement === collectionName) {
+		// eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-non-null-assertion
+		refine(`${collectionName}/sort/${props.sortOptions[0]!}`);
+	}
+
+	return (
+		<Select
+			defaultSelectedKey={sortByItems[0]?.value}
+			onSelectionChange={(selected) => {
+				refine(selected as string);
+			}}
+		>
+			<Label className="sr-only">sort order</Label>
+			<SelectTrigger>
+				{
+					sortByItems.find(({ value }) => {
+						return value === currentRefinement;
+					})?.label
+				}
+			</SelectTrigger>
+			<SelectPopover>
+				<SelectContent>
+					{options.map((o) => {
+						return (
+							<SelectItem key={o.value} id={o.value} textValue={o.label}>
+								{o.label}
+							</SelectItem>
+						);
+					})}
+				</SelectContent>
+			</SelectPopover>
+		</Select>
+	);
+}
diff --git a/components/instantsearch.tsx b/components/instantsearch.tsx
index 6cbe642..da198ad 100644
--- a/components/instantsearch.tsx
+++ b/components/instantsearch.tsx
@@ -3,19 +3,17 @@
 import type { UiState } from "instantsearch.js";
 import { useTranslations } from "next-intl";
 import { type ReactNode, useEffect, useRef } from "react";
-import { Configure, SearchBox, SortBy, useInfiniteHits } from "react-instantsearch";
+import { Configure, SearchBox, useInfiniteHits } from "react-instantsearch";
 import { InstantSearchNext } from "react-instantsearch-nextjs";
 import TypesenseInstantSearchAdapter, { type SearchClient } from "typesense-instantsearch-adapter";
 
 import { collectionName } from "@/lib/data";
 import type { Publication } from "@/lib/model";
 
+import { InstantSearchSortBy } from "./instantsearch-sortby";
 import { InstantSearchStats } from "./instantsearch-stats";
 import { PublicationGrid } from "./publication-grid";
 
-// TODO put into props
-const sortOptions = ["year:desc", "year:asc", "title:asc"];
-
 interface InstantSearchProps {
 	queryArgsToRefinementFields: Record<string, string>;
 	children?: ReactNode;
@@ -54,8 +52,8 @@ function InfiniteScroll(): ReactNode {
 			const observer = new IntersectionObserver((entries) => {
 				entries.forEach((entry) => {
 					if (entry.isIntersecting && !isLastPage) {
-						// eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-unnecessary-condition
-						showMore && showMore();
+						showMore();
+						// showMore && showMore();
 					}
 				});
 			});
@@ -145,16 +143,7 @@ export function InstantSearch(props: InstantSearchProps): ReactNode {
 				<div className="flex place-content-between">
 					<InstantSearchStats />
 					<SearchBox placeholder={t("query_placeholder")} />
-					sort by{" "}
-					<SortBy
-						items={sortOptions.map((field) => {
-							return {
-								// eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any
-								label: t(`sort.${field}` as MessageKeys<any, any>),
-								value: `${collectionName}/sort/${field}`,
-							};
-						})}
-					/>
+					<InstantSearchSortBy sortOptions={["year:desc", "year:asc", "title:asc"]} />
 				</div>
 				<InfiniteScroll />
 			</div>
diff --git a/messages/en.json b/messages/en.json
index e019474..014a815 100644
--- a/messages/en.json
+++ b/messages/en.json
@@ -90,9 +90,9 @@
 		"query_placeholder": "search publications",
 		"sort_by": "sort by",
 		"sort": {
-			"year:asc": "oldest to newest",
-			"year:desc": "newest to oldest",
-			"title:asc": "publication title"
+			"title:asc": "alphabetically",
+			"year:asc": "oldest first",
+			"year:desc": "newest first"
 		}
 	},
 	"TranslatorPage": {