RAWLINGS SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
LIBERTY UNIVERSITY
School of Divinity Writing Guide
Submitted to School of Divinity Faculty and Students,
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of any course
All Rawlings School of Divinity Course Prefixes and Numbers
All School of Rawlings School of Divinity Course Titles
by
Faculty of the Rawlings School of Divinity
August 27, 2018
Updated: August 2018
Contents
Formatting ................................................................................................................................. 1
Style ........................................................................................................................................... 1
Grammar Usage Notes .............................................................................................................. 3
Levels of Headings .................................................................................................................... 4
Footnote Citations ..................................................................................................................... 4
Bibliography Citations .............................................................................................................. 5
Bibliography Tips ...................................................................................................................... 7
Appendix A: Sacred Book References ......................................................................................... 8
Appendix B: Capitalization Glossary.......................................................................................... 9
1
Rawlings School of Divinity
Writing Guide1
Formatting
One-inch margins, (left, right, top, bottom). Begin the first line on the first page of text in
a paper 1” below the top margin (at the 2” line).
Times New Roman12-pt. type font for paper content; Times New Roman 10-pt. type font
for footnotes.
Test of the paper should be double-spaced except on the title page, in the footnotes,
bibliography, block quotes, and subheadings.
Quotations should be blocked if the citation is five or more lines. Blocked quotations are
single-spaced and every line is indented one half-inch with an extra return before and
after the excerpt. No quotation marks are used when using blocked quotations.
Pagination placement: Do not number the title page, but note that it is considered the first
page (i); all following front matter (if required) is numbered with lower case Roman
numerals centered in the footer. The paper body, bibliography, and appendices display
Arabic numerals also placed in the footer. Note that this is one of the major differences
between the RSOD writing guide and Turabian formatting.
Style
As a general rule, use active voice and avoid first or second person pronouns unless
permitted by the assignment instructions. In historical writing, use simple past tense
verbs, but when referring to an author’s written work, use present tense.
Turabian permits two citation styles but RSOD only accepts notes-bibliography style in
submitted documents. When using this style, use footnotes and do not use endnotes.
Use superscript numbers for footnotes. An example of a superscripted footnote number is
“1.” If you are typing in Microsoft Word, it is acceptable to use the default setting for
footnote numbering.
When formatting a footnote, indent the first line of your footnotes the same amount as the
first line of the paragraphs within your paper (generally .5 inches). The indentation
should be before the superscripted footnote number. Insert one space after the superscript
number before the first word of the footnote. The footnotes should be single-spaced, and
there should be a single blank space between (or 10-pt. line space after) each footnote.
Ibid. is short for the Latin term ibidem meaning “in the same place.” As all foreign
words, the word should be italicized when used in the body of the text; however, when
used in the footnote, the word is not italicized. When citing a source where the
bibliographical data is the same as the previous footnote, use Ibid. Do not include a page
number if you are citing the same page as the previous footnote; however, if it is a
different page number, use the abbreviation (Ibid.) followed by a comma (Ibid.,) and then
1 Based on Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations,
9th ed., rev. Wayne C. Booth, et al. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2018).
2
the page number (Ibid., #.). Do not use ibid. to refer to footnotes that do not appear on the
same page. Ibid. is an abbreviation and therefore must end with a period. Lower case is
used when the abbreviation is located within a footnote (or any sentence); upper case is
used when it begins the note or sentence.
Since the Bible is considered a sacred work, cite it initially in the footnotes and subsequently in
parenthetical references and always capitalize it. For example, note the parenthetical reference in the
following sentence: Christ declares his exclusive salvific value when he states, “I am the way, the truth,
and the life” (John 14:6). The Bible reference is not included within the quotation marks because it is not a
part of Christ’s declaration. The period would come after the parenthesis because you cannot begin a new
sentence without a period immediately preceding it.
Do not include the Bible in the bibliography.
