AGTS Academic Writing Policies
The AGTS academic writing standards are:
- Turabian, Kate L. A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations: Chicago Style for Students and Researchers. 9th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2013.
- The SBL Handbook of Style: For Biblical Studies and Related Disciplines. 2nd ed. Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2014.
- For problems or questions of format not covered by Turabian or SBLHS, writers should follow:
- The Chicago Manual of Style. 18th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2024.
Consult the Student Supplement for SBLHS 2, giving priority to the following AGTS standards. For situations not addressed below, refer to SBLHS and Turabian.
Certain items remain at the discretion of the program or of individual instructors, as stated on their respective syllabi. (For example, the Global Missions Department follows the Turabian parenthetical style for in-text citations.)
Superscripts
Standard Microsoft Word auto-formatting styles are preferred, including:
- Superscripted footnote numbers followed by a space.
- Superscripted abbreviations for ordinal numbers: 16th
Citations of Scripture
(SBLHS §3.4.1, §8.3.1)
- When citing modern Bible versions, standard abbreviations (NASB, NJPS, NRSV, TNIV, etc.) take the place of publication information. Indicate in a footnote if the translations are your own.
- The first time you quote Scripture, insert the following in a footnote:
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are from [insert the SBL standard abbreviation of the name of the translation].
- If you quote several translations, indicate the source of each reference (e.g., Qoh 12:12 NRSV).
- After Scripture has been quoted in text, put Scripture references in parentheses—not in a footnote.
- When listing multiple Scripture references, use a semicolon between passages from different books and from different chapters within books (e.g., Deut 6:4–6; Pss 23:1–4; 121:1–2; Rom 12:1–2). Move a list of 6 or more passages from a parenthetical citation to a footnote.
- Biblical citations should be cited by book, chapter, and verse. Spell out the words “First” and “Second” and the names of books of the Bible when they occur as the first word of a sentence. Spell out the name of the book when the whole book is cited. Examples:
- First Corinthians 13 is often called “the love chapter.”
- Psalms is my favorite book, and Ps 121 is my favorite psalm.
- Use the abbreviation v./vv. for citing verses and the abbreviation ch./chs. for citing chapters. Example:
First Chronicles explores the identity of Israel in a post-exilic context; the genealogies in chs. 1–9 lay the foundation for the Chronicler’s theology of Israel. The first chapter reaches back to the beginning of humanity, with Adam (v. 1). - Do not repeat a book abbreviation for a citation immediately following one from the same Example:
Psalm 1:3 compares a righteous person to “a tree planted by streams of water,” and 52:8 compares a righteous person to a “green olive tree in the house of the God.” - Use abbreviations for books of the Bible found in SBLHS §8.3.1 and listed below:
Old Testament (OT)/Hebrew Bible (HB)
| Gen | Neh | Hos |
| Exod | Esth | Joel |
| Lev | Job | Amos |
| Num | Ps/Pss | Obad |
| Deut | Prov | Jonah |
| Josh | Eccl (or Qoh) | Mic |
| Judg | Song (or Cant) | Nah |
| Ruth | Isa | Hab |
| 1–2 Sam | Jer | Zeph |
| 1–Kgs | Lam | Hag |
| 1–2 Chron | Ezek | Zech |
| Ezra | Dan | Mal |
New Testament (NT)
| Matt | Gal | Phlm |
| Mark | Eph | Heb |
| Luke | Phil | Jas |
| John | Col | 1–2 Pet |
| Act | 1–2 Thes | 1–2–3 John |
| Rom | 1–2 Tim | Jude |
| 1–2 Cor | Titus | Rev |
Hyphen and Dashes
(SBLHS §2.1.3.4)
Note the difference between hyphens (e.g., second-century), en dashes (e.g., Prov 3:5–5), and em dashes (e.g., The Songs of the Ascents—Pss 120–134—are a lyric sequence). Students should use them appropriately in assignments.
