Group Interaction Guide

GROUP INTERACTION
Create a conversation with your group by answering the
questions below. If one of your group mates has a question or
concern, be sure to address it. You will be graded on your
interaction with each other. Try to have a conversation about
the course material.
1. What did you learn in this unit?
2. How did you learn it? What techniques or strategies did you
find most helpful? Have those techniques changed from
previous units?
3. What else would you like to learn related to the topics
covered in this unit?
4. Do you have any questions or concerns about anything
related to the course?
RTCH 500
Exegesis Research Paper Instructions
Using Introduction to Biblical Hermeneutics by Kaiser and
Silva as a reference guide, you will write an Exegesis Research
Paper submitted in 3 parts. You will choose between 3 biblical
passages listed below on which to write the paper.
Passage Options:
· Psalm 1:1–6
· Mark 4:26–34
· Ephesians 4:7–16
Each part of the paper will begin the process of helping you
gain experience with submitting an Exegesis Research Paper
through the following stages:
Part 1: Introduction and Context of the Passage

You will write an introduction that serves as an overview of the
content of the paper, providing background and cultural
information about the setting of the book in which the selected
passage occurs. You will write a thesis/purpose paragraph that
alerts the reader as to what you plan to achieve in the writing of
the paper. Identify the literary context of the selected passage
and discuss its relevance for interpreting the passage. Each
section will have its own heading following current Turabian
style. Be sure the paper uses the School of Divinity
Standardized Title Page and reflects a graduate level of
vocabulary.
Part 2: Meaning of the Passage and Bibliography
Rewrite Part 1 as needed, taking into consideration any
feedback provided by the professor. In addition, address the
meaning of the passage, utilizing resources identified in the
accompanying bibliography. List 10 sources relevant to the
paper, cited in current Turabian format as interpreted by the
School of Divinity Writing Guide. The sources must be current
and scholarly (written by academics with credentials that
qualify them to write, not popular treatments written for laity)
using those found in the ATLA database as a guide.
Part 3: Significance of the Passage (Final Version)
Rewrite Parts 1 and 2 as needed, taking into consideration any
feedback provided by the professor. In Part 3 of the paper,
address the significance and application of the passage to the
Christian life and church ministry. Each paper must have a
coherent conclusion that summarizes the content of the textual
analysis. Submit a 2,500–3,000-word final version of the paper
(double-spaced, in 12-point font). You must carefully edit the
final version for spelling, grammar, and syntax. Perfection in
the implementation of current Turabian format is expected.
Exegesis Research Paper – Part 1 is due by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on
Sunday of Module/Week 3.

LIBERTY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
Title of Paper
Submitted to Name and Title of Instructor/Professor
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of
Insert Course Prefix and Number – Section Number
Insert Course Title
by
Name of Student
Month Day, Year Submitted

Updated 12/5/2017 11:34 AM
School of Divinity Writing Guide
Submitted to School of Divinity Faculty & Students,
any course
All School of Divinity Course Prefixes and Numbers
All School of Divinity Course Titles
by
Faculty of Liberty University School of Divinity

May 14, 2014
ii
Contents
Formatting
............................................................................... ................
...............................1
Style
...............................................................................................
.........................................1
Grammar Usage Notes
...............................................................................................
............3
Levels of Headings

...............................................................................................
...................3
Footnote Citations
...............................................................................................
...................4
Bibliography
Citations.................................................................................
...........................5
Bibliography Tips
...............................................................................................
....................7
Appendix A: Sacred Book References
.......................................................................................8
Appendix B: Capitalization
Glossary..................................................................................
.......9
1

SoD Writing Guide1
Formatting
-inch margins
-pt. type font for paper content; Times
New Roman 10-pt. type font
for footnotes.
-spaced except in the footnotes, bibliography, block
quotes, and subheadings.
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.
that it is considered the first
page (i); all following front matter 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 LBTS writing guide and Turabian formatting.
Style

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.
notes-bibliography style in
submitted documents. When using this style, use footnotes and
do not use endnotes.
tes. An example of a
superscripted footnote number is
“1.” If you are typing in Microsoft Word 2013, it is acceptable
to use the default setting
for footnote numbering.
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.
place.” As all foreign

words, the word should be italicized (or underlined) 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 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.
1 Based on Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Research
Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 8th ed.,
rev. Wayne C. Booth, et al. (Chicago: University of Chicago
Press, 2013).
2
Since the Bible is considered a sacred work, cite it initially in
the footnotes and subsequently in
parenthetical references. 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.
identified in the text with a
parenthetical reference (e.g. I Cor 1:13, ESV). 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.
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
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.

