8. Style Guide for Written Assessments

8.1 Introduction

This guide concerns the correct way to quote other writers, to abbreviate, to use punctuation, and to construct footnotes and bibliographies.

Note that there are two broadly accepted ways of constructing footnotes and bibliographies, called the Author–Title system and the Author–Date system, respectively. The first system is slightly more complex, but leaves the text of the essay less cluttered. Students are free to choose the system they prefer. However, it is of great importance that a scholarly writer strives for consistency, whether in punctuation, spelling, layout or the format of references.

The following style guide follows Billie Jean Collins, Bob Buller, and John F. Kutsko, The SBL Handbook of Style, 2nd ed. (Atlanta, GA.: SBL, 2014), hereafter abbreviated the SBL Handbook. The book is held in Reference in the Library, and research students may sometimes need to consult it. The SBL Handbook is a modified version of the Chicago-Turabian style, and a helpful resource, especially for electronic media, is “Chicago (17th ed.)/Turabian (9th ed.),” EasyBib, 2018, http://www.easybib.com/guides/citation-guides .

8.2 Main Body of the Essay or Thesis

8.2.1 Quoting

• All quotations should be accurately reproduced, including original spelling, punctuation and abbreviations. If the quotation contains a misspelling, this should be indicated by typing [sic] immediately after the error.

• Quotations must be enclosed within double quotation marks, with single quotation marks for quotes within quotes.

• Punctuation in quotations falls into three categories. (1) Full stops and commas always go inside the quotation marks; (2) colons and semicolons always go outside the quotation marks; (3) exclamation marks and question marks go inside the quotation marks only if they are part of the quote.^[1]

• Raised numerals referring to footnotes must not separate a word from any punctuation that follows it (e.g. quotation marks, commas, full stops). They should be placed, if at all possible, at the end of the sentence. See the example in the paragraph above.

• If it is desirable to omit several words from the original text, such an omission (ellipsis) is indicated by three dots, with a space before and after. The remaining words must both make sense and be true to the intent of the original.

• Quotations of four or more typewritten lines should be typed as a separate, indented paragraph (a “block quotation”). Quotation marks should not be used around block quotations. If a citation is included, it should be in parentheses and follow the final punctuation mark.

• Then all the officials of the king of Babylon came and took seats in the Middle Gate: NergalSharezer of Samgar, Nebo-Sarsekim a chief officer, Nergal-Sharezer a high official and all the other officials of the king of Babylon. When Zedekiah king of Judah and all the soldiers saw them, they fled. (Jer 39:3–4 NIV)

• References to biblical texts (e.g., Rom 1:16) should be placed in parentheses within the text of the essay and not relegated to a footnote.

• When discussing a particular term, it is best to set it in italics rather than quotation marks.

• When citing Hebrew or Greek do not use quotation marks. In the case of Hebrew, vowel points and Massoretic accents are optional. Students in Year 3 should, and from Year 4 onwards must, cite Greek complete with accents as per the text of the New Testament.

8.2.2 Commas

Incorrect use—or non-use—of commas is the most common grammatical error made by students. Pay particular attention to points i. and ii. (The next most common error is the insertion of an apostrophe into the possessive word “its”, as in the incorrect example, “it’s use is significant.”) Commas should enable fluent reading. They should, for example, be used in cases of syntactical ambiguity where otherwise the reader would not construe the text correctly on a first reading. Two problematic uses should be noted: i. When a pair of commas does the job of parentheses, be sure not to omit the second of the pair:

On the third time of asking, however, he accepted.

She was offended when, for example, he asked intrusive personal questions.

ii. Essential (defining) clauses should not be set off with commas. In the following example the specific book in question is being defined (Metzger wrote many others):

Bruce Metzger’s book The Text of the New Testament was first published in 1964.

Nonessential clauses (clauses that may be omitted without affecting the meaning of the sentence) should be set off with commas. In the following example the book in question is already fully defined:

Bruce Metzger’s introduction to textual criticism, The Text of the New Testament, was first published in 1964.

8.2.3 Abbreviations, Full Stops, Spaces and Capitalization

Whatever decision is taken about abbreviations, consistency should be maintained. As a general rule, the first word of a sentence should never be abbreviated.

• Contractions should not be followed by a full stop, unless they end a sentence:

  Mr Mrs Dr ii Abbreviations are normally followed by a full stop (“e.g.” has two full stops):

  Rev. Vulg. ed. mg. cf.

• When plural abbreviations are formed by repeating a letter, the full stop appears after the final letter only. When they are formed by adding an s, a full stop is still required. For example:

  p./pp. v./vv. n./nn. ch./chs. vol./vols.

