HOUSESTYLE

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DON BOSCO CENTER OF STUDIES House Style and Research Code of Practice
DON BOSCO CENTER OF STUDIES

Paranaque City, Philippines
House Style and Research Code of Practice

Guide for the MRS Program
Research Development & Communications Office

Updated: June 2016 (Ad experimentum)
Guide for the MRS Program Updated: June 2016

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DBCS HOUSE STYLE AND RESEARCH CODE OF PRACTICE
Getting Started
To All Professors and Students of Don Bosco Center of Studies:
The DBCS House Style and Research Code of Practice is applied in all research endeavors in the
institution — including all assigned papers in class, theological synthesis papers for Bachelor in Theology
(BTh) students, thesis papers for Master of Arts in Theology (MATh) candidates, project papers for
Master in Religious Studies (MRS) candidates, as well as papers for publication.
Please note that there are two sets of this guide: Guide for the MATh and BTh Programs and Guide for
the MRS Program. Both consist of the House Style, which is divided into two parts. Part I is the same for
both guides, and presents the General Notes in Academic Writing. The difference can be found in Part II
of the House Style as well as in the Appendices: In Guide for the MATh and BTh Programs, Part II
presents the Instructions for Thesis Paper Writing and the Appendices present examples and/or forms to
be used in the process of completing the thesis paper as well as the synthesis paper; while in Guide for
the MRS Program, Part II presents the Instructions for Project Paper Writing and the Appendices present
examples and/or forms to be used in the process of completing the project paper. In both guides, the
last section is the Research Code of Practice which lists the responsibilities of the members of the
academic community when it comes to research.
The Research Office acknowledges the efforts of all who have contributed to the completion of this
document. It is especially indebted to Rev. Fr. Anthony Dung Ngoc Nguyen, SDB, MATh, SThD for his
invaluable efforts and contribution.
This document was released ad experimentum on October 2015 in time for the Second Semester of
Academic Year 2015–2016. The document has been updated in June 2016 to further clarify certain
matters and/or to polish further the different sections.
For any questions and concerns please contact us.
Research Development & Communications Office

Don Bosco Center of Studies
Michael Rua St. cor. Israel St.,
Better Living Subdivision
Paranaque City, Philippines
Phone Nos.: (+632) 8239483, 8233290, 8246787 Loc. 201

Fax No.: (+632) 8223613
Email: research@dbcs.edu.ph
Website: research.dbcs.edu.ph

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Table of Contents
DBCS HOUSE STYLE
Part I General Notes in Academic Writing
Direct Quotations
General Rules………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………1
Capitalization………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………3
Interpolation……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….4
Footnoting
Purpose……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...5
Related Rules and Guidelines………………………………………………………………………………………………………9
Scriptural Citations………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..13
Numbers………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..........14
Date and Time……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….15
Highlighting……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………17
Abbreviated Forms………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..17
Expressions and Others………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….17
Editing the Paper……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………17
Printed Documentation Style: Footnote and Bibliography Citations
Books………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..........18
Author………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….18
Title of Work…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………22
Volume Book………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..22
Edition………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….24
Periodicals…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………25
Journal………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….25
Magazine……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..25
Newspaper…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..25
Encyclopedia/Dictionary…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..25

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Others…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…26
Speech/Address/Lecture/Homily/Sermon………………………………………………………………26
Interview………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..26
Electronic Documentation Style: Footnote and Bibliography Citations
Computer Software…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..27
Periodicals available in both CD-ROM and in Print………………………………………………….27
Periodicals available in CD-ROM…………………………………………………………………………….27
On-line Sources………………………………………………………………………………………………………27
E-News Groups and Bulletin Boards……………………………………………………………………….27
Website………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….28
Part II Instructions for Project Paper Writing
What is a Project Paper?.............................................................................................................................29
Why write a Project Paper?........................................................................................................................29
Notes on Style.............................................................................................................................................29
Front Matter………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….30
Back Matter…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..32
Three Stages in Writing a Project Paper………………………………………………………………………………………………...34
Writing a Prospectus…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..34
Crafting the Project Paper Proposal……………………………………………………………………………………35
Producing the Project Paper……………………………………………………………………………………………….36
Detailed Format of the Project Paper…………………………………………………………………………………………………….37
RESEARCH CODE OF PRACTICE
Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..39
Responsibilities of DBCS as an Institution………………………………………………………………………………………………39
Responsibilities at the Institute Level…………………………………………………………………………………………………….40
Requirements and Responsibilities of Advisers………………………………………………………………………………………40
Requirements for MATh and MRS Candidates……………………………………………………………………………………….41