The version or translation of the Bible being used must be identified in the text with a
parenthetical reference (e.g. I Cor 1:13, ESV) and italicized even in abbreviations. Even
if you translated the Greek (or Hebrew) text yourself you must identify the fact that this is
your own translation. If you choose to use the same Bible translation (such as the English
Standard Version) throughout the paper you should add a footnote in your first usage
stating “Unless otherwise noted, all biblical passages referenced are in the English
Standard Version.” This means that you will not need to reference the version of the
Bible in subsequent citations unless you change the version. For example, if the student
identified the English Standard Version as the primary version but chose to use the New
International Version (NIV) when quoting a particular verse such as John 14:6, the
parenthetical citation following the passage would be (John 14:6, NIV). Whatever
translation (other than your own), it should be italicized since a translation is a book title.
When footnoting a source for the second time and the citation is not consecutive with the
first citation, you do not need a full citation; instead use a “shortened note.” A shortened
note should provide the author’s (or authors’) last name(s), an abbreviated version of the
book title (in four words or less), and the page number. An example of this is in the
footnote below taken from the previously cited source, A Manual for Writers of Research
Papers, Theses, and Dissertations.2
When citing an article from an online library/search engine, you do not need to cite the
search engine or article address if the article is in the same form as it would have been in
a print journal (typically you can tell this is the case if the online article is downloadable
into a .pdf). If you need to cite the link to the article, it is preferred that you cite the
article using the Digital Object Identifier (DOI).3 If no DOI is available, make sure you
are using a permalink rather than a link copied and pasted from your address bar.4 If you
signed into the Liberty University library using a username and password, then the
address from the address bar will not work for anyone who does not have your
username/password. When copying and pasting bibliographic information from library
databases, be sure to convert the information to Turabian format. For example, many
2 Turabian, Manual for Writers, 158.
3 Ibid., 140.
4 A permalink is a hyperlink that is not directly copied from your web browser address bar. Instead it is
typically provided by a search engine. The permalink will allow readers of your work to find the article you are
referencing without being sent to your institution’s login screen. RSOD students can find permalinks in the majority
of Liberty’s online library sources.
3
books or article titles are in all CAPS. After pasting such a title into your paper, you will
need to change the all CAPS into appropriate Turabian formatting.
Writing and preaching are two different communication mediums with two distinct
purposes. When writing an academic assignment, avoid the temptation to sermonize or
appeal to your reader’s emotions or character. Research writing lays out the evidence for
the reader and lets it speak for itself. Additionally, avoid employing personal experiences,
anecdotes, or generalized analogies to build or support the argument. Instead, rely on the
evidence from the research conducted.
Grammar Usage Notes
Avoid using the em-dash ( — ) in place of a comma to separate thoughts in a sentence. When
necessary, make sure you understand the grammatical reasoning behind using this form of
punctuation.
If your bibliography includes two or more sources from the same author, replace the
author’s name with eight underscores followed by a period (i.e., .).5
When using a hyphen or an em-dash, do not leave a space before or after the punctuation;
for instance, “right-click,” not “right – click.”
Bible is the title of a book whereas biblical is an adjective and biblically is an adverb.
Bible should be capitalized, but biblical and biblically should not be capitalized. The
same is true of Scripture in the nominal form versus the adjectival (scriptural). See the
Capitalization Glossary for more examples of common capitalization mistakes.
All book and journal titles must be underlined or italicized. Articles within journals or
book chapters must be placed within quotation marks, unless the anthology is a collection
of previously published books such as C. S. Lewis’ The Complete C. S. Lewis Signature
Classics.
The abbreviation i.e. (from the Latin id est) means “that is” and should be used in
parentheses when providing a point of clarification.
The abbreviation e.g. (from the Latin exempi gratia) means “example” and should be
used in parentheses when giving an example.
The bracketed notation [sic] (from the Latin sic erat scriptum) means “thus it had been
written” and indicates an error in a quotation and should appear directly after the error
because quotations need to be cited verbatim (including errors). You do not want to
suffer the point reduction of an error; therefore, the notation [sic] lets the reader know
that you purposefully copied over the error because it was in the original citation.