• The full stop is omitted in abbreviations for chronological eras, divisions of the Canon, and Bible versions and editions, which are printed in all caps:

  BC AD OT NT NIV ESV MT LXX

The full stop is likewise omitted in abbreviations for publishing houses and series titles (printed in capitals) as well as journal and reference book titles (italicised capitals):

  IVP JSOTSup JSOT TDNT BHS

 For abbreviations of secondary sources (journals, periodicals, major reference works and series), see the SBL Handbook, 171–216 (alphabetized by source) and 216–60 (alphabetized by abbreviation).

• A space is inserted between the initial letters of personal names when occurring before the surname. Likewise, a space is required between a verse, page or chapter number and the abbreviation v(v)., p(p)., or ch(s). For example:

  F. F. Bruce D. W. B. Robinson v. 1 pp. 12–22

• Abbreviations for biblical (and apocryphal) books should follow those used by the SBL Handbook, 124–5. Full stops are not used.

Gen 2 Sam Ps (Pss) Hos Hag 1 Cor 2 Tim 3 John

Exod 1 Kgs Prov Joel Zech 2 Cor Titus Jude

Lev 2 Kgs Eccl (or Qoh) Amos Mal Gal Phlm Rev

Num 1 Chr Song (or Cant) Obad Matt Eph Heb  

Deut 2 Chr Isa Jonah Mark Phil Jas  

Josh Ezra Jer Mic Luke Col 1 Pet  

Judg Neh Lam Nah John 1 Thess 2 Pet  

Ruth Esth Ezek Hab Acts 2 Thess 1 John  

1 Sam Job Dan Zeph Rom 1 Tim 2 John  

However, if the biblical book is the first word in the sentence, or cited without chapter or verse number, it should be written in full: “First Samuel 2:10 is a key messianic text”; “Paul wrote 2 Timothy near the end of his life.”

A colon separates chapter and verse; a comma and space separates verse and verse; a semicolon and space separates chapter and chapter. Thus: Deut 4:4, 15; 10:20; 11:16, 22–25; 30:20.

For extensive lists of technical abbreviations and abbreviations of Bible texts and versions, apocryphal books, Dead Sea Scrolls, works by Philo and Josephus, Mishnah, Talmud, Targumic and other Rabbinic works, Apostolic Fathers and other classical and ancient writings, see the SBL Handbook, 141–68. vii. While capital letters should be used for proper nouns such as Bible, Christ, Christology and English, adjectives derived from such nouns only retain the capital letter when the nouns were personal or national names. Hence a Christian woman and an English pub, but a biblical principle and a christological argument.

8.2.4 Hyphens, En Dashes, Em Dashes, Numbers and Dates

• Hyphens join words whose elements combine to give a single, compound sense, such as:

  pre-emptive strike bias-free language Judaeo-Christian ethics ii. En dashes join words which retain their separate meanings, such as:

  Author–Date style Jewish–Christian dialogue

 En dashes should also be used to indicate a range of page numbers, dates or biblical chapters and verses. Note that, for page numbers only, the second number in a range is shortened where appropriate down to two digits (but not to one digit for numbers greater than 10); but the second number of the range is not shortened if the first ends in a zero: pp. 65–68, 100–102, 201–2, 309–56, 462–68

  AD 154–157  502–500 BC  1951–1952

  Psalms 1–2; 89 Rom 1:1–2:11 Ezek 16:1–5, 30–33

• Em dashes are used to mark strong disjunctions. They are not spaced:

  “Take three—and only three—samples.”

8.3 Notes and Bibliographies: General Rules

8.3.1 Footnotes and Endnotes

Your essay should be accompanied by subsidiary material printed in footnotes (at the foot of the page) or endnotes (at the end of the essay). Footnotes and endnotes are used: (1) to give references to sources (books, articles or unpublished documents) from which you have derived facts, opinions or quotations; (2) to add comments, evidence of facts stated in the text, allusions to the differing views of other authors, and similar material which is not part of the argument but which supports it indirectly, and which would interrupt its flow if included in the main text.

If you are quoting already-quoted words (e.g. when the book you are reading quotes an ancient source), do not pretend that you were reading the original source, but describe it, and indicate that it was “cited by” or “translated by” [place where you read it]. See §8.4.9 below.

Notes are to be indicated in the text by a superscript numeral. Where practicable, the numeral should be placed at the end of the sentence (after the final punctuation) rather than after the first word to which it applies in the text.

In the author–title system (see §8.4), complete publication data must be supplied in the first note to a particular source. As a concession to space, standard abbreviations for journal and series titles should be used, and the phrases “edited by” and “translated by” abbreviated. Subsequent references to that source should use a short title and omit the author’s initials (as illustrated below).

In the author–date system (see §8.5), publication data are provided only in the bibliography at the end of the essay. References are normally included in the text, rather than being placed in footnotes.

8.3.2 Bibliographies

The essay must be accompanied by a bibliography of books, articles and other sources which have been consulted by the student for writing the essay (the Bible need not be included).

The bibliography should be entitled a “Bibliography of Sources Cited,” and any work not cited or engaged with in the body of the essay should not appear there. However, students may append a secondary list of “Other Works Consulted,” with discretion used to ensure that works listed there directly pertain to the topic of the essay.