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Responsible Research Guidelines…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..41
APPENDICES
Appendix 1: Sample Title Page…………………………….………………………………………………………………………………..43
Appendix 2: Abstract Format Sheet………..……………………………………………………………………………………………..44
Appendix 3: Sample Table of Contents…..………………………………………………………………………………………………45
Appendix 4: Forms
Project Paper Proposal Form………………………………………………………………………………………………46
Project Paper Work Schedule……………………………………………………………………………………………..47
Project Paper Presentation Form………………………………………………………………………………………..49
Project Paper Continuation Endorsement Form………………………………………………………………….50
Appendix 5: Project Paper Evaluation Guide..………………………………………………………………………………………..51
Appendix 6: Resources Monitoring Sheet………..…………………………………………………………………………………….53
Appendix 7: Project Paper Certificate of Originality…,,…………………………………………………………………………..54

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House Style 1
PART I: GENERAL NOTES IN ACADEMIC WRITING2

DBCS students and researchers can learn more about the technicalities needed for academic
writing in this section. The research and writing process, while involving space for creativity and
individuality, entails complying with instructions and guidelines that are essential in producing a
work of academic merit. This section includes as much as possible important details and
examples pertaining to the field of Theology. If students should encounter matters that are not
included here in the course of their research, the rule is to go to the basis of this House Style, Kate
Turabian’s A Manual for Writers.
DIRECT QUOTATIONS
Insert a footnote on the same page to acknowledge the source of each direct quotation. While
indirect quotations (i.e., paraphrased, restated, or summarized) are also acknowledged with a
footnote, only direct quotations appear as “run-in” or “set-off” text (see below). For more
information on how to footnote, see the section on Footnoting below.
General Rules
1. Use the “run-in” style for shorter direct quotations, i.e., five typewritten lines or less, which
should be enclosed in quotation marks.
Example:
As Joseph Ratzinger wrote in his book, The God of Jesus Christ, “God has a name, and
God calls us by our name. He is a Person, and he seeks the person. He has a face, and he seeks
our face. He has a heart, and he seeks our heart.”3
2. Use the “set-off” style (single space) for longer direct quotations, i.e., more than five
typewritten lines. Instead of enclosing it in quotation marks, separate the set-off direct
quotation from the preceding text with a space, like a new paragraph. The whole quotation is
indented on both sides, using the same measurements for paragraph indentation. It is likewise
separated by a space from the succeeding text.
1
This House Style is mostly indebted to Kate Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses
and Dissertations, 8th ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2013); Nancy Jean Vyhmeister, Quality Research
Paper For Students of Religion and Theology (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2001); Francisco M. Zulueta,
Nestor Edilberto B. Costales, Jr., Methods of Research, Thesis Writing and Applied Statistics (Mandaluyong City:
National Bookstore, 2003); Harry Teitelbaum, How to Write a Thesis: A Guide to the Research Paper (New York:
Arco Publishing, 1989); University of Santo Tomas, Thesis Writing Guide for UST Graduate School (Manila: UST
Publishing House, 1995).
2
This particular section is essentially indebted to José Antonio E. Aureada, Thesis Writing for Theology
Students: A Primer (Manila: University of Santo Tomas Publishing House, 2009), 82–143; Edgar G. Javier,
Techniques and Thesis Writing: A Practical Guide (Quezon City: Claretian Publications & ICLA Publications,
2007), 36–82; and Turabian, Manual for Writers.