5 Note, when including two or more works from the same author in the bibliography, Turabian 9th edition
calls for a long dash, called a 3-emdash; however, this is a point where RSOD digresses from the recommendation
of Turabian.
4
Levels of Subheadings (not to be confused with Chapter Title)
Note the level of subheadings for RSOD papers below. All headings are to remain Times New
Roman 12-pt font. When providing a sectional heading, the heading should have two blank
single-line spaces above the heading and one blank single-line space below the heading.
First Level: Centered, Boldface, Headline-Style Capitalization
Second Level: Centered, Regular Type, Headline-Style Capitalization
Third Level: Flush Left, Boldface, Headline-Style Capitalization
Fourth Level: Flush left, regular type, sentence-style capitalization
Fifth level: Indent ½ inch for run in at beginning of paragraph (no blank line after),
boldface, sentence-style capitalization, terminal period. Start first sentence here.
Footnote Citations
Book with a Single Author of Editor
1 Gary R. Habermas, The Risen Jesus and Future Hope (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield
Publishers, 2003), 65.
Book with Multiple Authors
1 David Bagget and Jerry L. Walls, Good God: The Theistic Foundations of Morality
(New York: Oxford University Press, 2011), 79.
Kindle/E-Reader Book
1 Dave Earley and Rod Dempsey, Disciple Making Is . . . : How to Live the Great Commission
with Passion and Confidence (Nashville: B&H Publishers, 2013), 103, Kindle.
Journal Article in Print
1 Klaus D. Issler, “Inner Core Belief Formation, Spiritual Practices, and the Willing- Doing Gap,”
Journal of Spiritual Formation & Soul Care 2, no. 2 (Fall 2009): 180.
5
Journal Article Online6
1 Brian T. Scalise, “Perichoresis in Gregory Nazianzen and Maximus the Confessor,” Eleutheria
2, no. 2 (2012): 72, accessed August 8, 2013, http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/eleu/ vol2/iss1/5/.
Dissertation
1 A. Chadwick Thornhill, “To the Jew First: A Socio-Historical and Biblical-Theological
Analysis of the Pauline Teaching of ‘Election’ in Light of Second Temple Jewish Patterns of Thought”
(PhD diss., Liberty University Baptist Theological Seminary, 2013), 189.
Volume in Multi-volume Set with Translator
1 Aloys Grillmeier, From the Apostolic Age to Chalcedon (451), vol. 1 of Christ in the Christian
Tradition, 2nd rev. ed., trans. John Bowden (Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1975), 260.
Volume in Multi-Volume Commentary Set
1 Edward F. Campbell, Jr., Ruth, vol. 7 of The Anchor Bible (New York: Doubleday, 1975), 116.
Article or Chapter in an Edited Book
1 Sergius Bulgakov, “The Virgin and the Saints in Orthodoxy,” in Eastern Orthodox Theology: A
Contemporary Reader, ed. Daniel B. Clendenin (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1995), 68.
Reference Works (Omit from Bibliography)
1 Peloubet’s Bible Dictionary, 6th ed., s.v. “Romans, Epistle to the.
Bibliography Citations
Book with a Single Author or Editor
Habermas, Gary R. The Risen Jesus and Future Hope. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers,
2003.
Book with Multiple Authors
Bagget, David, and Jerry L. Walls. Good God: The Theistic Foundations of Morality. New York: Oxford
University Press, 2011.
6 Break the http address at a logical breaking point (after a period, /, etc. to go to the next line).
6
Kindle/E-Reader Book
Earley, Dave and Rod Dempsey. Disciple Making Is . . . : How to Live the Great Commission with
Passion and Confidence. Nashville: B&H Publishers, 2013, Kindle.
Journal Article in Print
Issler, Klaus D. “Inner Core Belief Formation, Spiritual Practices, and the Willing-Doing Gap.” Journal
of Spiritual Formation & Soul Care 2, no. 2 (2009): 179-198.