The main differences between the presentation of an entry in a bibliography and a reference appearing in a note is that in the former the author’s surname is placed first, which facilitates the listing of the bibliography in alphabetical order. For other differences see the examples in §8.4.

Bibliographies should be listed alphabetically (see below), though it is customary to separate primary and secondary documents where relevant. Multiple works by a single author are listed alphabetically by title in the author–title system, and by date in the author–date system. There is no need to retype the author’s name; a five en line followed by a full stop will suffice.

In author–date style:

8.3.3 Arranging Bibliographies Alphabetically

The capitalization and alphabetization of entries in indexes and bibliographies can be very complicated, especially when compound and foreign names are involved. See the SBL Handbook, 73–76, 112–116. Three helpful hints are:

• Surnames that include the particles de, van, van der or von are not listed under the particle unless the name belongs to an English speaker. Compare the following two alphabetical series:

  De Boer, Willis Peter Van Seters, John Van Til, Cornelius

  Ploeg, J. P. M. van der Rad, Gerhard von Selms, Adrianus van Vaux, Roland de

• Most Spanish authors and some English-speaking authors have double surnames:

  Alonso Schökel, Luis Díez Macho, Alejandro Lane Fox, Robin

8.3.4 The Key Elements of a Reference

The sequence of information in a reference is as follows. Most references will only include some of this information. There must be enough to enable the reader to find the exact source quickly in a library.

◊ Author or (if no author) editor; ◊ title of chapter or article; ◊ title of book or journal; ◊ editor and/or translator; ◊ edition (if not the 1st); ◊ no. of volumes; ◊ series title and number; ◊ city; ◊ publisher; ◊ date (NB: date takes second position in author–date style); ◊ electronic source information; ◊ full stop.

i.           Author or Editor

 Full names rather than initials should be used if possible; a space should be left between initials; ancient works may be listed under the name of either the ancient author or the modern editor, with the same practice adopted for all ancient works cited.

ii.         Title

 Regardless of the way it is printed in the source, a colon should precede every subtitle unless the title ends with a question or exclamation mark. Titles and subtitles in English should be fully capitalized (i.e. all words except articles, coordinating conjunctions, and prepositions).

 For the capitalization of titles in foreign languages, see the SBL Handbook, 73–76.

 Primary sources should be cited, parenthetically, inside the final punctuation, except in the case of a block quotation (§8.2.1). If the translation is important, insert it following the reference. For example:

 From Luke’s point of view, “the kingdom of God is among you” (Luke 17:21 NRSV).

iii.        Publisher

 The publisher’s name should be abbreviated—unless ambiguity or awkwardness would result—by the omission of Press, Publishing Company, and the like, and by the use of an ampersand instead of and (e.g., T. & T. Clark). Hence: Hendrickson (not, Hendrickson Publishers); Cerf (not, Editions du Cerf); Eerdmans (not, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company). Exceptions: Oxford University Press (and other university presses); Scholars Press; Free Press; JSOT Press. See the SBL Handbook, 76–82. iv. Place and Date of Publication

 List only the first place when several are mentioned, even if the second is linked to a second publisher. If the place is not well known, add a reference to the state or country. The decision you make will depend on the readership. Thus, “Homebush Bay, N.S.W.” would suffice for local readers; “Chico, CA” would be necessary for most readerships. (For abbreviations of the states of the U.S.A. use the two-letter postal abbreviations as given in the SBL Handbook, 118).

 Where the place of publication cannot be found, the abbreviation “n.p.” (no place) is used. Where the date of publication is unknown, use “n.d.” (no date), or else estimate the century or decade, e.g.

v.          Volume and Page Numbers

 All numerals should be Arabic, with volume and page numbers separated by a colon (e.g., 1:96–97). Do not use f. and ff., but give actual page ranges. Examples of such ranges—separated by an en dash—can be found in §8.2.4 above. NOTE: because pages numbers in electronic books are not stable, you should always quote from a paper copy where one is available.

vi.        Electronic source information

 Information about the electronic format cited (PDF e-book; Kindle edition, etc.) always goes at the end of a reference. For online publications a DOI (Digital Object Identifier) is preferable to a URL. There is no need to provide an access date, and URLs must never be hyphenated. Divide them at a dot or slash if necessary.

 Finding the DOI for an article. Many articles do not have a DOI, but if they do it should be printed on the first page of the article PDF. Alternatively, go to CrossRef.org and click on the “search metadata” tab on the homepage. Enter details of the article’s title and author into the search box. A DOI is a number beginning with 10. To convert it to a URL, http://dx.doi.org/ is placed in front of it (e.g., http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/660696 ).

8.4 Examples of the Author–Title Style

How to use this section, in four steps:

Step 1 What type of source are you referring to? Find it in the list below and go to the appropriate section, then go to Step 2.

