COMMON RULES FOR AN ACADEMIC PAPER

Contents
COMMON RULES FOR AN ACADEMIC PAPER ............................................................................. 1
A. HOW TO WRITE AN ACADEMIC PAPER .................................................................................... 3
(1) Characters to be used for the text, indents..................................................................................... 3
(2) Italics for words in another language ............................................................................................ 3
(3) No small caps in the text ............................................................................................................... 3
(4) Triple typology of titles ................................................................................................................. 3
(5) External and internal quotation marks in quotations ..................................................................... 3
(6) How to present a quote of three or more lines............................................................................... 4
(7) Points of suspension ...................................................................................................................... 4
(8) Succession of quotation marks and punctuation marks ................................................................. 4
(9, 10, 11) Use of empty spaces .......................................................................................................... 4
(12) Use of colon and semicolon ........................................................................................................ 4
(13) Uniformity in the use of capital letters ........................................................................................ 5
B. HOW TO MAKE FOOTNOTES (citations / references) .................................................................. 5
I. How to quote a book ........................................................................................................................ 5
II. How to quote a collective work...................................................................................................... 6
III. How to cite a dictionary or an encyclopaedia ............................................................................... 6
IV. How to cite a magazine article ...................................................................................................... 7
V. How to quote a papal document ..................................................................................................... 7
VI. How to quote an ecclesiastical document ..................................................................................... 7
VII. How to cite an ancient author or source (also in the text) ........................................................... 8
VIII. Additional warnings regarding:.................................................................................................. 8
1. Reference for the footnotes ..................................................................................................... 8
2. Use and value of ‘cfr’.............................................................................................................. 8
3. First citation and the successive citations ............................................................................... 9
4. First edition of a book and the successive editions ................................................................. 9
5. Chronological order in the citation of many authors .............................................................. 9
6. Use of ‘Idem’, ‘Eadem’, ‘ibidem’ ........................................................................................... 9

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 7. Use of hyphen with surnames and cities ................................................................................. 9
C. HOW TO CITE AN UNPUBLISHED ARCHIVE DOCUMENT .................................................. 10
D. HOW TO DRAW UP THE LIST OF SOURCES AND THE BIBLIOGRAPHY .......................... 11
(1) Relationship between footnotes and general bibliography .......................................................... 11
(2) Distinguish the ‘Sources’ from the ‘Bibliography’ ..................................................................... 11
(3) Two separate blocks in the bibliography ..................................................................................... 11
(4) Alphabetical order and position of surname and name ............................................................... 11
(5) How to cite compound surnames ................................................................................................ 11
(6) How to list the works of the same author .................................................................................... 11
(7) Eight particularities of the bibliography with respect to the footnotes........................................ 11
E. ABBREVIATIONS, BIBLICAL QUOTES / CITATIONS ............................................................. 13
(1) Abbreviations of biblical books in various languages ................................................................. 13
(2) How to quote a biblical text ........................................................................................................ 13
(3) Most frequent abbreviations ........................................................................................................ 13
FINAL GOLDEN RULE ...................................................................................................................... 13

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A. HOW TO WRITE AN ACADEMIC PAPER
(1) Characters to be used for the text, indents
The text of the academic paper is to be written with double line spacing, on white A4 sheets,
with footnotes. A small return must indicate a new paragraph.

(2) Italics for words in another language

In the text the words or expressions in languages other than the language of the writer, for
example those in Latin or Hebrew and Greek (if they are in transliteration, but we do not put
in italics a text in Greek and Hebrew characters). Avoid making bold and underlining.

(3) No small caps in the text

In the text of the paper the name of an author (K. Rahner, R. Bultmann, F. Cappello, E. Mounier
...) should not be put in small caps: the authors’ names are put in small caps when in the notes
and in the final bibliography, they are part of a bibliographic indication.

(4) Triple typology of titles

As for the titles, they are to be differentiated and to be placed in descending hierarchy (the
following three types of titles must suffice): in capital letters:
In capital letters - TITLE OF FIRST GRADE
In small caps - TITLE OF SECOND DEGREE
In small italic - Title of third degree

(5) External and internal quotation marks in quotations

The double quotation marks “...” contain the whole quoted text, while the single quotation
marks ‘...’ enclose the quotations in a quotation. For example; “The disciples said, ‘Lord,
increase our faith.’ The Lord replied: ‘If you had faith as much as a mustard seed.’” (Lk 17:56).
So format for external and internal quotes goes “...‘...’...”

