SBL citation style
Introduction
*Please note most examples come directly from the SBL handbook of style.
The Society of Biblical Literature Handbook of Style functions as a supplement of The Chicago Manual of Style (CMS), "except in cases when the field very consciously and authoritatively adopts a different standard." (The SBL Handbook of Style,1.1, p. 1). In other words, if the desired format is not included in the SBL Handbook of Style, please consult The Chicago Manual of Style.
The SBL Handbook of Style is mostly used for in citing ancient Near Eastern, Biblical, and early Christian studies.
These guidelines follow the SBL Handbook of Style, 2nd edition (2014). For more information on the additions and rule changes made into the second edition of SBL, consult this webpage.
Book with a single author
SBL reference - 6.2.1
First footnote
15. Charles H. Talbert, Reading John: A Literary and Theological Commentary on the Fourth Gospel and the Johannine Epistles (New York: Crossroad, 1992), 127.
8. Jean-Jacques Lavoie, La pensée du Qohélet: étude exégétique et intertextuelle (Saint-Laurent, Québec: Fides, 1992), 134.Subsequent footnote
19. Talbert, Reading John, 22.
34. Lavoie, La pensée du Qohélet, 134.Bibliography
Talbert, Charles H. Reading John: A Literary and Theological Commentary on the Fourth Gospel and the Johannine Epistles. New York: Crossroad, 1992.
Lavoie, Jean-Jacques.La pensée du Qohélet: étude exégétique et intertextuelle. Saint-Laurent, Québec: Fides, 1992.
*The numbers suggested for the footnotes are random examples, only meant to show progression. Your footnotes should start at 1 and grow subsequently.
Book with two or three authors
SBL reference - 6.2.2
First footnote
4. James M. Robinson and Helmut Koester, Trajectories through Early Christianity (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1971), 237.
Subsequent footnote
12. Robinson and Koester, Trajectories through Early Christianity, 23.
Bibliography
Robinson, James M., and Helmut Koester. Trajectories through Early Christianity. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1971.
Book with more than three authors
SBL reference - 6.2.3
First footnote
7. Bernard Brandon Scott et al., Reading New Testament Greek (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1993), 53.
Subsequent footnote
9. Scott et al., Reading New Testament Greek, 42.
Bibliography
Scott, Bernard Brandon, Margaret Dean, Kristen Sparks, and Frances LaZar. Reading New Testament Greek. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1993.
Book with no author
SBL reference - 14.79 Chicago Manual of Style
First footnote
1. New York Public Library American History Desk Reference (New York: Macmillan, 1997), 87.
18. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th ed. (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2000), 6.Subsequent footnote
2. New York Public Library, 87.
19. American Heritage Dictionary, 6.Bibliography
New York Public Library American History Desk Reference. New York: Macmillan, 1997.
The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. 4th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2000.
Tranlated book
SBL reference - 6.2.4
First footnote
14. Wilhelm Egger, How to Read the New Testament: An Introduction to Linguistic and Historical-Critical Methodology, trans. Peter Heinegg (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1996), 28.
12. Claudio Moreschini and Enrico Norelli, Early Christian Greek and Latin literature: A Literary History, trans. Matthew J. O'Connell (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2005), 34.Subsequent footnote
18. Egger, How to Read, 291.
20. Moreschini and Norelli, Early Christian Greek, 55.Bibliography
Egger, Wilhelm. How to Read the New Testament: An Introduction to Linguistic and Historical-Critical Methodology. Translated by Peter Heinegg. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1996.
Moreschini, Claudio and Enrico Norelli. Early Christian Greek and Latin literature: A Literary History. Translated by Matthew J. O'Connell. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2005.
Book with one editor
SBL reference - 6.2.6
First footnote
5. Jeffrey H. Tigay, ed., Empirical Models for Biblical Criticism (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1985), 35.
23. Vincent W. Lloyd, ed., Race and Political Theology (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2012), 59.Subsequent footnote
9. Tigay, Empirical Models, 38.
27. Lloyd, Race and Political, 67.Bibliography
Tigay, Jeffrey H., ed. Empirical Models for Biblical Criticism. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1985.
Lloyd, Vincent W., ed. Race and Political Theology. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2012.