Step 2 Is this the first time you have used this particular source?

 If yes, create a footnote with the full reference, in the style of the first example.

 Then go to Step 4.

 If no, go to Step 3.

Step 3 Have you footnoted this source earlier in your essay/thesis?

 If yes, create a footnote with a shortened title, in the style of the second example

Step 4 Are you constructing the bibliography? Create a reference in the style of the third example, and place it in its proper alphabetical order.

In some of the examples that follow, the prescribed sequence of information is given in a template. Following the template are either two or three examples: a first reference, a second or subsequent reference, and a bibliographic entry.

Print Media

1. Journal Article (with template)

2. Books and Edited Books (with template)

3. Recent Reprint Title

4. Full History of a Translated Volume

5. Article in an Edited Volume (with template)

6. Book Review

7. Unpublished Dissertation or Thesis

8. Article in a Lexicon or Encyclopaedia

9. Other Special Cases

Electronic Media

1. Electronic journal article

2. CD-ROM (or similar) electronic reference with a corresponding print edition

3. Digitized versions of printed books (digitized libraries, AcCordance modules, etc.)

4. Online databases

5. Book published electronically or online with no print counterpart (on Kindle, etc.)

6. Material published informally online: websites, blogs, social media

7. Online audiovisual material

8.4.1 Print Media

1. Journal Article

First reference: John D. Author, “Title,” Journal volume/issue (year): page(s). Bibliography: Author, John D. “Title.” Journal volume/issue (year): page(s).

15. Stephen K. Williams, “The ‘Righteousness of God’ in Romans,” JBL 99 (1980): 261.

21. Williams, “Righteousness,” 270.

Williams, Stephen K. “The ‘Righteousness of God’ in Romans.” Journal of Biblical Literature 99 (1980): 241–90.

10.  Mark W. Chavalas, “Did Abraham Ride a Camel?,” BAR 44.6 (2018): 52, 64–65.

11.  Chavalas, “Did Abraham Ride a Camel?,” 64.

Chavalas, Mark W. “Did Abraham Ride a Camel?” Biblical Archaeology Review 44.6 (2018): 52, 64–65.

2. Books and Edited Books

First reference: Author(s)[or, Editor(s), ed(s).], Title, ed. editor, trans. translator, number of volumes vols., edition ed., series-title number (place: publisher, year), page(s).

Bibliography: Author(s)[or, Editor(s), ed(s).]. Title. Edited by editor. Translated by translator. number of volumes vols. edition ed. series-title number. place: publisher, year.

The main change from the old SBL style is that ONLY the publication details (place: publisher, year) are included within parentheses in footnotes. When there are two or three authors or editors, list them all and separate the last two by “and”. When there are more than three, list just the first followed by “et al.” in the first reference, but list all of them in the bibliography. The page numbers (omitted in the bibliography) are preceded by a comma. In the bibliographic version, all elements before the place of publication are separated by full stops, and “edited by” and “translated by” are fully written.

17. James Robinson and Helmut Koester, Trajectories Through Early Christianity (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1971), 23.

25. Robinson and Koester, Trajectories, 23.

Robinson, James, and Helmut Koester. Trajectories Through Early Christianity. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1971.

1. John F. Oates et al., eds.,

Checklist of Editions of Greek and Latin Papyri, Ostraca and Tablets, 4th ed., BASPSup 7 (Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1992), 10.

1. Oates et al.,

Checklist, 4.

Oates, John F., William H. Willis, Roger S. Bagnall, and Klaas A. Worp, eds. Checklist of Editions of Greek and Latin Papyri, Ostraca and Tablets. 4th ed. Bulletin of the American Society of Papyrologists, Supplements 7. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1992.

Note that “eds.” is omitted in the second reference; and in the bibliography, the series title is written in full. It is not necessary to include the names of the editors of the series, if given. Do not confuse impressions, printings, or reprints with editions. A second edition represents a change in the text from the first edition, whereas an impression is merely a reprinting of the same edition. A book which is styled the fifth printing of the first edition is cited by the date of the first edition, not the date of the printing. Do not use a reprint date.

48. Adolf Harnack, History of Dogma, trans. Neil Buchanan, 7 vols. (Boston: Little, Brown, 1896– 1905).

58. Harnack, History of Dogma, 2:126.

Harnack, Adolf. History of Dogma. Translated from the 3rd German ed. by Neil Buchanan. 7 vols. Boston: Little, Brown, 1896–1905.

Note that in the second reference the volume number is in Arabic numerals, and separated from the page numbers by a colon. Note also the fuller information provided in the bibliography regarding the translation.

1. Recent Reprint Title

(N.B.—where possible, cite from the original)

16.                       John Van Seters, In Search of History: Historiography in the Ancient World and the Origins of Biblical History (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1983; repr., Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 1997), 35.

17.                       Van Seters, In Search, 70.

Van Seters, John. In Search of History: Historiography in the Ancient World and the Origins of Biblical History. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1983. Repr., Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 1997.

