REFERENCING GUIDE: SBL STYLE - Tabor

1 REFERENCING guide : SBL STYLE Ministry, Theology and Culture This document has been prepared as an introductory guide only and in all cases further inquiry needs to be made directly to the following (available from the Tabor Adelaide library): The SBL Handbook of STYLE : For Biblical Studies and Related Disciplines. 3rd ed. Atlanta: SBL Press, 2014. Revised May, 2019 REFERENCING guide : SBL STYLE Page 2 Table of Contents PART 1: Format, STYLE and General Questions .. 3 PART 2: SBL REFERENCING Examples: Footnotes and Bibliography.

2 7 Books .. 7 Journal Articles .. 10 Newspaper Articles .. 11 Internet/Websites .. 11 Lectures Notes, Tabor Adelaide Texts and Other Personal Sources .. 12 Audio-Visual and Other Non-Book, Non-Journal Media .. 13 Miscellaneous Sources .. 16 Example of In-Text Citations and Footnotes .. 18 Example of Bibliography .. 19 Appendix 1 Abbreviations for Books of the bible .. 21 REFERENCING guide : SBL STYLE Page 3 PART 1: FORMAT, STYLE AND GENERAL QUESTIONS What is SBL? SBL stands for the Society of Biblical Literature and its publication manual is the standard for the writing and REFERENCING STYLE in Religious Studies faculties in many universities and colleges across the world.

3 SBL STYLE SBL uses footnotes and a bibliography to reference material in your work. Each of these is explained below. Why use footnotes and how are they formatted? Footnotes provide immediate access to the source of information or expand on a piece of information in the text. Your word processing package will have the facility to produce footnotes. See Part 2 for formatting. In the footnotes, the first time a particular book, journal article or other source is referenced it is always written in full. With subsequent reference to that particular source it is abbreviated.

4 Example of footnotes: 1 Eric Law, Inclusion: Making Room for Grace (St Louis, MO: Chalice Press, 2000), 27. 6 Law, Inclusion, 30. 7 Law, Inclusion, 32-37. In Part 2 examples of a first and also a subsequent footnote have been given. How do I format a bibliography? Begin the entry at the left margin and use double spacing. Indent second and subsequent lines (hanging indent). List entries alphabetically by the first letter of the reference (usually the author s surname, but sometimes a title if author is unknown).

5 If there is more than one book for an author then list in date order. What needs to be included in the footnotes and bibliography? All sources of quotations and information that you have used in your writing needs to be acknowledged formally. This includes paraphrased information where you have reworded the idea from a source, so it is not directly quoted, but the concept has been adopted from the source. What is not included in the footnotes and bibliography? Ideas of your own or ideas that are considered common knowledge in the field of study do not need to be referenced.

6 Quotations from the bible are not included in the footnotes or bibliography but are acknowledged in an in-text citation. Citing names in footnotes and in the bibliography Wherever possible state a person s first name or the name they are best known by in full and use initials for other names. Examples: John C. Jones, or F. Susan Miller. Some people are simply known by their initials and use them in authorship, so in this case use only the initials. If you can t find the first name in all searches, then the initial is acceptable.

7 What is plagiarism? Plagiarism is the use of other people s work without appropriate acknowledgement. This guide explains how to acknowledge sources used in your writing using SBL STYLE . Plagiarism is a serious offence with serious consequences (see current Tabor Adelaide Student Handbook under Academic Misconduct). REFERENCING guide : SBL STYLE Page 4 What changes are there to SBL STYLE for the Australian context? Very few changes are necessary, except for: Australian spelling in all but quotations from American text or titles.

8 Addition of Australian states to the place of publication if the state is not obvious. For example, there is no need to add the state after Melbourne, but it would be sensible for Millswood, SA. For texts from other countries follow a similar principle. For example Boston and London stand alone, but Cheltenham, UK and Grand Rapids, MI would be sensible. For Australian spelling and contemporary usage you may also consult The Macquarie Dictionary, 6th ed., Sydney: Macquarie Dictionary Publishers, 2013; and for editing conventions consult the STYLE Manual for Authors, Editors and Printers, 6th ed.

9 , rev. by Snooks & Co., Milton, QLD: John Wiley & Sons, 2002. Adapting to SBL STYLE The REFERENCING for the section Audio-Visual and Other Non-Book, Non-Journal Media has been adapted to fit the SBL STYLE as they are not included in the handbook. What are the best sources for my assignments? This will vary according to the task, so be guided by your lecturer. As a general rule, textbooks and articles from professional journals are most highly valued. These may be either print or electronic versions. The wide range of sources represented in this guide may be used for different purposes, most often with a core of relevant books and journal articles.

10 Popular texts, websites, and personal communication are more often illustrative of points that are supported by more solid research, rather than being regarded as authoritative sources on their own. How many references should be used? This will vary with the subject and type of assignment. As a general rule, for undergraduate work not less than five substantial, relevant texts should be included. For postgraduate, significantly more. Check with your lecturer for specific requirements. When should page numbers be used?