The DTS Writing Center provides academic support for DTS students in their degree pursuits. We seek to coach students in their written communication skills to see them thrive in their current studies and future ministry endeavors. We support students by:
- Providing accessible resources on our website
- Hosting workshops, seminars, or webinars on specific topics with other subject-matter experts
- Answering questions students have about various academic writing items
Currently, the Writing Center is not able to review assignments for all DTS students. In Spring 2025, students on academic probation, international students, new DTS beginning Spring 2025, or those enrolled in 5101 courses (BE5101, ST5101, EML5101, PM5101) are able to receive additional support from the Writing Center team (reviewing assignments or meeting 1:1 with students). However, all students can submit questions about the writing process or Turabian by emailing: writing@dts.edu
Upcoming Writing Center Events (Spring 2025)
The Writing Center events will have a video conference or online option available. We plan to record the session’s content and make it available approximately 1-2 weeks after each event.
Day Sessions (In Person and Online)
| Date (All Times US Central) | Event Name | Location |
Tuesday, January 14 from 12–12:50pm | Time Management & Semester Planning | CAC 110 (Dallas) |
Thursday, January 23 from 11am–12:30pm | From Topic to Thesis | CAC 203 (Dallas) |
Thursday, February 6 from 11am–12:30pm | Writing the Doctrinal Synthesis, Part 1: Brief Statement | CAC 203 (Dallas) |
Thursday, February 13 from 11am–12:30pm | Crafting the BE Argument | CAC 203 (Dallas) |
Thursday, February 20 from 11am–12:30pm | Writing the Doctrinal Synthesis, Part 2: Detailed Explanation | CAC 203 (Dallas) |
Thursday, March 6 from 11am–12:30pm | Writing the Doctrinal Synthesis, Part 3: Practical Response | CAC 203 (Dallas) |
Thursday, March 27 from 11–11:50am | Engaging with Academic Sources | CAC 203 (Dallas) |
Thursday, April 10 from 11–11:50am | Sentence Foundations for Academic Writing | CAC 203 (Dallas) |
Evening Sessions (Online Only)
| Date (All Times US Central) | Event Name | Location |
| Tuesday, January 14 from 5–5:50pm | Time Management & Semester Planning | Join Online |
| Tuesday, January 28 from 5–6:30pm | From Topic to Thesis | Join Online |
| Tuesday, February 11 from 5–6:30pm | Writing the Doctrinal Synthesis, Part 1: Brief Statement | Join Online |
| Tuesday, February 18 from 5–6:30pm | Crafting a BE Argument | Join Online |
| Tuesday, February 25 from 5–6:30pm | Writing the Doctrinal Synthesis, Part 2: Detailed Explanation | Join Online |
| Thursday, March 6 from 5–6:30pm | Writing the Doctrinal Synthesis, Part 3: Practical Response | Join Online |
| Tuesday, April 1 from 5–5:50pm | Engaging with Academic Sources | Join Online |
| Tuesday, April 15 from 5–5:50pm | Sentence Foundations for Academic Writing | Join Online |
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.
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!
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 | 6hrs. 3.57% |
| Free Time | 162hrs. 96.43% Try to maintain a slight buffer (10-20 hours) just in case of emergencies and unforeseen circumstances. |
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):
Templates and Turabian Citations
The following templates equip students with the essential framework to begin most DTS papers.
- Turabian Template with Explanation (library website)
- Turabian Template with No Explanation (library website)
- Doctrinal Synthesis Paper Template (ST5101-5106)
Dr. Torey Teer (Theological Studies) provides guidance on how to cite the Bible or other works using Turabian. Students should consult the DTS Turabian Supplement and Chapter 17 in A Manual for Writer’s (9th edition) by Kate L. Turabian in its paperback version or online copy. DTS uses the Notes-Bibliography style rather than Author-Date.
- DTS Turabian Supplement (library website)
- How to Cite the Bible
- Quick Guide on Citing Various Works in Turabian
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 Library team provides an overview of Bibliographic Citation Management Software. The Writing Center team will also help students (to the best of our ability) 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:
Biblical 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 2024:
- Lindsay Ann Nickens – lanickens@gmail.com
ThM students take four semesters of Hebrew. Free tutoring is Hebrew students on a group or individual basis. Please contact the Old Testament (Hebrew) department for tutor availability.
Hebrew Tutors for Spring 2025:
- James Alongi – jamesalongi@dallasseminary.edu
- Arnon Batista – arnonbatista@dallasseminary.edu
- Lindsay Ann Nickens – lanickens@gmail.com
- Danielle Osborne – danielleosborne@dallasseminary.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 shortened URL mentioned in the video no longer works. However, we will post the link and document when it is available.
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 is the information for Fall 2024 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.