Journal Article Online
Scalise, Brian T. “Perichoresis in Gregory Nazianzen and Maximus the Confessor.” Eleutheria 2, no. 2
(2012): 58-76. Accessed August 8, 2013. http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/eleu/vol2/iss1/5/.
Dissertation
Thornhill, A. Chadwick. “To the Jew First: A Socio-Historical and Biblical-Theological Analysis of the
Pauline Teaching of ‘Election’ in Light of Second Temple Jewish Patterns of Thought.” PhD
diss., Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary, 2013.
Volume in Multi-Volume Set with Translator
Grillmeier, Aloys. From the Apostolic Age to Chalcedon (451). Vol. 1 of Christ in Christian Tradition.
2nd rev. ed. Translated by John Bowden. Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1975.
Volume in Multi-Volume Commentary Set
Campbell, Jr., Edward F. Ruth. Vol. 7 in The Anchor Bible. New York: Doubleday, 1975.
Article or Chapter in an Edited Book7
Bulgakov, Sergius. “The Virgin and the Saints in Orthodoxy.” In Eastern Orthodox Theology: A
Contemporary Reader, 65-75. Edited by Daniel B. Clendenin. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1995.
7 When consulting an anthology where all of the chapters are written by different authors, insert the
inclusive page numbers of that particular chapter in the bibliographic entry. If citing from a book within a collection
of books such as C. S. Lewis’ The Complete C. S. Lewis Signature Classics, also insert the inclusive page numbers
of that particular book in the bibliographic entry.
7
Bibliography Tips
Use the term Bibliography for your final list of bibliographic entries and center it at the top of the
page. Other terms such as References or Works Cited are not acceptable.
Bold the title, center it, and begin a new page with normal page numbering.
Use a one-half inch hanging indention. Microsoft Word will do this automatically if your
paragraph parameters are set properly. Direction: Click on the “Paragraph” down arrow on the
ribbon across the top of your document page. Find “Special” and select “Hanging.” Click
“Okay.”
Use single-line spacing between (or 12-pt. line spacing after) entries.
Only cite sources directly referenced in the body of your paper. Do not cite works that have only
been consulted. For every reference there should be a footnote and vice-versa.
8
Appendix A
Sacred Book References
Spell the name of biblical books in their entirety when referred to in the main body of the paper (outside
of a parenthetical reference). When used in a parenthetical reference within the main body of the paper or
in a footnote, the biblical book should be abbreviated. To cite a specific biblical passage within the text or
notes, follow the guidelines given in Turabian 17.5.2, but use the following abbreviations instead of the
ones given in Turabian 24.6.
Old Testament
Gen
Genesis
Song of (Cant)
Song of Songs (or Canticles)
Exod
Exodus
Isa
Isaiah
Lev
Leviticus
Jer
Jeremiah
Num
Numbers
Lam
Lamentations
Deut
Deuteronomy
Ezek
Ezekial
Josh
Joshua
Dan
Daniel
Judg
Judges
Hos
Hosea
Ruth
Ruth
Joel
Joel
1-2 Sam
1-2 Samuel
Amos
Amos
1-2 Kgs
1-2 Kings
Obad
Obadiah
1-2 Chr
1-2 Chronicles
Jonah
Jonah
Ezra
Ezra
Mic
Micah
Neh
Nehemiah
Nah
Nahum
Esth
Esther
Hab
Habakkuk
Job
Job
Zeph
Zephaniah
Ps/Pss
Psalm/Psalms
Hag
Haggai
Prov
Proverbs
Zech
Zechariah
Eccl (or Qoh)
Ecclesiastes
Mal
Malachi
New Testament
Matt
Matthew
1-2 Thess