mediums with two distinct
purposes. When writing an academic assignment, avoid the
temptation to sermonize or
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. LUBTS students can find permalinks in the
majority of Liberty’s online library sources.
3
appeal to your reader’s emotions or character. Research writing
lays out the evidence for
the reader and lets it speak for itself.
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.
same author, replace the
author’s name with eight underscores followed by a period (i.e.,
________.).5
-dash, do not leave a space
before or after the punctuation;
for instance, “right-click,” not “right – click.”
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.
cized.
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.
om the Latin id est) means “that is”
and should be used in
parentheses when providing a point of clarification.

“example” and should be
used in parentheses when giving an example.
racketed notation [sic] 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.
Levels of Subheadings (not to be confused with Chapter Title)
Note the level of subheadings for LBTS 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

5 Note, when including two or more works from the same author
in the bibliography, Turabian 8th edition
calls for a long dash, called a 3-em dash; however, this is a
point where LBTS digresses from the recommendation
of Turabian. For more on this see Turabian, Manual for Writers,
151.
4
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 or 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.

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/.
6 Break the http address at a logical breaking point (after a
period, /, etc. to go to the next line).
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.
Kindle/E-Reader Book
6
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
entries. Other terms such as
References or Works Cited are not acceptable.
the title, center it, and begin a new page with normal
page numbering.
-half inch hanging indention.
-line spacing between (or 12-pt. line spacing after)
entries.
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 or (Cant) Song of Songs (or Canticles)
Exod Exodus Isa Isaiah
Lev Leviticus Jer Jeremiah
Num Numbers Lam Lamentations
Deut Deuteronomy Ezek Ezekiel
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 Psalms Hag Haggai
Prov Proverbs Zech Zechariah
Eccl (or Qoh) Ecclesiastes (or Qoheleth) Mal Malachi
New Testament
Matt Matthew 1-2 Thess 1-2 Thessalonians
Mark Mark 1-2 T im 1-2 T imothy
Luke Luke T itus T itus
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
Phil Philippians Rev Revelation
Col Colossians
Apocrypha and Septuagint

Bar Baruch Jdt Judith
Add Dan Additions to Daniel 1-2 Macc 1-2 Maccabees
Pr Azar Prayer of Azariah 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 Additions to Esther W is W isdom of Solomon
Ep Jer Epistle of Jeremiah
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) charismatic
chief priest(s) children of Israel Christ Child
Christian education (but: Department of Christian Education)
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
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
Exile (biblical event) Exodus (biblical event)
Fall (of man, biblical event)
fall season
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)
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
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
Father
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
Last Supper
Law (Pentateuch or the Ten Commandments; lowercase for any
other reason)
Law of Moses liberation theology
Lamb of God
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
12
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
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

13
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
the Second Temple period
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 Seminary (when referring to Liberty Baptist University
Theological Seminary)
Septuagint
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
14

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 (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)

A Sample Paper for the Purpose of Correct Formatting
Submitted to Dr. <Insert Name>,
<Insert Course Prefix and Number – Section Number>
<Insert Course Title>
by
<Insert Student Name>
<Month Date, Year Submitted>
Contents (not Table of Contents)
Introduction (First Level)1

First Major Section (First Level) 3
First Subhead (Second Level) 3
Second Subhead (Second Level) 4
Second Major Section (First Level) 5
First Subhead (Second Level) 5
Second Subhead (Second Level) 5
Examples of Citing the Bible (First Level) 6
Conclusion (First Level) 8
Bibliography (First Level) 10
Updated 2/7/2018 8:59 AM
ii
Introduction (First-Level Subheading)
Since most beginning students will have difficulty learning how
to write papers and also format papers correctly using the eighth
edition of Kate L. Turabian’s, A Manual for Writers of Research
Papers,[footnoteRef:1] this sample paper can be used as a
template for inserting the correct parts. For the purpose of
instruction, it will use second person, but third person must be
used in student papers. You will notice that the first time
Turabian’s name is written in the paper, her full name is given,

