BTS uses the Turabian style of formatting as a standard for papers. However, students should regard individual professor preferences if they communicate any variance in outlining their requirements for papers. Professors retain discretion in determining how “formal” a paper must be.  Times New Roman 12-point font is the BTS standard. In this technological age, information is readily available; make sure that you understand about giving reference sources the proper recognition. Please refer to the BTS Student Handbook section on plagiarism for guidance.

Full Style Guide: Click Here 

Turabian: A Quick Guide

Title Page

• The title page should include the paper title, your name, and your class information
• All the text on the title page should be standard 12pt. font, centered and double-spaced
• The paper’s title should be about one-third of the way down the page
• Your name and class information should be about two-thirds of the way down the page

Margins

• The left margin of each page is 1.5 inches; all other margins are 1 inch.

Font and Typeface

• Use only a 12-point Times New Roman font for main text and 10-point Times New Roman font for footnotes. For biblical languages, use 12-point (or a similar size) font.
• Italicize book titles and then names of the magazine or journal (do not underline).

Page Numbers

• Page numbers should begin on the first page of the paper’s text, not on the title page.
• Numbers are to be placed bottom middle

Spacing/Indention

• The entire paper should be double-spaced, apart from the following exceptions: block quotes, footnotes, bibliography, and table titles (all of which are single spaced).
• A terminal punctuation should be followed by single space.
• Indent the first line of paragraphs and entire block quotations 0.5 inch from the left margin.

Quotations

• Block quotations are used only with a prose quotation of five or more lines.
• Single space a block quotation and leave a blank line before and after it.
• Block quotations are 11-point font.

Citations/References

• Use superscript numbers both in the text and footnote numbers preceding the notes.
• Cited Bible passages should be in parentheses within the main text rather than in a footnote.
• Spell out book names of the Bible in the main text but use abbreviations in parenthetical or reference material. Example:

Genesis 1:1 states, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”

The Bible states, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Gen. 1:1).

• Use the “traditional” style for abbreviations of books of the Bible; do not italicize.
• Cite unpublished interviews in the footnotes.

Voice and Style

• Papers generally should be written in the 3rd person (he, she, it) with an active voice. 1st person pronouns (I, we, us) can be used where appropriate, but the 2nd person pronoun (you) should be avoided.
• Capitalize pronouns when referring to any Person of the Godhead to minimize ambiguity.