1-2 Thessalonians
Mark
Mark
1-2 Tim
1-2 Timothy
Luke
Luke
Titus
Titus
John
John
Phlm
Philemon
Acts
Acts
Heb
Hebrews
Rom
Romans
Jas
James
1-2 Cor
1-2 Corinthians
1-2 Pet
1-2 Peter
Gal
Galatians
1-2-3 John
1-2-3 John
Eph
Ephesians
Jude
Jude
Col
Colossians
Rev
Revelation
Apocrypha and Septuagint
Bar
Baruch
Jdt
Judith
Add Dan
Additions to Daniel
1-2 Macc
1-2 Maccabees
Pr Azar
Prayer of Azar
3-4 Macc
3-4 Maccabees
Bel
Bel and the Dragon
Pr Man
Prayer of Manasseh
Sg three
Song of the Three Young Men
Ps 151
Psalm 151
Sus
Susanna
Sir
Sirach/Ecclesiasticus
1-2 Esd
1-2 Esdras
Tob
Tobit
Add Esth
Ep Jer
Additions to Esther
Epistle of Jeremiah
Wis
Wisdom of Solomon
9
Appendix B
Capitalization Glossary8
Abrahamic Covenant Age:
AD (Latin abbreviation for “in the year of our Lord”) goes before the date (AD 2014) church age
nuclear age
Apostolic Age
Bronze Age
Iron Age
Stone Age
Almighty God
amillennial, amillenarian
Ancient Near East
the Antichrist
anti-Christian
antichrists (many)
the Apocrypha (but: apocryphal)
apostle(s) (but: the Twelve Apostles, the Twelve)
apostolic
archaeology
ark (any reference)
Ascension (specific biblical event)
Atonement (of Christ)
BC (English abbreviation for “before Christ”) goes after the date (586 BC)
Beatitudes
believer-priests’
Bible
biblical
black theology
body of Christ
Book of books (Bible)
book of Job (a book of the Bible)
book of life (mentioned in Rev. 20:15)
Bread of Life
bride of Christ
Calvary
Captivity (the Babylonian; others, lowercase)
Catholics, Catholicism (but: catholic, meaning universal)
chapter (general term)
Chapter 6 (specific chapter)
8 For additional resource, see “Appendix A: Capitalization and Spelling Examples,” in The SBL Handbook
of Style: For Eastern, Near Eastern, Biblical, and Early Christian Studies (Peabody, MA: Henrickson Publishers,
1999), 154-65.
10
charismatic
chief priest(s)
children of Israel
Christ Child
Christian education (but: Department of Christian Education)
Christlike
Christological
Christology
Christ’s kingdom
church (both universal and local)
church
the early church fathers (but: the Fathers)
the commandments (capitalize only when referring to the whole Decalogue: Ten
Commandments, but: first commandment)
commencement
communion (the ordinance)
communists, communism (when referring to the political system)
covenant (but: Old Covenant and New Covenant)
Creation (the original)
the Creator
the Cross (figurative sense of Christ’s sacrifice and redemption)
cross (the wooden object)
the Crucifixion (when referring to Calvary in its total significance)
curriculum (plural: curricula, not: curriculums)
Davidic Covenant
Day of Atonement
Day of Pentecost
Day of the Lord
the Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS)
Decalogue
Department of Historical Theology (but: the Historical Theology department)
deity pronouns9
devil
disciple(s) (but: the Twelve)
Easter Day
Epistle (when used in connection with the biblical letters, as “the Epistle to the Galatians,” “the
Epistles,” “the Epistles of Paul,” “the Pauline Epistles,” “the Pastoral Epistles”; but Paul’s
epistles)
eternal God
Eucharist
Exile (biblical event)
9 As a form of respect and less ambiguous reading between human and divine antecedents, all pronouns
(i.e. He, Him, His) referring to the Christian God (God, Yahweh, Father, Jesus Christ, Jesus, Christ, Holy Spirit,
etc.) should be capitalized.