If a reprint is old (public domain), the original place and publisher—but not date—may be omitted.

4. Full History of a Translated Volume

For research students it will normally be desirable to include details of the original if a work is cited in translation.

71. J. Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, ed. John T. McNeill, trans. Ford Lewis Battles, 2 vols., LCC 20–21 (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1960), III.ii.2; trans. of Institutio Christianae religionis, in libris quatuor nunc primum digesta, certisque distincta capitibus, ad aptissimam methodum: aucta etiam tam magna accessione ut propemodum opus novum haberi possit (Geneva: Robert Estienne, 1559).

73. Calvin, Inst. II.vi.4.

Calvin, J. Institutes of the Christian Religion. Edited by John T. McNeill. Translated by Ford Lewis Battles.

2 vols. Library of Christian Classics 20–21. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1960. Translation of

Institutio Christianae religionis, in libris quatuor nunc primum digesta, certisque distincta capitibus, ad aptissimam methodum: aucta etiam tam magna accessione ut propemodum opus novum haberi possit; Geneva: Robert Estienne, 1559.

1. Julius Wellhausen,

Prolegomena to the History of Ancient Israel (New York: Meridian Books, 1957), 296; repr. of Prolegomena to the History of Israel, trans. J. Sutherland Black and Allan Menzies, with preface by W. Robertson Smith (Edinburgh: Adam & Charles Black, 1885); trans. of Prolegomena zur Geschichte Israels, 2nd ed. (Berlin: G. Reimer, 1883).

17. Wellhausen, Prolegomena, 55.

Wellhausen, Julius. Prolegomena to the History of Ancient Israel. New York: Meridian Books, 1957. Reprint of Prolegomena to the History of Israel. Translated by J. Sutherland Black and Allan Menzies, with preface by W. Robertson Smith. Edinburgh: Adam & Charles Black, 1885. Translation of Prolegomena zur Geschichte Israels. 2nd ed. Berlin: G. Reimer, 1883.

Undergraduate students who cite a work that has been translated and/or reprinted from an older original may omit the full history of the volume and simply add the original date of publication in square brackets after the date:

71.                       Calvin, J. Institutes of the Christian Religion, ed. John T. McNeill, trans. Ford Lewis Battles, 2 vols., LCC 20–21 (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1960 [1559]), III.ii.2.

72.                       Calvin, Institutes, IV.i.1.

Calvin, J. Institutes of the Christian Religion. Edited by John T. McNeill. Translated by Ford Lewis Battles. 2 vols. Library of Christian Classics 20–21. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1960 [1559].

5. Article in an Edited Volume

First reference: Author(s), “Title,” in Book Title, ed. editor(s), trans. translator, number of volumes vols., edition ed., series-title number (place: publisher, year), page(s).

Bibliography: Author(s). “Title.” Pages page(s) in Book Title. Edited by editor(s). Translated by translator. number of volumes vols. edition ed. series-title number. place: publisher, year.

11. William J. Dumbrell, “Paul’s Use of Exodus 34 in 2 Corinthians 3,” in God Who is Rich in Mercy:

Essays Presented to Dr. D. B. Knox, ed. Peter T. O’Brien and David G. Peterson (Homebush West, N.S.W.:

Lancer, 1986), 179–94.

17. Dumbrell, “Paul’s Use of Exodus,” 181–82.

Dumbrell, William J. “Paul’s Use of Exodus 34 in 2 Corinthians 3.” Pages 179–94 in God Who is Rich in Mercy: Essays Presented to Dr. D. B. Knox. Edited by Peter T. O’Brien and David G. Peterson. Homebush West, N.S.W.: Lancer, 1986.

6. Book Review

The publication details of the reviewed work may be omitted:

13.  Georg Sauer, review of Die Prosareden des Jeremiabuches, by Helga Weippert, ThZ 30 (1974):

172–73.

14.  Sauer, review of Die Prosareden des Jeremiabuches (by Weippert), 172.

Sauer, Georg. Review of Die Prosareden des Jeremiabuches, by Helga Weippert. Theologische Zeitschrift 30 (1974): 172–73.

7. Unpublished Dissertation or Thesis

The title is not italicised, but placed in quotation marks:

1. G. A. Cole, “Cranmer’s Views on the Bible and the Christian Prince” (MTh thesis, University of Sydney, 1983), 58.

2. Cole, “Cranmer’s Views,” 19.

Cole, Graham A. “Cranmer’s Views on the Bible and the Christian Prince.” MTh thesis, University of Sydney, 1983.

8. Article in a Lexicon or Encyclopaedia

For a lexicon or theological dictionary entry (i.e. which discusses a word or family of words), you should give the title and whole page range of the entry in the first reference, but just the dictionary abbreviation and page in subsequent references. In the bibliography, cite only the dictionary. Note the Arabic numeral for the volume number, followed by a colon.