2
Example:
Yet, even though the term “Father” carries the tone of “personal relationship,” it was
simply seen in the Old Testament as a “name” or “designation” of God which the Israelites used
to address God. On this particular issue, O’Collins pointed out:
Naming God “Father” expressed His deep involvement in the story of Israel, its
kingly leaders, and its righteous ones. The name has nothing to do with physical
generation.… While occurring in a variety of historical, prophetic, and sapiential
texts, this divine name cannot be called frequent in the Old Testament, but it will
become the favored name in the New Testament, especially in the Gospel of
John.4
3. When the set-off direct quotation is preceded by an incomplete sentence that is not a
quotation, put a punctuation mark as needed (a comma, in the example below), depending on
the syntax. Since the direct quotation continues or completes the preceding thought, it begins
with a lowercase.
Example:
According to Hans Urs von Balthasar,
faith, in this case, means the fundamental response to the love that has offered
itself up for me. A response that always comes too late because the deed God
carried out in Christ, the bearing away of my sins, has already taken place, before
any response was possible, before a response could even be considered. Occurring
thus in pure gratuity, the deed demonstrates pure and absolute love.5
This faith needs to be cultivated and lived in an intimate relationship with God and service to our
brothers and sisters.
4. For a set-off direct quotation that has two or more paragraphs, do not put line spaces to
separate the paragraphs of the quotation. Further indent the first line of the succeeding
paragraph(s).
Example:
Explaining the concept “participation,” Karol Wojtyla said:
Participation corresponds to the person’s transcendence and integration in action

because, as we have already emphasized, it allows man, when he acts together
with other men, to realize thereby and at once the authentically personalistic value
— the performance of the action and the fulfillment of himself in the action.
In this correlation “participation” signifies, on the one hand, that ability of
acting “together with others” which allows the realization of all that results from
communal acting and simultaneously enables the one who is acting to realize
thereby the personalistic value of his action. However, this ability is followed by
its actualization. Thus the notion of “participation” includes here both that ability
and its realization.8

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5. In a set-off direct quotation, maintain double quotation marks that appear in the original text.
Since the run-in format is already enclosed in double quotation marks, replace with single
quotation marks the double quotation marks found in the original text.
Example:
Set-off
Joseph Ratzinger (Benedict XVI) stressed the fact that
Saint Augustine declared this in a saying that he had heard in a sort of vision: “Eat
the bread of the strong, and yet you will not change me into yourself; rather, I will
transform you into me.” In other words, the bodily nourishment that we consume
is assimilated by the body and itself becomes a structural component of our body.
But this bread is of another sort. It is greater and more substantial than we are. We
do not assimilate it into ourselves, but rather it assimilates us into itself, so that we
are conformed to Christ — in Paul’s words, as members of his body, one in him.15
Run-in
Pope Benedict XVI stressed the fact that “Saint Ignatius’ phrase — ‘living in accordance
with the Lord’s Day’ — also emphasizes that this holy day becomes paradigmatic for every other
day of the week.”10
Capitalization
To determine whether the first word of the direct quotation (whether run-in or set-off) will begin
with a capital letter (uppercase) or not (lowercase), consider the syntax of the preceding sentence
and how the direct quotation will fit into the text of your paper.
1. Change from uppercase to lowercase if the direct quotation will continue or complete the
executed sentence (see first example below); also change from lowercase to uppercase as
needed (see second example).
Example:
Run-in (from uppercase to lowercase)
Peter observes that “from day one of his public ministry Jesus denounces violence and
injustice and announces the good news of nonviolence.”4
Note that the original begins with From.