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(6) How to present a quote of three or more lines
A citation of three or more lines is distinct from the text of the writer, both in the form of a
paragraph that falls to the left and to the right, and in characters of smaller size (Font size 10)

(7) Points of suspension

The ellipses are always only three, they absorb any other punctuation marks (full stop, comma,
semicolon), and must be typed without any space separating them from the last word. Instead,
place a space before the word that follows, “The Lord replied: ‘If you had faith... you would
move mountains.’”

(8) Succession of quotation marks and punctuation marks

The full stop, question mark, comma and so on, gets placed before the quotation mark. For
example, “Lord, where are you going?” “I will lay down my life for you.”

(9, 10, 11) Use of empty spaces

(9) After opening quotation marks or brackets and before closing them, no space is placed.
Example: “The Lord replied, ‘If you had faith as much as a mustard seed.’” (Lk 17:5-6).
Therefore, one does not write ( Lk 17:5-6), or (Lk 17:5-6 ).
(10) Before any punctuation mark (comma, dot, semicolon, exclamation mark, question mark,
etc.) no blank space is left.
(11) It is inevitable that here and there two spaces will be mistakenly placed, and not just one.
(The computer helps to remove those double spaces with: ‘Modify,’ type double space in
‘Find,’ and type in a single space in ‘Replace’)
(12) Use of colon and semicolon
• Semicolon is often used instead of the full stop in cases where sentences are grammatically
full and independent.
• The sentences separated by a semicolon should have a close connection.
For example: Some people read well; others write well.
He is a good person; allow him to teach you something.
• Colon, on the other hand, is often used before explanations or reasons.
For example: We had to drop everything: the resources were scarce.
• Sometimes we use a colon before a list.

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For example: The points of discussion were: a…..b….c…..
(13) Uniformity in the use of capital letters
The uniformity in the use of capital letters is to be taken into consideration:
• The word gospel (the message of Jesus) is distinguished from the Gospel of Mark (the
book, the same goes for the Bible, Koran, Didache)
• The word church (as a building) is distinguished from Church (as a community of
believers)
• The law (any rule) is distinguished from the Law (Mosaic or Torah)
• Write: Letter to the Romans, the First Letter to the Thessalonians, the Book of Exodus.
(We customarily capitalize B when used in ‘the Book of …’)

B. HOW TO MAKE FOOTNOTES (citations / references)

I. How to quote a book
(1) Initial of the name (first name) of the author [G.]
(2) Surname (last name) of the author in small capitals (but with the initial capitalized),
followed by comma [DEVINE,]
(3) Title of the book and possible subtitle (taken from the title page, not from the cover) in
italics, followed by a comma [The Question of the Soul,]
(4) Publishing house followed by comma, city and year of publication [San Paolo, Cinisello
Balsamo (MI) 1999,]
(5) Page number (or pages, with hyphen but without spaces). Avoid ‘p or pp,’ (for page or
pages), giving the final number of the pages cited [105-110]. If paragraphs or numbers are to
be mentioned in the book instead of pages, these signs ‘§’ or ‘n. / nn.’ should prefix them.
(6) If the authors of the book are two or three, you put the initial of the names of the authors
and their surnames in small caps, separated by hyphen, followed by a comma. If there are more
than three authors, only the first one is mentioned followed by the indication ‘et alii,’ (this
means ‘and others’) in italics, but avoid the formula AA.VV.
Example for an author: G. DEVINE, The Question of the Soul, San Paolo, Cinisello Balsamo
(MI) 1999, 105-110.
Example for two authors: A. WIKENHAUSER - J. SCHMID, Introduction to the New
Testament, Paideia, Brescia 1981, 388-423.