90. Ceslas Spicq, “αjμοιβή,” TLNT 1:95–96. 102. Spicq, TLNT 1:95.

Spicq, Ceslas. Theological Lexicon of the New Testament. Translated and edited by James D. Ernest. 3 vols. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1994.

An article in an encyclopaedia or dictionary (i.e. which discusses a theme, person, idea, etc.) should, however, be specifically cited in the bibliography.

31. K. Stendahl, “Biblical Theology, Contemporary,” IDB 1:418–32.

34. Stendahl, “Biblical Theology,” 1:419.

Stendahl, K. “Biblical Theology, Contemporary.” Pages 418–32 in vol. 1 of The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible. Edited by G. A. Buttrick. 4 vols. Nashville: Abingdon, 1962.

9. Other Special Cases

Quoting already-quoted words (e.g. when the book you are reading mentions or quotes an ancient or foreign-language source). If possible, go back to the source and cite it for yourself! If the source is unavailable or unintelligible, do not include it in your bibliography, as you did not consult it. In footnotes, imitate the following examples:

12. J. G. Eichhorn, Einleitung in das Alte Testament, 3rd edn (Leipzig: Weidmannischen Buchhandlung, 1803), 3:154, cited by Andrew G. Shead, A Mouth Full of Fire: The Word of God in the Words of Jeremiah, NSBT 29 (Leicester: IVP, 2012), 79.

17. Hadad-yith‘i inscription (800 BC), translated by Sandra L. Richter, The Deuteronomistic History and the Name Theology, BZAW 318 (Berlin: de Gruyter, 2002), 203.

27. Sefire Inscriptions, Stele I, Face B, trans. Joseph A. Fitzmeyer, in William W. Hallo and K. Lawson Younger, Jr., eds., The Context of Scripture (Leiden: Brill, 2003), 2:214.

Beyond this there remain complex examples for which, at an undergraduate level, consistency and common sense should be the guide rather than strict adherence to the letter of the law. If further help is necessary, refer to the SBL Handbook, 95–102, for examples of citations from conference papers, magazine articles, ANET, COS, the Loeb Classical Library, papyri, ostraca, ancient epistles and homilies, the Ante- and Post-Nicene Fathers, J.-P. Migne’s Patrologia Latina and Patrologia Graeca, and Aufstieg und Niedergang der römischen Welt. Before citing texts from the Judaean Desert, see the SBL Handbook, 176.

There is no need to list references to the Bible. Likewise, there is no need to list references to well-known documents from church history or antiquity. Like biblical references, these can be cited in parentheses within the main body of the text. For example:

(Josephus, Ant. 2.233–235)

(b. B. Bat. 12a)

(Calvin, Inst. III.ii.2)

(Barth, CD IV/1, 128)

When you come across other works which are referred to by similar such abbreviations (e.g. Luther’s works or the Mishnah), imitate the usage of your source in your own referencing. Note that when you cite the exact words of a translation of ancient or classic modern works, the translator should be acknowledged. In this case, the source should be included in the bibliography.

(Calvin, Inst. III.ii.2 [Battles])

(Josephus, Ant. 2.233–235 [Thackeray, LCL])

Josephus. Translated by H. St J. Thackeray et al. 10 vols. Loeb Classical Library. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1937.

8.4.2 Electronic Media

The internet is volatile; old links (URLs) often break. Include a DOI where possible—see §8.3.4, part vi.

As a general rule, digitized material may be cited like the print copy that was photographed to produce it. Material with no print counterpart may change over time, and the date of latest release or revision should be included.

1. Electronic Journal Article

Electronic journals have fixed page numbers, like print journals. If you consulted the article in a library or commercial database, you may give the name of the database instead of a DOI.

1. Campbell Brown, “Consequentialize This,”

Ethics 121.4 (July 2011): 752, http://dx.doi.org /10.1086/660696.

13. Brown, “Consequentialize This,” 761.

Brown, Campbell. “Consequentialize This.” Ethics 121.4 (July 2011): 749–71. http://dx.doi.org/10.1086 /660696.

1. Andrew Curtin, “Covenant: The Construction of Identity in Israel,”

Old Testament Research 8.4 (October 2012): 16, Academic OneFile.

17. Curtin, “Covenant,” 18–19.

Curtin, Andrew. “Covenant: The Construction of Identity in Israel.” Old Testament Research 8.4 (October 2012): 15–28. Academic OneFile.

2. CD-ROM Reference with a Corresponding Print Edition

Cite a book on CD-ROM as you would if it was the print edition. You do not need to specify the medium of the book in your citation.

3. Digitized Version of Printed Book (digitized libraries, AcCordance modules, etc.)

If the book is readily available, cite it as if it were the print edition. You do not need to specify the medium of the book in your citation. Bible software programmes should provide you with the relevant citation details. For example, https://www.accordancebible.com/Accordance-Citations .