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Set-off (from lowercase to uppercase)

Balthasar observed:
Love is unconditional assent to and readiness for God’s will, whether this will
has expressed itself yet or not; love is an a priori Yes to whatever may come,
whether it be the Cross, or being plunged into absolute abandonment, or being
forgotten, or utter uselessness and meaninglessness. It is the Son’s Yes to the
Father, the Mother’s Yes to the angel, because he carries God’s Word, the
Church’s Yes, given in and with all her members to her Lord’s sovereign will.9
Note that in the original ― “One must first of all endure this apparent formlessness, for love
is unconditional assent to and readiness for God’s will, whether this will has expressed itself
yet or not….”
2. Begin with an uppercase letter if the direct quotation is presented as a complete sentence, or
it is formally introduced as a quotation.
Example:
Nichols, with the sources of theology considered, distinguished three kinds of human
experience; and, citing Schillebeeckx, insisted on the presence of a refractory element in human
experience as the contributory factor in our ability to articulate what revelation is all about. At
this point, Nichols asked, “May it [i.e., the refractory element] not be in fact a gift….from a
source that we must think of in basically personal terms?”7
Note that in the original ― “Here we pass from a possible experience of God as the ground of
the world, as the foundation of ordinary experience, to the experience of the self-revealing
God made possible by faith. Schillebeeckx, in the book I cited earlier, speaks of the
refractory element in human experience as itself leading us to formulate the concept of
revelation. Since reality is given in experience, may it not be in fact a gift? And moreover, a
gift from a source that we must think of in basically personal terms?”
Interpolation
1. Explanatory Material: When needed, further clarify the quoted material by way of
interpolation (in this case, the act of putting or inserting words into the direct quotation).
Enclose the clarification or explanation in brackets to clearly show that it does not come from
the author of the quoted material.
Example:
“No society in which these liberties [i.e., liberty of conscience, liberty of pursuits, and
freedom to unite] are not, on the whole, respected, is free, whatever may be its form of
government.”8
2. Emphasis: Interpolation may also take the form of emphasizing words or expressions within
the direct quotation. In this case, italicize the parts that need to be emphasized and

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acknowledge this at the end of the corresponding footnote with the words “Emphasis mine.”
(or) “Emphasis added.”
Example:
Giussani said: “If by ‘tradition’ we mean the whole structure of values and meanings into
which a child is born, then the first guideline for educating adolescents is loyally adhering to
tradition.”24
24
Luigi Giussani, The Risk of Education: Discovering Our Ultimate Destiny trans.
Rosanna M. Giammanco (New York: Crossroad Publishing; Crossroad Books, 2001), 52–53.
Emphasis mine.
FOOTNOTING
Research papers in DBCS make use of footnotes, not endnotes, and include a bibliography at the
end. In a paper consisting of several chapters, each chapter begins with footnote no. 1.
Purpose
Footnoting is important because it serves more than one purpose, including those listed below.
1. Acknowledge indebtedness: As a rule, be sure to write the source of information of every

direct quotation in a footnote. The same must also be done for indirect quotations (i.e.,
paraphrased, condensed, summarized). The only exception to this rule is when it is certain
that the data is common knowledge.
Where should the footnote appear? Immediately at the end of the direct quotation or of the
paraphrased, condensed, or summarized text; or immediately at the end of the section title in
cases where several paragraphs from one source are paraphrased, condensed, or summarized
to form a particular section of the research paper.
Example 1: Direct Quotation

Smith reiterates “the fact that Thomas states ‘that in all intellect, there is a procession of
an inner world’ is not a datum of rational reflection but the truth as made known by revelation
(from John 1, for instance).”26
Timothy L. Smith, Thomas Aquinas’ Trinitarian Theology: A Study in Theological

26
Method (Washington DC: The Catholic University of America Press, 2003), 76.
Example 2: Indirect Quotation

Ultimately, it is Mary of Nazareth who best exemplifies womanhood. Every woman
should look to Mary, to whom God entrusted His only begotten Son, so she can learn and
become more like the perfect model of femininity and motherhood.24