(Nota Bene;

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 1. In the case of two initials like G. A. DEVINE, there is no need for a comma after the
second initial (G. A., DEVINE), the comma comes only after the surname.
2. The first letter of each key word in the title is capitalized with the exception of
prepositions and articles, for instance G. DEVINE, The Question of the Soul)

II. How to quote a collective work

(1) Initial of the name and surname of the author of the contribution in small caps as in B 1,
[W. PANNENBERG,]
(2) Title of the contribution in internal quotation marks, with a comma inside the internal
quotation marks, followed by the preposition ‘in’ [‘Roman Roads of Asia Minor,’ in]
(3) Name and surname of the editor or editors of the collective work, separated by hyphens,
and followed by ‘edited by’ in brackets (or ‘ed.’) and comma [R. CIPRIANI - G. MURA (ed.),]
(4) We then follow the format in B, I, 3-5 that outlines the title, publisher, city and year of
publication, pages or paragraphs [The Religious Phenomenon Today, Urbaniana University
Press, Rome 2002, 29-38.]
Example: W. PANNENBERG, ‘The religious elevation of finite existence to God,’ in R.
CIPRIANI - G. MURA (ed.), The Religious Phenomenon Today, Urbaniana University Press,
Rome 2002, 29-38.

III. How to cite a dictionary or an encyclopaedia

(1) Name and surname of the author of the article (not of the editor of the dictionary), as in the
previous schemes [F. LASSERRE,]
(2) The title of the article in internal quotation marks with the comma (or punctuation mark)
inside, followed by a ‘in’ [‘Mittelmeer,’ in]
(3) Title of the dictionary or encyclopedia in italics, followed by a comma [Der Kleine Pauly,]
(4) Arabic number of the volume preceded by ‘vol.’, Followed by comma [vol. 3,] (you leave
out the publishing house, editor, city and year of publication, which will be put into the final
bibliography)
(5) Page or pages, as above [1365-1367]
Example: F. LASSERRE, ‘Mittelmeer’, in Der Kleine Pauly, vol. 3, 1365-1367.

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IV. How to cite a magazine article
(1) Name and surname of the author of the article as in the previous schemes [P. FOGLIZZO,]
(2) Article title in external quotation marks, followed by a comma and the preposition ‘in’
[“International finance and moral action. A pastoral aid,” in].
(3) Name of the magazine in italics not abbreviated [Social Updates]
(4) Volume number of the magazine in Arabic numerals [55]
(5) Year of publication in Arabic numerals in round brackets, followed by comma [(2004),]
(6) Page or pages as above [292-299]. - If in each issue of the magazine the number of pages
starts over, it is necessary to indicate the number of the file in Arabic numbers after the number
of the annual volume, preceded by a space and a comma [49, 3]
Example: P. FOGLIZZO, “International finance and moral action. A pastoral aid,” in Social
Updates 55 (2004), 292-299.
Example (each issue with its numbering): B. MAGGIONI, “Remain in my love,” in Words of
Life 49, 3 (2004), 48-50.

V. How to quote a papal document

(1) Name of the Pope in small capital letters followed by a comma [PAUL VI,]
(2) Type of the document (encyclical letter - apostolic letter - apostolic exhortation - motu
proprio - bull - speech etc.), not followed by comma [Encyclical letter]
(3) Incipit in italics of the document [Humanae vitae]
(4) Date of the document in round brackets followed by a comma [(25 July 1968),]
(5) The number or numbers quoted [nn. 11-12.] And possibly indication of collection (AAS,
EV)
Example: PAUL VI, Encyclical Letter Humanae vitae (25 July 1968), nn. 11-12.
Example: PIUS XII, Radio message The Solemnity of Pentecost on the 50th Anniversary of
Rerum Novarum (1 June 1941), n. 15.

VI. How to quote an ecclesiastical document

(1) Name of the institution in small caps followed by a comma [VATICAN ECUMENICAL
COUNCIL II,]

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(2) Type of document (conciliar constitution - synodal acts - pastoral letter, etc.), not followed
by comma [Pastoral constitution]
(3) Incipit in italics of the document [Gaudium et spes]
(4) Date of the document in round brackets, followed by comma and ‘in’ [(7 December 1965),
in]
(5) Then, as in the previous diagram, the numbers quoted [nos. 14-15]

Example: VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL II, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et spes (7

December 1965), nos. 14-15.