If it is a rare book, provide the DOI/URL or the name of the database you accessed. Two bibliography entries may serve as examples:

Abbott, George. The Whole Booke of Iob Paraphrased, or, Made Easie for Any to Understand. London: Printed by Edward Griffin for Henry Overton, 1640. http://rarebooks.dts.edu/viewbook.aspx?bookid=1206.

Coverdale, Miles. Goostly Psalmes and Spirituall Songes Drawen out of the Holy Scripture, for the Comforte and Consolacyon of Soch as Loue to Reioyse in God and His Worde. London: Iohan Gough, 1535. Early English Books Online.

4. Online Database

When citing databases with formally published content, the author of the content or the owner of the site should be referenced, plus the title of the content, the name of the database, and a release or revision date. Two bibliography entries may serve as examples:

British Museum. “134322: Ivory plaque depicting a winged sphinx.” British Museum Collection Database. Oct 2017. https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection _object_details/collection_image_gallery.aspx?assetId=30770001&objectId=369007&partId=1.

The ETCSL Project, Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Oxford. “Regularised Forms of Proper Nouns in the ETCSL.” The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature. Updated 17 Oct 2006.

http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac .uk/cgi-bin/etcslpropnoun.cgi.

5. Book Published Electronically or Online with No Print Counterpart

If an ebook is available in more than one format you should cite the version you consulted. For books consulted online, include an access date and a DOI/URL. If no fixed page numbers are available, you can include a section title or a chapter or other number.

1. Stanly Johny,

The ISIS Caliphate: From Syria to the Doorsteps of India (New Delhi: Bloomsbury India, 2018), ch. 1, EPUB ebook.

17. Johny, ISIS, ch. 6.

Johny, Stanly. The ISIS Caliphate: From Syria to the Doorsteps of India. New Delhi: Bloomsbury India, 2018. EPUB ebook.

6. Other Material Published Online: Periodicals, Blogs, Social Media

Citations should include all of the following that are known and relevant: the author of the content; a title or phrase (e.g. the first 160 characters of a post) describing the content; the name of the magazine or blog (italics) or platform (Facebook, Instagram, etc., non-italics); the owner or sponsor of the site; the date the content was generated; and the URL. Access dates are not required.^[2]

Informal online material should be referenced in notes and, if formally (commercially) published and of sufficient substance, in the bibliography. Blog entries are typically not included in a bibliography, as they are informal comments. Social media content need not even be referenced in a note, if a brief description in the text can suffice (see example).

1. Charles Truehart, “Welcome to the Next Church,”

Atlantic Monthly 278 (August 1996): 37–58, https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1996/08/the-next-church/376646/ .

1. Truehart, “Next Church,” 57.

Truehart, Charles. “Welcome to the Next Church.” Atlantic Monthly 278 (August 1996): 37–58.

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1996/08/the-next-church/376646/ .

1. Paul Helm, “Review of Oliphant’s Aquinas: II,”

Helm’s Deep: Philosophical Theology (blog), 30 Dec 2018, http://paulhelmsdeep.blogspot.com/2018/12/ .

1. Helm, “Review.”

34. “What Does It Mean to Find Joy in Christ?” Facebook post, Moore Theological College, 16 Jan 2019 at 21:00, https://www.facebook.com/mooretheologicalcollege/posts/10156240638502523:0 .

38. “What Does it Mean,” Facebook post.

A sample text that cites social media content, both with and without a note:

Lost on many readers was the fact that Obama’s tweet was a quotation from Nelson Mandela: “‘No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin or his background or his religion...’” (@BarackObama, Twitter, 12 Aug 2017). Visual symbolism, as when the face of Martin Luther King Jr. looms large over Obama in a photograph, can portray a relationship between two authors with considerable sophistication.¹⁶

16. @obamawhitehouse, “‘Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, “What are you doing for others?”’” Instagram photo, 17 Jan 2017, https://www.instagram.com/p/BPWgvHeDo_y/?utm _source=ig_web_copy_link.

7. Online Audiovisual Material

As relevant or available, the following information should be included: Author, “title of content,” directed by, date filmed/recorded, owner or sponsor of content, medium and duration, date posted, URL. Normally there would be a reference in a note, but not in the bibliography. Again, use the most stable URLs possible, e.g. by going to the site of the company that creates the content (http://vimeo.com , http://soundcloud.com ), not the site where it is hosted. These media would not normally be included in a bibliography.

12. Channel 4 News, “Jordan Peterson debate on the gender pay gap, campus protests and postmodernism,” YouTube video, 29:55, posted 16 Jan 2018, https://www.youtube.com /watch?v=aMcjxSThD54&t=18s.

17. Phillip Jensen, “Spirit-Inspired Christian Living,” Moore College Centre for Christian Living, Vimeo video, 1:02:27, posted 6 Dec 2018, https://vimeo.com/286099598 .