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24
John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Redemptoris Mater (25 March 1987), no. 46.
Note that footnotes of direct and indirect quotations are written with the same format. But
direct quotations are easily distinguished from indirect quotations because the former are either
enclosed in double quotation marks (run-in) or separated from the rest of the text (set-off).
2. Establish validity of evidence: Use footnotes to ensure that the text is accurate or that the
information (and/or argument) presented is solidly founded on authority ― on the sources,
and not baseless or unsound.
Example:
For O’Connell, “this use of the term ‘vocation’ may at first seem strange. For some it has
had only a limited meaning, being identified with the entrance of individuals into the clerical
state or religious communities.”14
Timothy E. O’Connell, Principles for a Catholic Morality, rev. ed. (New York: Harper
14
San Francisco, 1990), 119.
3. Provide cross-references: Use “see” for most cross-references (i.e., for supporting footnote
citations), including scriptural citations which are included in the body text; only use “cf.”
(confer) if the intention is to refer to a source for the purpose of comparison (i.e., a different
proposition than the one mentioned in the paper).
Do not use “see” for direct quotations or for paraphrased, condensed or summarized
expressions (see Acknowledge indebtedness, the first item under Footnoting: Purpose above).
Example:
In the text
The sociability of man is a demand of his nature, of his being a human person. This trait
can be seen in the different expressions of social life. Some belong to the natural order: family
and political society geared to the common good.15
In the footnote
15
See Pius XI, Encyclical Divini Redemptoris (19 March 1937), nos. 27–29.
In the text
According to John the Evangelist, Jesus, as the Word, was God even before creation
began (see Jn 1:1).
Cross-reference also within the paper by using page numbers and/or footnote numbers to
point or refer readers to other parts of the paper. Note that it is safer to add the cross-
references only when all the pages of the paper have been set; otherwise, be sure to update
them when changes in pagination occur.

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Format:
“See” + (page number[s] or footnote number[s]) + “above” (to mean earlier pages) or
“below” (to mean later pages).
Example:
The laity, as living and full members of the Church, are “gathered together in the People
of God and established in the one Body of Christ.”3 “The apostolate of the laity is a sharing in
the salvific mission of the Church.”4 Through Baptism and Confirmation the laity are appointed
to this apostolate by the Lord himself. The laity are given the special vocation: to make the
Church present and fruitful in those places and circumstances where it is only through them that
she can become the salt of the earth.
The ecclesiological foundation of the common priesthood brings about some important
results. First, it recognizes and promotes the essential and active role that lay people have in the
Church’s mission. This affirms that the lay people are no longer passive bystanders or recipients
of the Church’s ministry, but they are active participants in it.5
3
LG, no. 33. See also AA, no. 2.
4
Ibid.
5
See AA, no. 1; LG, no. 30; also pp. 24–25 above.
4. Amplify ideas: Use footnotes to add and/or highlight data that would otherwise disrupt or
complicate the discussion if it is included in the body text. Among the data that can be placed
in footnotes to amplify ideas include the following:
 Technical discussions or definitions;

 Incidental comments;
 Corollary materials;
 Additional data; and
 Reconciliation of conflicting views.
Example:
The signs are themselves the very vehicles of their deeper religious meaning, to
paraphrase a Ricoeurian principle.17
17
This is a liturgical appropriation of the principle set forth by Paul Ricoeur in his essay
“The Hermeneutics of Symbols and Philosophical Reflection: I,” in The Conflict of
Interpretations: Essays in Hermeneutics, ed. Don Ihde, trans. Denis Savage (Evanston:
Northwestern University Press, 1974), 289–290.
5. Provide additional bibliography: Use footnotes to refer readers to other helpful or

recommended sources.