but the second and subsequent uses of her name will be her last
name only. [1: Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for Writers of
Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 8th ed., rev. Wayne
C. Booth, et al. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2013).]
Though some written assignments will not require a table of
contents, Liberty University School of Divinity (hereafter
referred to as SoD) requires all research papers to have a table
of contents and abide by basic Turabian rules.
Number all pages of this element with roman numerals. Label
the first page Contents at the top of the page. If the table of
contents is more than one page, do not repeat the title. Leave
two blank lines between the title and the first listed item.
Single-space individual items listed, but add a blank line after
each item. Between the lists for the front and back matter and
the chapters, or between parts or volumes (if any), leave two
blank lines.[footnoteRef:2] [2: Ibid., 380.]
It is important to note that a table of contents does not list the
pages that precede it, only those pages that follow it. Be sure
that the first letter of each word is capitalized (other than
articles and prepositions within the phrase).
The footnote can be inserted in the middle of a sentence, but
preferably following some punctuation (i.e. semicolon, comma,
etc.). The SoD prefers that students use superscripted footnotes;
however, we know that Microsoft Word 2013 defaults to
standard font size followed by a period for the footnote. The
footnote below is the proper form for books. If you are going to
create a footnote for a journal article, you would use a different
format as shown below.[footnoteRef:3] The footnote below is a
full footnote from a journal article found in Liberty’s online
library using an American Theological Library Association
(ATLA) search. You can use an abbreviation in the body of your
paper once it has been defined (as above). [3: Anthony C.
Thornhill, “The Resurrection of Jesus and Spiritual (Trans)

Formation,” Journal of Spiritual Formation & Soul Care 5, no. 2
(Fall 2012): 243. Notice that the footnote identifies the exact
page number of the citation that is used in the text (the example
given is from page 243) whereas the bibliographic entry (in the
bibliography) must include the inclusive numbers for the entire
article (i.e. 243-56). ]
You are asked in the course, “Research, Writing, and Ministry
Preparation,”[footnoteRef:4] to learn the proper formatting of
your papers as well as to learn how to conduct research, plan
the details of a paper or report, and write your paper in a
manner that your professor and classmates will be able to
understand. Usually, you will finish your introduction with a
full thesis statement. [4: Notice the comma was placed inside
the quotation marks when the course title “Research, Writing,
and Ministry Preparation” was written. Soft punctuation (such
as a comma or a period) is always inserted inside the quotation
mark whereas hard punctuation (such as a question mark,
exclamation point, colon, or semicolon) is placed outside the
quotation mark.]
Do not confuse a purpose statement with a thesis statement. A
purpose statement states the reason why the paper is written.
For all practical purposes, the purpose statement introduces the
thesis statement. An example of a purpose statement is, “The
purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that when one
recognizes God’s freedom he/she can find biblical inerrancy
defensible.” An example of a thesis statement is, “Biblical
inerrancy is defensible in the context of divine freedom.”
Remember, it is the purpose and thesis statements that
determine the form and content of an outline.
The distinction between a purpose statement and a thesis
statement is important. The purpose of this sample paper is to
provide a template for the correct formatting of a research
paper. The thesis is, “Students who use this paper as a sample
or template are more likely to format their papers correctly in

the future.”
First Major Section (First-Level Subheading)
You will notice that the title of the first major section heading
is centered and bold type. Within each heading and subheading,
all words must be capitalized unless it is an article (a, an, the),
preposition (on, to, by, from, in with, etc.), or coordinating
conjunction (and, but, or, not, for). There are two blank lines
above the heading and one below.[footnoteRef:5] [5: Turabian,
Manual for Writers, 393.]
This was accomplished by highlighting the title and changing
the formatting for just those lines to single space in the
“Paragraph” menu above. The footnote below is the proper form
for using a source that has been used previously (commonly
referred to as a “second reference”). The first footnote has
complete information, and later footnotes use an abbreviated
form.
First Subhead (Second-Level Subheading)
This section will be the first sub section of the first major
section. Note that the second level subheading is centered with
each word capitalized (except for articles and prepositions) and
not bold. Notice again the additional blank space above (again
two blank lines before a subheading and one after). This is done
by writing the subhead and then beginning the paragraph. Then
return to the subhead and highlight the entire row in which it
appears. Using “Paragraph” above, it is possible to remove the
indentation and make that row single space. Then you can return
and move the subhead down one additional space as well as add
one space below.
This sample paper generally uses one paragraph per subhead. It
is important to understand, however, that subheadings in a
research paper must have at least two paragraphs. As a
paragraph is a group of sentences that express one main idea,

