The DTS Academic Style Guide is Here!
Most institutions of higher education maintain specific style requirements for written assignments, and Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS) is no exception. Familiarity with DTS’s guidelines for writing and formatting papers is essential for producing high-quality academic work. The Dallas Theological Seminary Style Guide serves as a comprehensive, accessible reference, detailing the conventions and requirements for effective scholarly writing. This guide will replace CMoS, Turabian, SBL, and the DTS Turabian Supplement and will be required for all fall 2026 courses and beyond. Click on the image below for the PDF.
The Writing Center’s mission is to equip students for excellence in written communication, so they excel in their academic pursuits and future ministry opportunities, as they pursue the love of God and neighbor. We provide personalized coaching and practical resources to help students grow as clear, confident, and effective writers.
We offer:
Accessible Online Resources: Find style guides, templates, and tips for every stage of the writing process.
Workshops & Webinars: Join sessions led by writing experts and faculty to sharpen your skills on specific topics.
Writing Support & Q&A: Get your questions answered about DTS formatting, citations, grammar, and more.
Meet with or submit a paper to the Writing Center
The Writing Center is now fully open to all DTS master’s program students (the Writing Center does not currently provide APA support). Now, every student can receive writing support—including 1:1 coaching and assignment feedback. Below are the links for you to schedule a meeting with the Writing Center and/or submit a writing assignment for review. You can also email us at writing@dts.edu. To schedule a meeting or submit an assignment, select one of the links below.
Schedule a Microsoft Teams Meeting with the Writing Center
Schedule an In-Person Meeting with the Writing Center
Submit an Assignment to the Writing Center for Review
Fall 2026 Workshops
All Writing Center events will have a video conference or online option available.
Live Dallas Campus and Online Sessions
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Live Online Sessions
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Semester Planning and Time Management
One critical step students should take each semester is organizing their assignments. The resources below provides students one pathway to organize their course requirements for a given term.
- The PowerPoint slides from the above presentation are available here.
Once students develop a Semester Plan, they must execute that plan by making good use of their time. Below are various strategies and methods to manage time and complete projects.
Please use the tool provided below to plan out a typical week during a normal semester of seminary. Our hope is that this tool will help you wisely account for all of the most important things in life so that you can keep first things first!
Time Management Workshop Slides (PDF)
| Activity | Hours per Week |
|---|---|
| Spiritual Disciplines | Pursuing Christ (private and public). |
| Physical Fitness |
Steward God's temple for His glory. |
| Work | Required for DTS scholarships. |
| Church/Ministry | To serve others and to be served. |
| Internship | For DTS: 7-10 hours per week. |
| Recreation | Take delight in God’s creation! |
| Commuting | To class, work, church, etc. |
| Sleep | 8 hours per night= 56 hours. |
| Meals | Even a taco-run takes time. |
| Family Time | Call your mother. Date your husband. |
| Personal Prep | Preparing for the day or next activity. |
| Chores/Errands /Paying Bills |
Vital for life to keep moving forward. |
| Miscellaneous | Social media, Netflix, etc. |
| Credit Hours | This will help you determine how many hours will be spent in lecture and homework. |
| Lecture Hours | Lecture hours are approximately equal to credit hours. |
| Homework | For every hour in lecture each week, plan to spend 2-3 hours in outside work. |
| Committed |
0hrs.
0% |
| Free Time |
168hrs.
100%
Try to maintain a slight buffer (10-20 hours) just in case of emergencies and unforeseen circumstances. |
Writing Templates and Citation Requirements
The following templates equip students with the essential framework to begin most DTS papers. If you have downloaded any template previously, you will need to clear the cache in your internet browser settings before downloading the template again.
The DTS Turabian Supplement outlines DTS style preferences, which may diverge from Turabian, delineates paper formatting requirements, details biblical book abbreviations, and provides the DTS capitalization list. Students should consult the DTS Turabian Supplement often. A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses and Dissertations (9th edition) by Kate L. Turabian, in its paperback version or online copy, is another invaluable source for students. NOTE: DTS uses the Notes-Bibliography style rather than Author-Date.
Fundamentals of Turabian Workshop (18 minutes):
Students are not required to use citation management software. However, students may find these tools beneficial when working on various research projects or papers with multiple resource. The Writing Center team helps students in using Zotero.
Plagiarism occurs in research whenever a writer appropriates material that falls outside the sphere of common knowledge and is from any source not his own without indicating his or her indebtedness to that source. Plagiarism constitutes a serious academic and ethical impropriety. Two resources to help students understand and avoid plagiarism are:
Effective Writing
This 2-page document provides an overview of academic writing and best practices.
Effective Academic Writing Workshop (24 minutes):
- The PowerPoint slides from our Fall 2024 event is available here.
These two handouts identify common English grammar errors and when to use the indefinite or definite article:
For additional guidance on English grammar, students may use GrammarBook.com to take free grammar quizzes and receive additional explanation of grammar rules.
Research is a skill students can learn with diligent study, regular practice, and clear feedback. The following resources provide students a starting point in their research journey.
Finding Academic Sources Workshop (23 minutes):
Languages
ThM students take five semesters of Greek (NT5101-5105). Free tutoring is available for Greek. Please contact the New Testament (Greek) department for tutor availability.
Greek Tutor for Fall 2025:
- Ricardo Uriegas – ruriegas@dts.edu
ThM students take four semesters of Hebrew. Free tutoring is Hebrew students on a group or individual basis. Please contact the tutors directly for their availability.
Hebrew Tutors for Spring 2026:
- James Alongi – jamesalongi@dallasseminary.edu
- Danielle Osborne – danielleosborne@dallasseminary.edu
- David Kim – dkim@dts.edu
We’ve created a free, self-enroll course in Canvas for students preparing to begin NT5101 or OT5101 with an introduction to the alphabet and other exercises to prepare students for their first day. The course also provides exercises to keep up with Greek or Hebrew over a Christmas or summer break.
Bible Exposition
The library team hosted a series of events. This 50-minute video explains how to format a synthetic chart for biblical books using Excel.
The following video provides an overview of the BE5104 Map Assignment.
The Writing Center provides some general guidelines for how to approach and complete the BE Argument paper. Always review your professor’s specific instructions and assignment criteria.
Doctrinal Synthesis (ST5101-5106)
The Doctrinal Synthesis Template (Word) provides the essential structure for the paper and some explanation for each section.
A Systematic Theology Capstone Doctrinal Synthesis Project is required in ST5106, which draws on doctrinal synthesis papers prepared for ST5101–ST5105. Students who receive advanced standing or transfer credit for ST5102, ST5103, ST5104 or ST5105 are encouraged to begin completing their required doctrinal synthesis papers after taking ST5101. The ST Doctrinal Synthesis Guidelines for AS Students (PDF) assists students with how to complete these papers.
Reading
Students receive various reading assignments in each course. The following chart is an example of the approximate time for different types of reading.
Types of Reading | Amount of Time | Example |
Reading, Light (biography, light application) | 1 min / page | 200 pages = 3.5 hours |
Reading, Heavy (dense theology, commentary) | 4 min / page | 300 pages = 20 hours |
Each semester, Dr. Greg Hatteberg (Director of Alumni and adjunct BE professor) provides a course in Canvas on Speed Reading. Students may register at any point during the fall or spring terms. Below are the information and instructions on how to enroll:
Thesis Forms
Students must follow the policies and requirements for a Thesis outlined in the current Student Handbook. Below are the key documents for registration or later stages of the Thesis writing process.