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Example:
It was early in his life18 when, as a young teenager student of the University of Naples,
the urge to synthesize radical opposing viewpoints was like a burning coal in his chest.
18
See Josef Pieper, Introduction to Thomas Aquinas, trans. Richard and Clara Winston
(London: Faber and Faber, 1962), 27–58, passim; see also James A. Weiseipl, OP, Friar Thomas
d’Aquino: His Life, Thought and Works (Garden City, New York: Doubleday, 1974); Thomas
Franklin O’Meara, Thomas Aquinas, Theologian (Notre Dame/London: University of Notre
Dame Press, 1997).
6. Present the full text in the original language for translated text: When including
quotations in a foreign language, use the English translation of the direct quotation (run-in or
set-off) in the body text, and present the full text in the original language in the
corresponding footnote along with the source.
Example:
We name God as one and three according to the way in which creatures are individuated,
as form and suppositum. We say, “This is a man of perfect virtue,” to signify the virtue as a
form. So when we wish to signify the divine essence, which is not multiplied by way of the
Persons, we predicate the essence of the Persons as a form:
Because nature designates the principle of action and essence is said of one being,
something can be said of one nature that pertains to some act as everything that
heats (possesses the nature of heating); but “of one essence” cannot be said of
something unless it is one being. Therefore, the divine unity is better expressed by
the statement “three Persons are of one essence” than if it is said that they are of
one nature. 9
____________________
9
Quod, quia natura designat principium actus, essentia vero ad essendo dicitur, possunt
dici aliqua unius naturae, quae convenient in aliquot actu, sicut omnia calefacientia: sed unius
essentiae dici non possunt, nisi quorum est unum esse. Et ideo magis exprimitur unitas divina
per hoc quod dicitur quod tres Personae sunt unius essentiae, quam si diceretur quod sunt unius
naturae. (S.T. q. 39, a. 2 ad 3. Emphasis mine.)
Aside from footnoting, the original text can also be placed in the body text through
interpolation. Choose one of these two ways of presenting the text in the original language,
and be consistent throughout the paper.
Example:
Cajetan’s division of analogy is launched from the trimembered division of analogy in St.
Thomas’ commentary on the first book of the Sentences which we have encountered in the
previous chapter. We quote the passage in part, thus:

9
Something is predicated analogously [dicitur secundum analogiam] in three

ways.…
Related Rules and Guidelines
Following are some rules and guidelines related to footnoting.
1. How to make subsequent references: After the complete reference of a source has already
been presented in a footnote (see Printed Documentation Style and Electronic
Documentation Style below for examples), include only the following data in subsequent
footnotes for the same source (i.e., those not immediately following the complete footnote
which would otherwise use “Ibid.”):
 Author’s family name (for up to three authors, write each family name; for more than
three, put et al. after the first author);
 Title of work (shortened, i.e., remove articles “the” and “a”); and
 Volume number (if any) and page number (when applicable; e-sources for example
may not have page numbers).
Note that the first three footnotes in the example below are first and full references. The last
two are subsequent references.
Remove the following from subsequent references:
 Subtitle (or alternate title), if any;

 Facts of publication;
 Series title, if any;
 Edition (unless other editions of the same work are also cited); and
 Total number of volumes, for a multi-volume work.
Note that using op. cit. and loc. cit. is no longer recommended.
Example:
1
J.D. Crichton, Our Lady in the Liturgy (Collegeville, Minnesota: Liturgical Press,
1997), 36–37.
2
Virginia Ramey Mollenkott, The Divine Feminine: The Biblical Imagery of God as
Female (New York: Crossroad, 1993), 24–25.
3
John Dear, The God of Peace: Toward A Theology of Non-Violence (Maryknoll, New
York: Orbis Books, 1994), 134–135.
4
Mollenkott, Divine Feminine, 82.
5
Dear, God of Peace, 67.

10
For multi-volume works, see the example below.
Example:
2
Tucker Brooke, The Renaissance (1500–1600) vol. 2 of A Literary History of England,
ed. Albert C. Baugh (New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1948), 104.
10
Brooke, Renaissance, 2:130.
2. How to write Scriptural Citations: Do not use footnotes for scriptural citations. Instead,
include both the quotation and source in the body text. For more information, see Scriptural
Citations below.
3. How to refer to Church Documents: Quotations from Church documents should include
the number within the document where the quoted text may be found instead of the page
number.
Format:
Name of Authority (Council, Congregation, Commission, Conferences, or Pope), Name
of document in italic letters (acronym or abbreviation in italic letters) (date month year)
or (place and year), quoted number.
Example:
8
Vatican II, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium (LG) (21 November 1964), no. 3.
Note that the preceding style or the following may be used. Be consistent.
Alternative:
8
Vatican II, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium (LG) (Rome 1964), no. 3.
Subsequent footnote:
15
LG, no. 45.
4. How to work with citations from secondary sources: When dealing with a source that
quotes or cites another work made by a different author, include both works.
Example:
1
Collectanea Sacrae Congregationis de Propaganda Fidei (Rome 1907), 1, 32–43,
quoted (or cited) in The Christian Faith: Doctrinal Documents of the Catholic Church, eds. J.
Neuner SJ and J. Dupuis SJ (Bangalore: Theological Publications, 1991), 343–344.
To highlight that the secondary author quoted from the original, use the following style.