VII. How to cite an ancient author or source (also in the text)

Author’s name in small caps, title (not abbreviated but in full), numbers (Arabic, non-Roman)
of book, chapter and paragraph, separated by commas but not spaces. - The title of the work
must be in Latin, unless it is a famous work whose name in modern language has prevailed
more than the one in Latin (eg “Iliad” for Homer, “Confessions” for St. Augustine).
Examples:
(1) A Greek author: HOMER, Iliad 4.2.
(2) A Latin author: CICERO, De legibus 3, 5, 6.
(3) A Father of the Church:
ORIGEN, Contra Celsum, PG 11, 637-1710.
IRENAUES of Lyon, Adversus haereses, SC 170, 25,11-19.
BEDE, In Apocalypsim, CCM 60, 80.3-5.
(4) THOMAS AQUINAS, Summa Theologiae I, II, q. 58, a. 2, ad I (namely, “Part I of the
Second Book, question 58, article 2, solution of the first difficulty”).
VIII. Additional warnings regarding:
1. Reference for the footnotes
The reference is always put after the punctuation [As Augustine says, “Our hearts are restless
till they find rest in Thee.”7]

2. Use and value of ‘cfr’

Premise with a ‘cfr.’ when quoting a text that you are summarizing or paraphrasing the thought
of an author (and, therefore, not his exact words in quotation marks) [cfr]

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 3. First citation and the successive citations
After the first citation (which must be complete), subsequent citations are shortened by putting
the author’s name and surname according to the previous diagrams, abbreviated title for those
with subtopics (but not for example a single adjective) so that it is easy to identify, and page or
pages. [G. DEVINE, The Question of the Soul, 105-110]. Each title must always be abbreviated
in the same way. (Avoid the use of the "cited article - cited work" which, due to their vagueness,
cannot be used)

4. First edition of a book and the successive editions

When the second or subsequent editions of a book are cited, the edition number in apex right
after the year is indicated [19994]
Indicating a series for Biblical commentaries:
M. HEALY, The Gospel of Mark (Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture), Grands Rapid,
[That which is in the parenthesis indicates the series and not the subtitle]

For the well-known series, abbreviations can be used as in:

D. J. A. CLINES, Job 21‒37 (WBC 18A), Grand Rapids, [That which is in the parenthesis
indicates the series and not the subtitle]
5. Chronological order in the citation of many authors

If several authors are mentioned in a reference, the order must be the chronological order for
an idea of evolution to occur in research. The chronological order must be followed even when
more works by an author are mentioned in the same reference.

6. Use of ‘Idem’, ‘Eadem’, ‘ibidem’

If several works are quoted from the same author, after the first, ‘IDEM (EADEM)’ replaces
the author’s name in small caps. In consecutive references ‘Ibidem’ (in italics, with a capital
letter) indicates the same author and the same work

7. Use of hyphen with surnames and cities

A hyphen without spaces joins the two parts of a double surname or of the double name of a
city (X. Léon-Dufour or Neukirchen-Vluyn), while a hyphen with spaces before and after

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separates two authors or two different cities ( A. WIKENHAUSER - J. SCHMID or Paris -
Gembloux)

C. HOW TO CITE AN UNPUBLISHED ARCHIVE DOCUMENT

(1) Short name (in capital letters, each letter followed by a dot) of the Archive or Institution in
which the document is kept. In the case of well-known archives, it is necessary to use the
abbreviations already well recognized. Possibly ask the person in charge of the Archive or the
Institution for the correct way to quote the Archive in abbreviated form. - The Vatican Secret
Archives should be mentioned with the abbreviation ‘A.S.V.’, while the Historical Archive of
the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples should be mentioned with ‘A.P.F.’ The
reference repeated several times to the same Archive or institution must obviously be uniform
(2) Sources to which the document belongs (in italics, preceded and followed by a comma). If
the sources are further articulated (series and sub-sources, for example: ‘Letters and decrees’),
it is necessary to indicate in italics also the internal divisions
Examples of citation of a source without further articulations: A.P.F., Acta, / A.P.F., Letters
and Decrees,]
Example of background quote with further articulations: A.P.F., S.C. East Indies and China,
In this example ‘S.C.’ is abbreviation of the Scriptures referred to in the Congresses, while
‘East Indies and China’ indicates the first series of the source, containing documents from
mission territories and divided alphabetically according to countries.

