It is often difficult to remember how to format the different types of titles (e.g., titles of books, articles, journals, book series, and conferences) encountered in academic writing. In hopes of helping authors, editors, and copy editors quickly discover the answer to such questions when they arise, we offer this quick-reference guide to title formatting. … Continue reading Formatting Titles
Plutarch’s Moralia
SBLHS 2 §8.3.14.2 advises authors to follow a simple pattern when citing ancient works: first provide the number designation that is original to the work, then “any secondary numerical identification supplied by the standard critical edition (or by another edition whose numbering is widely followed).” SBLHS offers a number of examples illustrating this principle, including … Continue reading Plutarch’s Moralia
Inscriptions and Papyri
Citing inscriptions and papyri can be confusing, since what G. H. R. Horsley and John A. L. Lee (1994) stated over twenty years ago is still true, namely, that, although some works have standard abbreviations, there is still a “great deal of inconsistency.” This post will clarify which abbreviations one should use and what format … Continue reading Inscriptions and Papyri
Aufstieg und Niedergang der römischen Welt (ANRW)
The multivolume Aufstieg und Niedergang der römischen Welt: Geschichte und Kultur Roms im Spiegel der neueren Forschung (ANRW) can be problematic to cite because of the variety of levels, languages, and titles within this ongoing work. Articles appear in English, French, German, and Italian. Later volumes have the parallel English title Rise and Decline of … Continue reading Aufstieg und Niedergang der römischen Welt (ANRW)
Placement of Citations: Author-Date Style
Placement of Citations: Author-Date Style When placing bibliographic citations, authors should consider both the need for accuracy and the legibility and aesthetics of the text. Placement varies depending on whether one is using traditional documentation style or author-date style. This post will discuss placement of citations in author-date documentation style. For the placement of bibliographic … Continue reading Placement of Citations: Author-Date Style
Placement of Citations: Traditional Style
When placing bibliographic citations, authors should consider both the need for accuracy and the legibility and aesthetics of the text. Placement varies depending on whether one is using traditional documentation style or author-date style. This post will discuss placement of citations in traditional documentation style. For the placement of bibliographic references in author-date documentation style, … Continue reading Placement of Citations: Traditional Style
Citing Films
In general discussion, a film can be cited like a classic piece of art or a poem, that is, by artist and name. In this case, the artist is the director of the film. For example, Ironically, The Aviator could be Martin Scorsese’s ultimate exemplar for understanding how Jesus is “nothing less than one of … Continue reading Citing Films
Separating Publication Information
In the first edition of the SBLHS, all publication information in footnotes save the title was placed inside parenthesis, and distinct publication elements were separated by a semicolon. For example: 4. John Kaltner and Steven L. McKenzie, eds., Beyond Babel: A Handbook for Biblical Hebrew and Related Languages (RBS 42; Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, … Continue reading Separating Publication Information
Citing a Specific Printing
In all but a few instances, the citation of a scholarly resource need not indicate the specific printing of the work in question. However, occasionally, as an alert reader of this blog reminded us, the specific printing of a work is a matter of significance. For example, the 4th printing of the 15th edition of … Continue reading Citing a Specific Printing
Livy
The Roman historian Titus Livius (Livy, first century BCE–first century CE) is known for his History of Rome (Ab urbe condita). Because this classic work is Livy’s sole surviving work, some scholars choose to reference the work by Livy’s name alone: (Livy, 2.2) However, to maintain consistency with other ancient references with an identifiable author, … Continue reading Livy
SBL Handbook of Style 