33. Tony Payne, “Podcast Episode 022: Enjoying God,” Moore College Centre for Christian Living, Soundcloud, 35:18, posted 6 Dec 2018, https://soundcloud.com/user-410568914/podcast-episode-022 .

8.5 Author–Date System of References

The Author–Date system of references is the system used in scientific and social-scientific works, but is becoming more common in theological writing. Its advantage is that it uses fewer words and reduces the need for footnotes.

8.5.1 Conventions for Notes and Bibliographies

i. Citations in Text and Notes

Instead of a footnote, the author’s name (if not mentioned in the text), the date of publication and the page number(s) (if necessary) are placed in parentheses after the quote. Date and page are separated by a comma; citations are separated from one another by semicolons; when an author has two publications in the same year, the designations “a” and “b” should be added to the date.

Dumbrell evidently reads 2 Cor 2:14–17 as a polemic (1986, 179).

Blomberg (1999, 21 n. 3) suggests that . . .

Jeremiah 23:10, 37 can be interpreted in the same way (Tov 1972a, 195; Tov 1972b, 107).

If a work has been translated or reprinted from an older original, add the original date of publication in square brackets after the date. If the original is an ancient primary source it should be cited along the lines of section 9 above: (1) if only general reference is made to the work, title and page/section will suffice, with no record in the bibliography; (2) if words are quoted, reference to the translation should be made in both citation and bibliography.

Wellhausen (1957 [1883], 127) adopts a different approach.

Calvin (1960 [1559], I.xv.5) speaks of the “delusion of the Manichees” in this connection. Josephus (Ant. 2.235 [Thackeray 1937]) states the following…

Because of the way the bibliography is constructed, such minimal citation is all that is needed. However, footnotes may still be included in an essay if so desired, either to add comments to the argument along the lines indicated in §8.3.1.1 or to remove particularly long and obtrusive references from the text so as to make it read more smoothly. It is a matter for personal judgement as to when this needs to be done.

ii. Bibliographies

What was said in sections 8.3.2–4 applies here, except for the following differences. (1) Only works cited in the essay should appear in the bibliography. (2) The second element of the bibliographic citation (after the author’s name and before the title) is the date. The other elements appear in the same order as in the Author–Title system. (3) The bibliography is arranged alphabetically by author and then chronologically, so that books and articles by the same author are listed from the first published to the most recent; they are followed by co-authored books; books edited by that person; books edited by that person and another. (4) Works by an author in the same year are distinguished as follows:

Tov, Emanuel. 1972a. “L’incidence de la critique textuelle sur la critique littéraire dans le livre de Jérémie.” Revue Biblique 79:189–99.

–––––. 1972b. “Lucian and Proto-Lucian: Towards a New Solution of the Problem.” Revue Biblique 72:101–13.

8.5.2 Examples of Notes and Bibliographies, Arranged by the Type of Source

This section is a supplement to section 8.4.

See the SBL Handbook, 104–108. For templates setting out the order of information in various types of reference (journal articles, books, edited books, book sections, etc.), see the examples in section 8.3.2 above. These may be adapted to Author–Date format by the removal of the date to the second position in the reference. Further rules of presentation are also explained in the abovementioned section, which should be studied in conjunction with the following examples.

Journal Article

(Williams 1980, 270)

Williams, Stephen K. 1980. “The ‘Righteousness of God’ in Romans.” Journal of Biblical Literature 99:4.

A Book

(Robinson and Koester 1971, 23)

Robinson, James M., and Helmut Koester. 1971. Trajectories Through Early Christianity. Philadelphia: Fortress.

An Edited Book

(Oates et al. 1992, 10)

Oates, John F., William H. Willis, Roger S. Bagnall, and Klaas A. Worp, eds. 1992. Checklist of Editions of Greek and Latin Papyri, Ostraca and Tablets. 4th ed. Bulletin of the American Society of Papyrologists, Supplements 7. Atlanta: Scholars Press.

A Dictionary Article

(Spicq 1994, 1:96–97)

Spicq, Ceslas. 1994. “αjμοιβή.” Pages 95–96 in vol. 1 of Theological Lexicon of the New Testament. Translated and edited by James D. Ernest. 3 vols. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson.

An Online Source with No Publication Date

The date when content was posted or updated should be retained, and the year added at the beginning. Because the full reference does not appear in footnotes, even informal online material will have to appear in the bibliography, unless it can be woven into the text (see section 8.4.2.5).

(Helm 2018)

Helm, Paul. 2018. “Review of Oliphant’s Aquinas: II,” Helm’s Deep: Philosophical Theology (blog), 30 Dec 2018, http://paulhelmsdeep.blogspot.com/2018/12/ .

[1] In close textual studies Rule 1 may be broken if it is necessary to signal that the punctuation is not part of the quote.

[2] The specific URL for a Facebook post is found by clicking on the three dots on the upper right-hand corner of the post, selecting “embed,” then selecting “advanced settings.”