(3) Number of the source’s volume, preceded by ‘vol.’ Examples:

A.P.F., Acta, vol. 99 / A.P.F., Letters and Decrees, vol. 121
A.P.F., S.C. East Indies and China, vol. 5
(4) Sheets in which the document is found. The indication, is preceded by a comma, by the
letter ‘p.’ or ‘pp.’ n the case of several sheets, followed by the number of the sheets and a full
stop. It must be specified whether it is a complete sheet (recto [r.] and verso [v.]) or only a part
of it.
Examples of citation of a document that occupies one or more complete sheets: A.P.F., Letters
and Decrees, vol. 155, p. 84. / A.P.F., Acta, vol. 107, pp. 28-35.
Example of citation of part of a document or a document that only partially occupies a sheet:
A.P.F., S.C. Elvezia, vol. 6, p. 215v.

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Example of citation of a document made up of incomplete sheets: A.P.F., Acta, vol. 99, pp.
509V-511r.

D. HOW TO DRAW UP THE LIST OF SOURCES AND THE BIBLIOGRAPHY

(1) Relationship between footnotes and general bibliography
For the final bibliography the same rules apply as for notes, but with the following additions,
clarifications and variations:
(2) Distinguish the ‘Sources’ from the ‘Bibliography’
The final bibliography must be divided into two major blocks: SOURCES and
BIBLIOGRAPHY. ‘Sources’ means the texts or works of the authors being studied. When
different sources are to be mentioned, they differ according to appropriate hierarchy (for
example: i. Biblical sources, ii. Ecclesiastical sources, iii. Ancient sources). On the sources we
must mention the most recent critical edition, giving the name of the publisher, city and year
of publication, volume, page (s), line (s)
(3) Two separate blocks in the bibliography
In the ‘bibliography’ we must instead put the specific and more general monographs in two
separate lists
(4) Alphabetical order and position of surname and name
The authors must be arranged in alphabetical order. The author’s surname comes first followed
by the first name.
(5) How to cite compound surnames
The surnames composed with prepositions and articles are put in alphabetical order according
to the use of the different languages [DE GAULLE Charles / DE LA FUENTE Miguel A. /
DE PAOLI Ugo this applies to French and Italian surnames,
But then for
von HARNACK Adolf, /
von TISCHENDORF Constantin, /
van UNNIK W. Cornelius, for which the article or preposition is not an alphabetizing
element]
(6) How to list the works of the same author
As in the notes, even in the final bibliography more works by the same author must be put in
chronological order (for works after the first one can put a dash instead of repeating the surname
and first name of the author)
(7) Eight particularities of the bibliography with respect to the footnotes
Unlike in the footnotes notes, in the final bibliography:

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i. The first name of the authors must be reported in full (not abbreviated) and in lower case
[WIKENHAUSER Alfred - SCHMID Josef,]
ii. After the title and before the publishing house, the series (if there is one) must be indicated
in brackets and, after a comma, the number of the volume in that series [(Biblioteca Teologica,
9),]
iii. For books that are cited in translation, the reference to the original language with respective
city and year of publication must be added at the end and in brackets, according to this formula:
‘original edition in German / Italian, etc.’: [(original edition in German language, Freiburg
1973)]
iv. If a later edition is used, it is good to add also the year of the first [19732, 19521]
v. After the title or subtitle the indications of other types, such as: ‘Conference Proceedings.’
‘Writings in honor of’ etc., are not put put in in italics [Proceedings of the International
Conference on the Religious Phenomenon,]. - Example: CIPRIANI R. - MURA G. (eds), The
Religious Phenomenon Today. Tradition, Change, Denial, Proceedings of the International
Conference on the Religious Phenomenon - Rome September 2000, Urbaniana University
Press, Rome 2002.
vi. If the place of publication is a city of the USA, the State must also be mentioned (according
to the official abbreviations and in capital letters), if the information is on the title page.
Examples [Atlanta, GA / Cambridge, MA / Chicago, IL / Chico, CA / Collegeville, MN /
Garden City, NY / Grand Rapids, MI / Louisville, KY / Minneapolis, MN / Missoula, MT /
Nashville, TN / Peabody, MA / Philadelphia, PA / Princeton, NJ / San Francisco, CA / Waco,
TX / Washington, DC / Wilmington, DE]
vii. In the final bibliography the indications concerning dictionaries and encyclopaedias must
be complete: the short form of the ‘B, III’ scheme must therefore be added: publisher, city, year
of publication, and general curator (in the example below note the addition of ‘A.
Druckenmüller Verlag, München’:
[LASSERRE F, “Mittelmeer,” in Der Kleine Pauly, A. Druckenmüller Verlag, München 1975,
vol. 3, 18-19.]
viii. In the final bibliography, the pages of the books must never be indicated, while all the
pages, from the first to the last, of articles, dictionary entries and contributions in collaborative
works must be indicated. - In the notes, only the page or pages concerning the discussion are
cited.

