Style Sheet for Old Testament Short Papers
GENERAL FORM. Papers should have margins of one inch wide all around. The text
should be double-spaced; the footnotes, if required, single-spaced. The font should be
Times New Roman and should be set at 12 points. The paper’s length should not exceed
the limit assigned; a coversheet and any footnotes are not counted in the required number
of pages. The pages should be numbered (except, of course, for the coversheet), with the
number centered at the bottom. The paper should be stapled in the upper, left-hand
corner; it should not be placed in any sort of folder.
COVERSHEET. The coversheet should conform to the example provided on the website.
MISCELLANEOUS POINTS:
The noun "Bible" is always capitalized; the adjective "biblical" is never capitalized.
Except in quotations, second person pronouns ("you") should never appear; except for
quotations, first person pronouns ("I", "We") should not appear in the short. Contractions
(e.g., isn’t, wasn’t, etc.) should not appear in the paper.
When discussing a biblical passage, the discussion should be in the present tense, since
the biblical passage itself may be read and reread. When discussing the historical events
behind the text or circumstances behind its being written or edited, the discussion should be
in the past tense, since those events or circumstances do not recur. Examples:
…In Genesis 22, Abraham attempts to sacrifice his son, Isaac. Child
sacrifice in the ancient world was a widespread phenomenon, even among
the Israelites. Children were often sacrificed in an attempt to appease a
deity. This fact may explain why the author wrote the story in such a way
that it takes an angel to stop Abraham in his deed.
BIBLICAL QUOTATIONS:
Citations of biblical references that appear in the text of the paper outside
parentheses should always include the name of the book (never italicized or underlined),
the chapter and the verse(s). The chapter and verse(s) should be separated with a colon.
The first mention of a book should spell its name out; subsequent citations should
abbreviate it. If the name of the book stands alone (without chapter and/or verse
references), it should always be spelled out.
 If an extended passage is cited, the first and last verses should be separated by a
dash: Genesis 1:1-3.
 If separate verses within a chapter are cited, the verses should be separated by a
comma and a space: Gen 1:5, 13, 19, 23, 31.
 If individual verses from different chapters are cited, the chapter and verses
should be separated by a semicolon and a space: Gen 1:1; 2:4.
 If the book and chapter are unambiguous the reference to individual verses may
be noted without a full citation: see example from Joshua below.
 If part of a verse is noted, the lowercase letters "a" or "b" may be placed with the
verse citation to differentiate the different parts: Gen 2:4b.
Note these examples of textual citations:
…Leviticus 19:18 is, in many ways, the center of the Torah….
[From the beginning of a paper:] Genesis 11:1-9 is commonly called the "Tower of
Babel Story" although the tower plays little part in the narrative. The passage is introduced
by the "Table of Nations" in Gen 10:2-31 and is concluded with the "Genealogy of Seth" in
Gen 11:10-26.
…Genealogical notices occur in Genesis 2:4a; 5:1; 10:1, 32; 11:10, 27; and 25:12….
…Throughout Genesis 1:1–Exodus 2:25, the biblical authors, in a sense, prepare the
reader for the exodus from Egypt in several ways….
[In the context of discussing Joshua 24] …The covenant speech is presented in verses 215. Verses 16-24 outline a conversation between Joshua and the people. Verses 25-28
provide the conclusion of the ceremony.
In general, five or fewer biblical citations occurring together should appear in
parentheses in the body of the paper. Multiple citations that take up a half-line of
text or more should appear in footnotes. In all cases, first citations appearing
either in parentheses or in notes should include the name of the book (abbreviated and
not italicized, with no period), the chapter and the verse(s). The chapter and verse(s)
should be separated with a colon. In subsequent citations, if the book is unambiguous, the
name of the book can be deleted from the citation; if the chapter is unambiguous, the
citation may simply note the verse numbers, preceded by "v." or "vv.": (v. 3) or (vv. 12-23).
If a parenthetical citation ends a sentence, the period goes after the final
parenthesis. Note these examples of parenthetical citations:
…The Tower of Babel story (Gen 11:1-9) also illustrates the results of human pride….
…The Joseph Novella (Gen 37:1–47:28) is a continuous narrative….
…Genesis is organized by a series of genealogical notices (2:4a; 5:1; 10:1, 32; etc.).
…as it says, "he believed the LORD" (Gen 15:6).
Note these examples of footnote citation forms:
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Exo 13:8, 12; 15:2, 5, 7-12, 15. <Multiple separate verses in different chapters>
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Ruth 3:1-18; 2 Kgs 11:1–12:5. <Passages shorter and longer than a single chapter. In this case,
even though there are only two citations, because of their length, they may be placed in a footnote,
instead of parenthetically in the text.>
1 Sam 10; 2 Sam 12; 1 Kings 4; Ezek 9; 1 Cor 1. <Passages encompassing single chapters in
their entirety>
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Other examples of this type of narrative include the anointing of Saul (1 Sam 10:1-8), the
"double-portion" given to Elisha (2 Kings 2:1-14), and the baptism of Jesus in Mark (1:9-11). <A
content footnote with parenthetical citations>
FOOTNOTES are used to (1) inform the reader of the source of statements in the paper,
(2) explain and amplify statements, and (3) protect the writer from charges of plagiarism
and improper use of materials. Reference should be given for all quotations,
important statements of fact requiring proof, as well as even inferences or
interpretations borrowed from other writers.
The first line of a footnote should be indented the same number of spaces as the
first line of a paragraph, while additional lines should be brought out to the lefthand margin. Footnotes should be single spaced and should be numbered consecutively
throughout the paper.
The format of footnotes should conform to that given in the SBL Handbook of Style,
particularly as they appear on pages 38-54.
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