11
Example:
2
J. Neuner SJ and J. Dupuis SJ, eds., The Christian Faith: Doctrinal Documents of the
Catholic Church (Bangalore: Theological Publications, 1991), 343–344 quoting (or citing)
Collectanea Sacrae Congregationis de Propaganda Fidei (Rome 1907), 1, 32–43.
5. How to cite sources within the body text: Sources may be cited within the body text by
placing the author’s name. Write the full name of the author as it appears in the publication
(and also, if it is important or of great significance to do so, the complete title of the work
[i.e, with the subtitle, if any]) on the first time the source is cited in the chapter. When
referring again to the same source in the same chapter, write only the family name of the
author (if the title is to be written again, drop the subtitle, if any). For a new chapter, the
author’s full name (and the complete title [i.e., with the subtitle, if any]) is written again,
since every chapter starts with footnote no. 1.
Example:
According to Paul Knitter, Buddhism had helped him immensely….
Knitter said that he wants to be very careful….
In John Paul II’s Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body….
Man and Woman He Created Them presents the Polish Pope’s “adequate
anthropology”….
6. How to use ibid./idem or id./passim/sic: Note that these terms are not italicized (expect sic)
or written in bold. Capitalize only when the term begins a footnote (i.e., ibid.) for the rest
lowercase is used, and always include a period for abbreviated forms only (i.e., ibid. and id.).
 Ibid. (from ibidem [“the same place”]) – When the footnote mentions the same
source as the footnote that immediately precedes it (regardless of whether they appear
on the same page of the research paper or not), use ibid. which takes the place of the
author’s name, title, and particulars such as volume number and page number, etc.
Never use it with the author’s name and the title; and do not use it if the preceding
footnote includes more than one source.
Particulars such as volume number and page number are included after “Ibid.” (e.g.,
Ibid., 8:33, in which page 33 of volume 8 is cited) only if these are different from that
of the preceding footnote; otherwise only ibid. appears. Also use ibid. when referring
again to the same source within the same footnote.
Example 1:
In the book of Genesis, we find the divine descent of humanity and their relationship with
God: “God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness….’ So God created man in
his own image, in the image of God he created him” (Gen 1:26–27).3

12
The divine calling, particularly after the fall of man, resembles a group character in the
Israelite people whom God selected as his chosen people.4 Later on, this divine adoption5 took
on an individual character in the persons of the pious kings like David and Solomon who were
called “sons of God.”6
3
Stavropoulos, “Partakers of Divine Nature,” 185. See also CSDC, 36.
4
Ibid.
“This divine adoption,” said Christoforos, “is nothing other than the call to all persons to
5
become divine ― a call to theosis” (ibid.).
(or)
“This divine adoption,” said Christoforos, “is nothing other than the call to all persons to
5
become divine ― a call to theosis.” (Ibid.)

6
Ibid.
Example 2:
1
R.S. Sugirthajah, The Bible and the Third World: Precolonial, Colonial and
Postcolonial Encounters (Cambridge: University Press, 2001), 102.
2
Ibid.
3
Ibid., 44.
 Idem/Id. (“the same”) – When citing additional work(s) by the same author in the
same footnote, use idem or the abbreviated form id. to refer to the author’s name.
Note that ibid. and idem are not interchangeable but each have their own purpose.
In the example below, the full citations of both works by the same authors have
already been given before ibid. and idem (footnote no. 5) are used.
Example:
1
Jose M. de Mesa and Lode L. Wostyn, Doing Theology: Basic Realities and Processes
(Quezon City: Claretian Publications, 1990), 98.
2
Ibid.,104.
3
Jose M. de Mesa and Lode L. Wostyn, Doing Christology: The Re-Appropriation of a
Tradition (Quezon City: Claretian Publications, 1990), 192.