11
Exodus (biblical event)
Fall (of man, biblical event)
fall season
Father
the Father (God)
the Fathers (meaning the church fathers)
Feast of Tabernacles
Flood (biblical event—but: the flood of Noah’s day)
fundamentalism, fundamentalist
Garden of Eden
Garden of Gethsemane
Gentile
gnostic (when used as an adjective)
Gnostic(s), Gnosticism
Godhead godless godly
God-Man
gods (plural)
God’s Word
Golden Rule
the Good Shepherd
gospel (when referring to the evangelical message)
Gospel (one of the first four New Testament books)
Gospels (two or more of the first four New Testament books)
Great Commission
great white throne judgment handbook
hell
High Priest (for Jesus, otherwise lowercase)
Holy Land
holy of holies, holy place, most holy place (in the tabernacle and temple)
Holy One (God)
Holy Ghost Holy Spirit
the Incarnation
the Intertestamental period
Jehovah (but: Yahweh is preferred)
judgment seat of Christ
the Just for the unjust
King of kings
the kingdom
kingdom of Christ kingdom of God
Lamb of God
12
Last Supper
Law (Pentateuch or the Ten Commandments; lowercase for any other reason)
Law of Moses
liberation theology
Living Water (Jesus)
“living water” (salvation)
Lord of lords
Lord’s Day (Sunday)
Lord’s Prayer (specific prayer taught by Jesus)
Lord’s Supper
Lord’s Table
lordship
Majority Text
Markan priority
marriage supper of the Lamb
Masoretic Text (when used as a singular proper noun)
the Master (Jesus)
Mediator (Christ)
mercy seat
Messiah
messiahship
messianic
midrash (as a body of rabbinic literature; specific works within the collection would be
capitalized and italicized such as Genesis Rabbah)
midrashim (plural)
midrashic (adjective)
millenarian
millenarianism
millennial
millennium
Mosaic Covenant
Mosaic Law
Most High (name of God)
most holy place
New Covenant
New Jerusalem
New Testament
Nicene fathers
Noah’s ark
non-Christian
Northern Kingdom (Israel)
Old Covenant
Old Testament
13
parable of the prodigal son (and other parables)
Passover feast (Feast of the Passover)
the person and work of Christ
the personhood of Christ
Person (if referencing one of the Trinity) e.g. The third Person of the Trinity postmillennial
postmillenarian
premillennial
premillenarian
Prince of Peace
Promised Land
prophet (the prophet Amos)
the Prophets (Hebrew division of the Old Testament)
Protestant
Protestantism
proto-Mark
proto-Luke
proto-Matthew
Psalm (specific song or chapter in the Psalms—Psalm 1; but: this psalm)
psalmist (psalmist David)
the psalms (general reference)
Psalms (the biblical book)
rabbi
rabbinical (but: Rabbinical Judaism)
rapture
the Redeemer
the Reformation
registration
the Resurrection (Jesus’; otherwise lowercase)
Righteous One
River Jordan
Sabbath Day
Sadducees
Sanhedrin
Satan
satanic
satanism
Savior
scribes
scriptural
Scripture (when referencing the Bible, otherwise scripture)
the Second Advent
the Second Coming (biblical event; but: Christ’s second coming)
the Second Temple period
Septuagint
14
Sermon on the Mount
Shekinah
Sin-bearer (Christ)
Son of Man sonship
Southern Kingdom (Judah)
the Spirit of God
the Spirit of Truth
spring season (summer, fall, winter, spring)
Stoic(s) (member of the philosophy begun by Zeno)
stoic (an attitude)
suffering Servant (Christ)
Sunday school
Synoptics
Synoptic Gospels
systematic theology (unless used as a proper noun such as for a course, Systematic Theology)
tabernacle
Talmud
temple
the Ten Commandments (but: the first commandment)
the two-source (or document) hypothesis (or theory)
Theology
theological
third world (preference: two-thirds world)
throne of grace
Thy holy name
Transfiguration (any biblical event)
Tribulation
the Tribulation
the Great Tribulation
Trinitarian
Trinity
Triumphal Entry
triune
TV (not T.V.)
the Twelve (referring to the apostles)
unbiblical
unchristian (but: un-Christlike, non-Christian)
Upper Room
*white (Caucasian)
wise men (biblical)
Wonderful One (title of God)
the Word (Bible or Christ)