Book with two or three editors
SBL reference - 6.2.7
First footnote
44. John Kaltner and Steven L. McKenzie, eds., Beyond Babel: A Handbook for Biblical Hebrew and Related Languages, RBS 42 (Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2002), xii.
8. William J. Abraham and Frederick D. Aquino, eds., The Oxford Handbook of the Epistemology of Theology, 1st ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2017), 24. 20. Katharine J. Dell and Paul M. Joyce, eds., Biblical Interpretation and Method: Essays in Honour of John Barton, 1st ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013), 45.Subsequent footnote
47. Kaltner and McKenzie, viii.
13. Abraham and Aquino, Oxford Handbook, 24. 22. Dell and Joyce, Biblical Interpretation, 45.Bibliography
Kaltner, John, and Steven L. McKenzie, eds. Beyond Babel: A Handbook for Biblical Hebrew and Related Languages. RBS 42. Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2002.
Abraham, William J., and Frederick D. Aquino, eds. The Oxford Handbook of the Epistemology of Theology. 1st ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2017.
Dell, Katharine J., and Paul M. Joyce, eds. Biblical Interpretation and Method: Essays in Honour of John Barton. 1st ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013.
Book with four or more editors
SBL reference - 6.2.8
First footnote
4. John F. Oates et al., eds., Checklist of Editions of Greek and Latin Papyri, Ostraca, and Tablets, 5th ed., BASPSup 9 (Oakville, CT: American Society of Papyrologists, 2001), 10.
17. Maria Clara Bingemer, Literature and Theology (London: SCM Press, 2017), 23.Subsequent footnote
8. Oates et al., Checklist of Editions, 15.
22. Bingemer, Literature and Theology, 64.Bibliography
Oates, John F., William H. Willis, Roger S. Bagnall, and Klaas A. Worp, eds. Checklist of Editions of Greek and Latin Papyri, Ostraca, and Tablets. 5th ed. BASPSup 9. Oakville, CT: American Society of Papyrologists, 2001.
Bingemer, Maria Clara, Solange Lefebvre, Erik Borgman, and Mile Babić, eds. Literature and Theology. London: SCM Press, 2017.
Book with both author and editor
SBL reference - 6.2.9
First footnote
45. Edward Schillebeeckx, The Schillebeeckx Reader, ed. Robert J. Schreiter (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1986), 20.
3. Kenneth Morris Hamilton, The Doctrine of Humanity in the Theology of Reinhold Niebuhr, ed. Jane Barter Moulaison (Waterloo, ON: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 2013), 23.Subsequent footnote
58. Schillebeeckx, Schillebeeckx Reader, 43.
12. Hamilton, Doctrine of Humanity, 20.Bibliography
12. Hamilton, Doctrine of Humanity, 20. Schillebeeckx, Edward. The Schillebeeckx Reader. Edited by Robert J. Schreiter. Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1986.
Hamilton, Kenneth Morris. The Doctrine of Humanity in the Theology of Reinhold Niebuhr. Edited by Jane Barter Moulaison. Waterloo, ON: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 2013.
Book with author, editor, and translator
SBL reference - 6.2.10
First footnote
3. Friedrich Blass and Albert Debrunner, Grammatica del greco del Nuovo Testamento, ed. Friedrich Rehkopf, trans. Giordana Pisi (Brescia: Paideia, 1982), 40.
6. John Duns Scotus, Selected Writings on Ethics, ed. Thomas Williams, trans. Thomas Williams, 1st ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2017), 34.Subsequent footnote
9. Friedrich and Albert, Grammatica del greco, 98.
21. Scotus, Selected Writings, 67.Bibliography
Blass, Friedrich, and Albert Debrunner. Grammatica del greco del Nuovo Testamento. Edited by Friedrich Rehkopf. Translated by Giordana Pisi. Brescia: Paideia, 1982.
Scotus, John Duns. Selected Writings on Ethics. Edited by Thomas Williams. Translated by Thomas Williams. 1st ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2017.
Chapter in an edited volume
SBL reference - 6.2.12
First footnote
3. Harold W. Attridge, “Jewish Historiography,” in Early Judaism and Its Modern Interpreters, ed. Robert A. Kraft and George W. E. Nickelsburg (Philadelphia: Fortress; Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1986), 313.