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 E. ABBREVIATIONS, BIBLICAL QUOTES / CITATIONS
(1) Abbreviations of biblical books in various languages
Biblical abbreviations of the OT and NT (the order to be followed is the “canonical”
abbreviation, not the alphabetical one):
[Gen Exod Lev Num Deut Josh Judg Ru, 1-2 Sam, 1-2 Kgs, 1-2 Chr Ezra Neh Tob Jdt Esth
Job Ps Prov Qoh Cant Wis Sir Isa Jer Lam Bar Ezek Dan Hos Joel Amos Obad Jonah Mic Nah
Hab Zeph Hag Zech Mal, 1-2 Macc —- Mt Mk Lk Jn Acts Rom, 1-2 Cor Gal Eph Phil Col, 1-
2 Thess, 1-2 Tim, Titus Phlm Heb Jas, 1-2 Pet, 1-3 Jn Jude Rev]
(2) How to quote a biblical text
The biblical texts are quoted without spaces, with comma of separation, according to the
following examples: Jn 1:14 (one verse), Jn 1:1-18 (all vv. From 1 to 18), Jn 1:14.18 (only vv.
14 and 18), Jn 1:19‒12:50 (from the first chapter to the twelfth – in the case where you quote
from one chapter extending to another chapter, a lengthened hyphen is used so as to
differentiate from a case where the citation is only coming from the same chapter)
(3) Most frequent abbreviations
Most frequent abbreviations (to be adapted to various languages). Do not shorten "note / notes",
"see": a. C. / d. C. (forward / after Christ) ACO (Acta Conciliorum Oecumenicorum, Berlin)
OT / NT (Old / New Testament), LXX (Septuaginta), Vg (Vulgate) AAS (Acta Apostolicae
Sedis) CIC 1917 / CIC 1983 (Codex Iuris Canonici, 1917 or 1983) EV (Enchiridion
Vaticanum) PG / PL / PLS ( Patrologia Graeca / Latina / PL Supplementum, Paris) CCG / CCL
/ CCM (Corpus Christianorum, Series Graeca / Latin Series / Continuatio Mediaevalis,
Turnhout) CSCO (Corpus Scriptorum Christianorum Orientalium, Louvain) CSEL (Corpus
Scriptorum Ecclesiasticorum Latinorum, Wien) SC ( Sources Chrétiennes, Paris) CCC
(Catechism of the Catholic Church) DH (Denzinger - Hünemann) can. / cann. (fee / fees) chap.
/ capp. (chapter / chapters) see (confer, compare) etc. / etc. (etc., depending on the language in
which it is written) n. / nn. (number / numbers) p. / pp. (page / pages) eg (only in brackets,
otherwise in full) s. to. / s. d. / s. the. / s. is. (without author, date, place, or publisher) [sic] to
report an error or a surprising statement in a text that is being cited v. / vv. (verse / verses) vol.
/ vols. (volume / volumes)

FINAL GOLDEN RULE

Always proceed in the same way. “The writer must choose a system and always apply it
consistently throughout the work. Constancy and consistency are in fact the virtues that
distinguish the true researcher from the amateur.” (R. Farina)

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