Citations of Articles in Encyclopedias, Dictionaries, and Lexicons
(SBLHS §6.3.6, §6.3.7)
Do not follow Turabian on citing articles from these reference works. Instead, for citing an article in an encyclopedia or dictionary, see SBLHS §6.3.6. For citing an article in a lexicon or theological dictionary, see §6.3.7.
Non-English Languages
A translation into English (either within the body of the text or in a footnote) should accompany all quotations from other languages.
- For biblical language characters, or for transliteration, use the following:
- SBL Unicode Hebrew font:
http://www.sbl-site.org/educational/BiblicalFonts_SBLHebrew.aspx - SBL Unicode Greek font:
http://www.sbl-site.org/educational/BiblicalFonts_SBLGreek.aspx - SP Legacy fonts: SPTiberian (Hebrew), SPIonic (Greek), and SPAtlantis (transliteration). These and other fonts are available free of charge from http://www.sbl-site.org/educational/BiblicalFonts_SPlegacyFonts.aspx.
- Alternative language fonts (e.g., Gentium) may used with permission of the instructor.
- SBL Unicode Hebrew font:
- Students unfamiliar with Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek may use the SBL “General Purpose Style” (SBLHS 5.1.2 and §5.3); otherwise, relevant texts should be cited in their original form.
Inclusive Language
AGTS employs inclusive language for human beings in both verbal and written communication. This commitment to equality and community is rooted in the biblical revelation of God’s will to form one united people, including men and women from every nation, people, tongue, and tribe (Rev 7:7–9). In regard to biblical texts, the integrity of the original expressions and the names of God should be respected. Students must use inclusive language in all assignments.
Academic Integrity
As participants in a Christian university, members of the broader academic community, and active professionals, it is incumbent upon every member of the Evangel community to employ and encourage integrity in all our academic and professional pursuits. Any and every instance of academic dishonesty compromises the mission of Evangel University and violates the standards we hold as people of Christ and practitioners within our professional fields. Students are expected to understand and avoid all forms of academic dishonesty, which includes falsification, cheating, collusion, and plagiarism.
As members of the Evangel community, students share the responsibility to deter and report academic dishonesty. Should a student become aware of a violation of academic integrity, he or she is encouraged to report the incident to a faculty member or department chairperson.
It is the responsibility of the faculty to address any and all acts of academic dishonesty. Sanctions for violations of academic dishonesty can include but are not limited to a failing grade on an assignment, a failing grade for the course, suspension from school, or expulsion from the university. Evangel’s policy on academic integrity, as published in the Student Handbook, appears in the section IX. University Policies: Academic Integrity.
Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools
It is the position of Evangel University that the principles of this policy extend to the use of generative AI (Artificial Intelligence) tools (such as but not limited to ChatGPT, CopyGenius, Quilbot AI, Dall-e) in student work. Honest representation of one’s own work is the guiding principle: the assumption is that all work must be the student’s own work. It is already a violation of this policy for students to submit work that is not their own, a principle which extends to the use of AI resources as well. Content generated by or substantially altered by AI tools should not be seen as a substitute for individual, student-generated work.
The rapid growth of generative AI tools has raised significant questions surrounding their use in academic work and potential for ethical issues. While we recognize that such tools potentially offer many new possibilities and there may be legitimate applications of such tools in a variety of fields, care must be taken to consider the ethical implications of their use in an academic setting.
However, while there are clear limitations on the use of generative AI tools, faculty have the discretion to use or not use such tools in their classroom. Faculty are encouraged to decide whether such tools serve the pedagogical purposes for each course, and to include a clearly defined syllabus statement of their course policy regarding the use or misuse of generative AI tools in their course. Students are expected to read and understand the policy regarding the use or misuse of generative AI tools in their courses and will be held accountable for following those policies. Students should assume AI tools are not to be used unless specifically outlined by the professor within the course syllabus.
When AI tools are used, citation is required. Citation examples can be found in Chicago Manual of Style (18th) such as created/adapted illustrations (3.38), language translations (11.16), or generated text (14.112).