7. Pamela D. H. Cochran, “Scripture, Feminism, and Sexuality,” in Christian Theologies of Scripture: A Comparative Introduction, ed. Justin S. Holcomb (New York City: New York University Press, 2006), 268.Subsequent footnote
6. Attridge, “Jewish Historiography,” 314–15.
11. Cochran, “Scripture, Feminism,” 270.Bibliography
Attridge, Harold A. “Jewish Historiography.” Pages 311–43 in Early Judaism and Its Modern Interpreters. Edited by Robert A. Kraft and George W. E. Nickelsburg. Philadelphia: Fortress; Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1986.
Cochran, Pamela D. H. “Scripture, Feminism, and Sexuality.” Pages 261–81 in Christian Theologies of Scripture: A Comparative Introduction. Edited by Justin S. Holcomb. New York City: New York University Press, 2006.
Titled volume in a multivolume work
SBL reference - 6.2.21
First footnote
5. Bruce W. Winter and Andrew D. Clarke, eds., The Book of Acts in Its Ancient Literary Setting, vol. 1 of The Book of Acts in Its First Century Setting, ed. Bruce W. Winter (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1993), 25.
Subsequent footnote
16. Winter and Clarke, Book of Acts, 25.
Bibliography
Winter, Bruce W., and Andrew D. Clarke, eds. The Book of Acts in Its Ancient Literary Setting. Vol. 1 of The Book of Acts in Its First Century Setting. Edited by Bruce W. Winter. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1993.
Work in a series
SBL reference - 6.2.24
First footnote
12. Otfried Hofius, Paulusstudien, WUNT 51 (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 1989), 122.
7. Trent C. Butler, Judges, WBC 8 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2009), 34. 8. Douglas J. Moo, The Epistle to the Romans, NICNT (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1996), 106.Subsequent footnote
14. Hofius, Paulusstudien, 124.
10. Butler, Judges, 55. 13. Moo, Romans, 110.Bibliography
Hofius, Otfried. Paulusstudien. WUNT 51. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 1989.
Butler, Trent C. Judges. WBC 8. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2009.
Moo, Douglas J. The Epistle to the Romans. NICNT. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1996.
Electronic book
SBL reference - 6.2.25
First footnote
53. Ann E. Killebrew and Margreet Steiner, eds., The Oxford Handbook of the Archaeology of the Levant: c. 8000–332 BCE (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014), 56, doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199212972.001.0001.
2. Allen Speight and Michael Zank, eds., Politics, Religion and Political Theology, vol. 6 (Springer, 2017), 54, https://oi.uchicago.edu/pdf/as19.pdf.Subsequent footnote
55. Killebrew and Steiner, Archaeology of the Levant, 23.
5. Speight and Zank, Politics, Religion, 56.Bibliography
Killebrew, Ann E. and Margreet Steiner, eds. The Oxford Handbook of the Archaeology of the Levant: c. 8000–332 BCE. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014. doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199212972.001.0001.
Speight, Allen, and Michael Zank, eds. Politics, Religion and Political Theology. Vol. 6. Springer, 2017. https://oi.uchicago.edu/pdf/as19.pdf.
"When citing an online version of a book, include the DOI. In the absence of a DOI, include the URL in the citation" (6.2.25, p. 91).
Journal article
SBL reference - 6.3.1
First footnote
7. Blake Leyerle, “John Chrysostom on the Gaze,” JECS 1 (1993): 164.
5. Koog-Pyoung Hong, “Synchrony and Diachrony in Contemporary Biblical Interpretation,” CBQ 75, no. 3 (2013): 534. 6. Richard B. Steele, "Christian Virtue and Ministry to Persons with Disabilities," JRDH 1 (2010): 36.Subsequent footnote
23. Leyerle, “John Chrysostom,” 161.
12. Hong, “Synchrony and Diachrony,” 533. 17. Steele, "Christian Virtue," 37.Bibliography
Leyerle, Blake. “John Chrysostom on the Gaze.” JECS 1 (1993): 159–74.
Hong, Koog-Pyoung. “Synchrony and Diachrony in Contemporary Biblical Interpretation.” CBL 75, no. 3 (2013): 521–539.
Steele, Richard B. "Christian Virtue and Ministry to Persons with Disabilities." JRDH 1 (2010): 28–46.
