  We extend to the spectral function an approach which allowed us to calculate
the quasiparticle weight for destruction of a real electron Z_c sigma (k) (in
contrast to that of creation of a spinless holon Z_h(k) in a generalized $t-J$
model, using the self-consistent Born approximation (SCBA). We compare our
results with those obtained using the alternative approach of Sushkov et al.,
which also uses the SCBA. The results for Z_c sigma (k) are also compared with
results obtained using the string picture and with exact diagonalizations of a
32-site square cluster. While on a qualitative level, all results look similar,
our SCBA approach seems to compare better with the ED one. The effect of
hopping beyond nearest neighbors, and that of the three-site term are
discussed.