most sections (subheads) need more than a single paragraph to
support their proposition.
Second Subhead (Second-Level Subheading)
Remember that you must always have at least two subheads per
level.[footnoteRef:6] You cannot have just one subhead at any
particular level. If this occurs, then divide the information into
at least two sections at that level or simply remove the subhead
altogether. When having to cite the same source in immediate
sequence, use Ibid. (note the second footnote on page one).
Avoid too many uses of ibidem (abbreviated Ibid.) by making
use of multiple sources. It is also important to note that Ibid.
cannot be used as the first footnote entry on a page (see
footnote number six at the bottom of this page). As an
abbreviation, the term Ibid. must be followed by a period even
if used in the middle of a sentence. [6: Turabian, Manual for
Writers, 329.]
Any number used in the text that is under one hundred and any
whole number of hundreds should be spelled completely within
the body of the paper (one hundred, two hundred,
etc.).[footnoteRef:7] Generally, if the number can be written
with two words, it should be spelled completely. For numbers
written with more than two words (i.e. 108, 210, etc.), the
numerals should be used. However, you should never mix the
styles. If any number used has to be written with numerals, then
all should be in the same style (i.e., 98, 108, 210, 300; not
ninety-eight, 108, 210, three hundred). Of note here is an
exception that when writing percentages in the text, you would
write 98 percent or 100 percent, and so forth; always using the
numeral, but writing out “percent.” [7: The exception is within
a footnote where all numeric numerals can be used (e.g. 100,
200, etc.). ]

Second Major Section (First-Level Subheading)
First Subhead (Second-Level Subheading)
The title of a heading cannot be left alone at the bottom of a
page. If there is not enough room on the previous page for both
the heading title and at least the first two lines of the paragraph,
you must begin a new page. You can have two headings in a row
as above separated by one blank line (but again, not alone at the
bottom of the page).
First Subsection Subhead (Third-Level Subheading)
Note that the third-level subheading subhead is flush-left in
bold type, but the same spacing above and below is maintained.
This is true of the second subhead that follows. Though the
margins and the type (bold or regular) changes, the spacing
remains constant.
Second Subsection Subhead (Third-Level Subheading)
This is the second subhead because it is always necessary to
have at least two items at every level. This is an important
clarification. There must be a second major section (level one)
for every first major section (level one). There must be a
second subhead (second level) for every first subhead (second
level). There must be a second subsection subhead (third level)
for every first subsection subhead (third level), and so forth.
Second Subhead (Second-Level Subheading)
This is the second subsection of the second major section. Once
again it is centered but in regular type. When writing a paper,
organize your outline first so that you are able to plan how you

will make your argument and then give your reasoning and
evidence to support your thesis statement. Your first paragraph
of each section should explain how this will fit into your
reasoning and then each section will end with a summary of
how the evidence has shown your reasoning to be correct. Also,
transitions are very helpful at the end of each major section so
that the reader anticipates how the next section is connected to
the logical progression of the reasoning you use to support your
thesis.
Most graduate research papers will be no longer than twenty
pages and generally do not have long and detailed outlines or
subheadings beyond the third level. Details that would be
appropriate for the fourth or fifth heading level tend to distract
the reader’s attention from the overall thesis within a short
essay. Even if a fourth level is unavoidable, a fifth level is
discouraged.
Examples of Citing the Bible (First Level)
Many students struggle with the proper formatting in citing the
Bible. When citing biblical passages, there are some general
guidelines to follow that are important. It is not necessary to
write out full citations of verses or paragraphs from the Bible
since your readers can find the references that you cite.
Citations are written in full when the author needs to make a
specific observation, such as when he/she chooses to follow
Luke’s example in his message to Theophilus; “so that you may
know the exact truth about the things you have been taught”
(Luke 1:4).[footnoteRef:8] You will notice in the footnote
below that only a single footnote is needed when identifying the
Bible version, providing the paper cites from only one
translation. All the following biblical references are given in
the text of the paper, not in the footnotes, unless content in the
footnote requires biblical references. If you use multiple
translations or versions of the Bible, then you would have to use
one footnote for each new version and use a system of