"For articles written by more than one author, follow the examples above in §6.2.2. It is unnecessary to include the issue number unless the journal volume is not paginated consecutively, see §6.3.9" (6.3, p. 92).
Article in an encyclopedia or dictionary
SBL reference - 6.3.6
First footnote
33. Krister Stendahl, “Biblical Theology, Contemporary,” IDB 1:432.
5. Stanley D. Walters, “Jacob Narrative,” ABD 3:599.Subsequent footnote
36. Stendahl, “Biblical Theology,” 1:419.
13. Walters, “Jacob Narrative,” 3:599.Bibliography
Stendahl, Krister. “Biblical Theology, Contemporary.” IDB 1:418–32.
Walters, Stanley D. “Jacob Narrative.” Pages 359–609 in vol. 3 of The Anchor Bible Dictionary. Edited by David Noel Freedman. 6 vols. New York, NY: Doubleday, 1992.
Electronic journal article
SBL reference - 6.3.10
First footnote
43. Carl P. E. Springer, “Of Roosters and Repetitio: Ambrose’s Aeterne rerum conditor,” VC 68 (2014): 155, doi:10.1163/15700720-12341158.
8. Charles Truehart, “Welcome to the Next Church,” Atlantic Monthly 278 (August 1996): 38, https://www.theatlantic.com/past/docs/issues/96aug/nxtchrch/nxtchrch.html. 6. Sarit Kattan Gribetz, “The Festival of Every Day: Philo and Seneca on Quotidian Time,” HTR 111 (2018): 377 doi:10.1017/S0017816018000159. 9. Mary Carlson, “Making the Invisible Visible: Inviting Persons with Disabilities into the Life of the Church,” Cambridge Core Blog 45 (2018): 49, https://blog.journals.cambridge.org/2018/05/14/making-the-invisible-visible-inviting-persons-with-disabilities-into-the-life-of-the-church.Subsequent footnote
45. Springer, “Of Roosters and Repetitio,” 158.
12. Truehart, “Next Church,” 37. 15. Gribetz, “The Festival of Every Day,” 371. 17. Mary. “Making the Invisible Visible,” 46.Bibliography
Springer, Carl P. E. “Of Roosters and Repetitio: Ambrose’s Aeterne rerum conditor.” VC 68 (2014): 155–77. doi:10.1163/15700720-12341158.
Truehart, Charles. “Welcome to the Next Church.” Atlantic Monthly 278 (August 1996): 37–58. https://www.theatlantic.com/past/docs/issues/96aug/nxtchrch/nxtchrch.html.
Gribetz, Sarit Kattan. “The Festival of Every Day: Philo and Seneca on Quotidian Time.” HTR 111 (2018): 357–81. doi:10.1017/S0017816018000159.
Carlson, Mary. “Making the Invisible Visible: Inviting Persons with Disabilities into the Life of the Church.” Cambridge Core Blog 45 (2018): 46–73. https://blog.journals.cambridge.org/2018/05/14/making-the-invisible-visible-inviting-persons-with-disabilities-into-the-life-of-the-church.
"Electronic journal article citations should include a DOI (preferred) or a URL. The URL must resolve directly to the page on which the article appears" (6.3.10, p. 95).
Bible commentaries
SBL reference - 6.4.9
First footnote
6. Robert W. Wall and Richard B. Steele, 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus, THNTC (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2012), 83.
8. Douglas J. Moo, The Epistle to the Romans, NICNT (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1996), 106.Subsequent footnote
17. Wall and Steele, 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus, 421.
13. Moo, Romans, 110.Bibliography
Wall, Robert W., and Richard B. Steele. 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus. THNTC. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2012.
Moo, Douglas J. The Epistle to the Romans. NICNT. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1996.
"Commentaries are normally cited just as any other book, with the commentary series name being the only significant addition. Since editors of commentary series usually acquire rather than edit, the names of general editors need not be included in bibliographic or note references" (6.4.9, p. 102).
Single volume of a multivolume commentary
SBL reference - 6.4.10, 6.2.21-23
First footnote
6. Robert W. Wall, The Acts of the Apostles: Introduction, Commentary, and Reflections, in NIB 10, ed. Leander E. Keck (Nashville: Abingdon, 2002), 75.