abbreviations in the text, but only within parentheses (NASB,
KJV, NIV, etc.). The writing is simplified if you choose one
version of the Bible and use it exclusively. Then you can
provide a disclaimer footnote to that effect as stated in footnote
number eight. [8: Unless otherwise noted, all biblical
passages referenced are in the English Standard Version
(Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2008).]
In the actual text of a paper you need to follow proper
grammatical and style requirements. Here are some correct
examples of how to cite references or allusions from the Bible.
Luke wrote to Theophilus in verse four of his first chapter so
that his patron would have a more exact understanding of the
details of the salvation offered also to the Gentiles. Luke claims
that he wrote his Gospel, “in consecutive order,” after having
“investigated everything carefully from the beginning” (Luke
1:3). In verse one of chapter one, Luke seems to be aware of
previous Gospel accounts, but in Luke 1:2, he claims that he has
information from eyewitnesses. You will note in the previous
example that you are permitted to use standard biblical
references like Luke 1:2 within a sentence as long as you
introduce it as a biblical reference rather than as part of your
text.
The abbreviations for the books of the Bible can be used only in
parentheses within the text or in footnotes.[footnoteRef:9] For
example, you may make a reference to Romans 1:16, but if you
state that Christians should not be ashamed of the gospel (Rom
1:16), then you should use the abbreviation within parentheses.
The following examples are all correct: Paul, in verse sixteen of
chapter one of his Epistle to the Romans, states that he is not
ashamed of the gospel; Paul states that he is not ashamed of the
gospel (Rom 1:16); and in Romans 1:16, Paul states that he is
not ashamed of the gospel.[footnoteRef:10] [9: When
abbreviating books of the Bible, do not use the Turabian
recommended list; consult the LBTS Writing Guide, Appendix
A.] [10: Notice the word “gospel” is not capitalized when

referring to the evangelical message (i.e. “good news”). It is
capitalized when referring to one of the first four books of the
New Testament.]
Finally, when citing multiple chapters or multiple verses,
certain expectations exist. If you choose to cite several
consecutive chapters, then use a dash (3-em dash) such as
Romans 1–5, which is equivalent to Romans chapters one
through five. If you choose to cite several consecutive verses,
use a normal hyphen (-) such as Romans 3:21-26. If the verses
are not in consecutive order, then use a comma, such as Romans
3:21, 23, and 26. Finally, when chapters are not in consecutive
order, they are separated by semicolons (;), such as Romans 1;
3; 5; and 8. The following sentences are an example of how to
use semicolons. Not only does Jesus possess supernatural
knowledge, but his prophecy of the future destruction of
Jerusalem also reflects his knowledge of Old Testament
prophecies concerning past destructions of Jerusalem (Isa 9:3;
Jer 6:6; 22:8-9; 23:38, 40; and Ezek 4:2). Additionally, since
Matthew writes as if the temple is still standing (5:23-24; 12:5-
7; 23:16-22; and 26:60-61), good evidence exists that he wrote
before AD 70 and that Jesus actually historically predicted the
fall of Jerusalem.[footnoteRef:11] [11: Years before Christ
use the abbreviation BC (Before Christ) or BCE (Before the
Common Era) after the year, as in 100 BC or 100 BCE. Years
after the birth of Christ use AD (Anno Domini; lit., In the Year
of our Lord) before the year as in AD 70. If CE (Common Era)
is used in lieu of AD then the abbreviation follows the year as
in 70 CE. Do not use periods after each letter (BC, not B.C. and
AD, not A.D.). The SoD is more likely to use BC and AD rather
than BCE and CE, but students will find both systems used in
scholarly materials. Additionally, small caps (uppercase
characters set at same height as surrounding lowercase letters)
are often used for AD (ad) and BC (bc). The SoD allows the
student to use regular large caps or small caps.]

Conclusion
The conclusion to your paper should reiterate the thesis (though
not necessarily verbatim) and provide your readers with a
concise summary of your major points. A well written
conclusion defends your thesis and provides a clear perspective
of the topic. Its importance cannot be overstated as the
conclusion frames your closing thoughts and should provide a
lasting impression.
The bibliography that follows starts on a new page even though
a great deal of room may be left on a final page. If you hold
down the “Ctrl” key and then “Enter,” you will go to an entirely
new page in order to start the bibliography. You will note that
the bibliography begins with the title centered in bold type
followed by one blank line. The bibliography is single-spaced
but with a blank line (or 12-pt line space after) inserted between
each entry.
Bibliography
Thornhill, Anthony C. “The Resurrection of Jesus and Spiritual
(Trans) Formation.” Journal of Spiritual Formation & Soul Care
5, no. 2 (Fall 2012): 243-56.[footnoteRef:12] [12: There are
numerous rules about inclusive numbers. See Table 23.2 in
Turabian, Manual for Writers, 325. ]
Turabian, Kate L. A Manual for Writers of Research Papers,
Theses, and Dissertations: Chicago Style for Students and
Researchers. 8th ed. Revised by Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G.
Colomb, and Joseph M. Williams. Chicago: University of
Chicago Press, 2013.

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