8. Peter T. O’Brien, Colossians, Philemon, in WBC 44 (Dallas, TX: Word Books, 1982), 20.Subsequent footnote
17. Wall, The Acts of the Apostles, 81.
28. O’Brien, Colossians, 20.Bibliography
Wall, Robert W. The Acts of the Apostles: Introduction, Commentary, and Reflections. Pages 1–368 in vol. 8 of NIB. Edited by Leander E. Keck. Nashville: Abingdon, 2002.
O’Brien, Peter T. Colossians, Philemon. Pages 1–384 in vol. 44 of WBC. Dallas, TX: Word Books, 1982.
Dissertation or thesis
SBL reference - 6.3.5
First footnote
21. Lee E. Klosinski, “Meals in Mark” (PhD diss., The Claremont Graduate School, 1988), 22.
3. Ablorh, Sowah, “Deliverance Practice In Contemporary Ghanaian Neo-Prophetic Churches” (MA diss., Concordia University, 2018), 5.Subsequent footnote
26. Klosinski, “Meals in Mark,” 23.
12. Sowah, “Deliverance Practice,” 34.Bibliography
Klosinski, Lee. E. “Meals in Mark.” PhD diss., The Claremont Graduate School, 1988.
Ablorh, Sowah. “Deliverance Practice In Contemporary Ghanaian Neo-Prophetic Churches.” MA diss., Concordia University, 2018.
Paper presented at a professional society
SBL reference - 6.3.8
First footnote
31. Susan Niditch, “Oral Culture and Written Documents” (paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the New England Region of the SBL, Worcester, MA, 25 March 1994), 17.
6. Richard B. Steele,"Teaching Christian Prison Literature in Prison" (paper presented at the Church History Section of the Pacific Northwest Regional Meeting of the AAR/SBL, Portland, OR, 11 May 2012), 3.Subsequent footnote
35. Niditch, “Oral Culture,” 14.
17. Steele, "Teaching Christian Prison Literature," 7.Bibliography
Niditch, Susan. “Oral Culture and Written Documents.” Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the New England Region of the SBL. Worcester, MA, 25 March 1994.
Steele, Richard B. "Teaching Christian Prison Literature in Prison." Paper presented at the Church History Section of the Pacific Northwest Regional Meeting of the AAR/SBL, Portland, OR, 11 May 2012.
Blog entry
SBL reference - 6.4.15
First footnote
10. “The One Hundred Most Important Cuneiform Objects,” cdli:wiki, https://cdli.ox.ac.uk/wiki/doku.php?id=the_one_hundred_most_important_cuneiform_objects.
3. Mark Goodacre, “Jesus’ Wife Fragment: Another Round-Up,” NT Blog, 9 May 2014, https://ntweblog.blogspot.com.Subsequent footnote
10. “Cuneiform Objects”
9. Goodacre, “Jesus’ Wife”Bibliography
N/A
Goodacre, Mark. "Jesus' Wife Fragment: Another Round-Up." NT Blog. 9 May 2014. https://ntweblog.blogspot.com.
"Per CMS §14.246, citations of blog entries should include the author of the entry; the name of the entry, in quotation marks; the title or description of the blog; the date; and a URL" (6.4.15, p. 104). Blog entries, however, may be omitted from the bibliography.
Website
SBL reference - 6.4.15
First footnote
7. Joel Green, “Bible, Theology and Theological Interpretation,” SBL Forum. https://www.sbl-site.org/Article.aspx?ArticleId=308.
8. "Christology Study Area," monachos.net, https://www.monachos.net/content/patristics/patristicstudies/35-themes/241-christology.Subsequent footnote
9. Green, “Bible, Theology.”
13. "Christology Study Area."Bibliography
Green, Joel B. “Bible, Theology and Theological Interpretation.” SBL Forum. https://www.sbl-site.org/Article.aspx?ArticleId=308.
"Christology Study Area." monachos.net. https://www.monachos.net/content/patristics/patristicstudies/35-themes/241-christology.
Biblical citations
Student supplement for The SBL Handbook of Style, 1.2
To cite modern Bible versions, do not add information in either footnotes or bibliography, instead include only an in-text citation.
When giving a chapter and verse of a book of the Bible in-text, do not write out the words "chapter” or "verse.” Instead, include the abbreviation of the book followed by the Arabic numeral of the chapter, a colon, and the Arabic numeral of the verse. When referring to consecutive verses, put an en dash between the first and last verse numbers. A semicolon should separate references to subsequent chapters or books. (Student Supplement for The SBL Handbook of Style, 1.2, p. 3)
Example
- Gen 3:4.
- Gen 1:1-2:3; 3; 4:1, 6; Exod 4:5-8; 7.
The names of biblical books, translations, and the Bible should not be underlined or italicized. When quoting the Bible, you must specify the Bible translation you are using either by including the full name of the Bible translation in the body of the sentence in which the quote appears or by including the abbreviation for the translation in a parenthetical reference at the end of the Sentence. If you do not state the chapter and verse of the biblical passage you are citing and the name of the translation in the body of the sentence, this information should appear in parentheses at the end of the sentence with the book of the Bible, chapter, and verse followed by the abbreviation for the translation. (Student Supplement for The SBL Handbook of Style, 1.2, p. 4)
Example
- The Torah opens with the words, “When God began to create” (Gen 1:1 CEB).
- Genesis 1:26 portrays God proclaiming, “Let us make humankind in our image” (NRSV).
- The King James Version of Gen 1:26 states, “Let us make man in our image.”
For other citation formats, as well as additional examples, please consult the SBL Handbook of Style. If a desired format is not listed, please consult the Chicago Manual of Style.
Additional notes
Author-date citations: 6.5
"Authors writing in the social sciences may elect to use an author-date form of citation rather than the more traditional note-based system described above. The primary purpose of author-date style is to eliminate cumbersome notes while still facilitating source references that do not interrupt the flow of the main text to a major degree" (6.5, p. 104). For more information on author-date citations, see 6.5, on p. 104–108.
Capitalization of titles in English: 6.1.3.3
"In English titles, all words should be capitalized except articles, coordinating conjunctions, and prepositions (the first and last words in the title or subtitle are, however, capitalized regardless of their part of speech)" (6.1.3.3, p. 73).
Capitalization of titles not in English: 6.1.3.4
"For titles in languages other than English, the general rule is to capitalize only the first word of the title or subtitle and any words that would be capitalized in a normal sentence. For most languages, only proper nouns (but not proper adjectives) are capitalized" (6.1.3.4, p. 73).
Date: 6.1.4.5
"The use of n.d. (no date) in place of the year in the publication details should be avoided. In the case of unpublished manuscripts, use the date of the version consulted or the last modified date in the case of electronic files" (6.1.4.5, p. 83).
Ibid.
Ibid. does not appear in the Index to the SBL Handbook, yet Chicago style allows for it. See the Chicago Manual of Style, 14.29, on p. 669.
Quotation marks: 4.1.2
"SBL practice, in keeping with long-standing American style and CMS, calls for placing quotation marks, whether double or single, outside periods and commas" (4.1.2, p. 14).
Abbreviations: 8.1
The SBL Handbook of Style offers an extensive lists of abbreviations for journals, series, and other standard reference works. If a work is included in these lists, use the abbreviation listed. Note that SBL italicizes abbreviations of journal titles (e.g., JBL) but does not italicize the abbreviations of series (e.g., JSOTSup) (8.4, p. 171).
Example
- Footnotes: JBL, JSOTSup
- Bibliography: Journal of Biblical Literature, Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Supplement Series
If a work is not included in the SBL abbreviation lists, use complete titles throughout or include a list of additional abbreviations on a separate page at the beginning of the paper (after the title page and before the main text).
Generative AI (eg., ChatGPT)
There is currently no official stylistic recommendations from the SBL Handbook of Style for referencing AI-generated content. If you have been asked to cite material generated by artificial intelligence for a class assignment, you can use the format suggested by the Chicago Manual of Style.
Example
- Text generated by ChatGPT, June 28, 2023, OpenAI, https://chat.openai.com/chat.
The Chicago Manual of Style Online FAQ on generative AI has more information.
Note: Methods of citing materials generated by artificial intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT are rapidly changing. Check with your course instructor or thesis supervisor before using or citing material generated by AI tools. You should also check whether the tool you’re using has terms of use or guidelines on how to credit use of the tool (for example, from OpenAI).