13
4
Ibid.,54.
5
Ibid., 71; idem, Doing Theology, 150.
 Passim (“here and there”) – Use passim with discretion to refer to the same data that
is found in a long section (i.e. a chapter or a number of pages) of the source. It is
written immediately after the page numbers or the chapter number involved.
Example:
45
Stephen B. Bavans, Models of Contextual Theology, rev. and expanded ed. (Manila:
Logos Publications, 2002), chap. 6 passim.
 Sic (“so” or “thus”) – Use this to indicate that the error in the quoted text (i.e., in the
choice of words, use of logic, in the facts mentioned, and so on) is found in the
source. It does not apply to printing errors; correct misspelled words and other
mistakes that are obviously just typographical errors.
Always italicize, enclose in brackets, and place immediately after the error.
Example:
According to the article, “John Paul II’s immediate family included his father Karol Sr.,
his mother Emilia, and his brother Edmund [sic].”18 But contrary to what most people may know,
he also had in fact a sister, Olga, who passed away as an infant before he was born and whom he
included in his spiritual testament.
SCRIPTURAL CITATIONS
1. In the body text, include both the quotation and the source ― the title of the book (follow the
abbreviated form in the table below), and the chapter and verse separated by a colon.
Example:
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son" (Jn 3:16).
2. When several verses in the same book are referred to, use an en dash (to link the first verse to
the last verse), and a comma (if some verses in between are not included). Use a semi-colon
to separate passages from several books of the bible in a list.
Example:
Rom 8: 8–17; 1 Cor 12: 3b–7, 12–13

14
OLD TESTAMENT NEW TESTAMENT

Gen Genesis Is Isaiah Mt Matthew
Ex Exodus Jer Jeremiah Mk Mark
Lev Leviticus Lam Lamentations Lk Luke
Num Numbers Bar Baruch Jn John
Deut Deuteronomy Ezek Ezekiel Acts Acts of the Apostles
Josh Joshua Dan Daniel Rom Romans
Judg Judges Hos Hosea 1–2 Cor 1–2 Corinthians
Ruth Ruth Joel Joel Gal Galatians
1–2 Sam 1–2 Samuel Amos Amos Eph Ephesians
1–2 Kings 1–2 Kings Obad Obadiah Phil Philippians
1–2 Chron 1–2 Chronicles Jon Jonah Col Colossians
Ezra Ezra Mic Micah 1 Thess 1 Thessalonians
Neh Nehemiah Nahum Nahum 2 Thess 2 Thessalonians
Tob Tobit Hab Habakkuk 1 Tim 1 Timothy
Jud Judith Zeph Zephaniah 2 Tim 2 Timothy
Esth Esther Hag Haggai Tit Titus
1–2 Mac 1–2 Maccabees Zech Zechariah Philem Philemon
Job Job Mal Malachi Heb Hebrews
Ps Psalms Jas James
Prov Proverbs 1–2 Pet 1–2 Peter
Eccles Ecclesiastes 1–3 Jn 1–3 John
Song Song of Solomon Jude Jude
Wis Wisdom Rev Revelation (Apocalypse)
Sir Sirach (Ecclesiasticus)
NUMBERS
1. Spell out the following numbers:
 One to one hundred; and

 Whole numbers followed by hundred, thousand, hundred thousand, million, and so
on.
Use numerals or digits for the rest. This applies also to cardinal and ordinal numbers (see
second set of examples below).
Note that for scientific or statistical data, however, numeral forms are used for all numbers.
Example:
When the unification of Vietnam happened in 1975, the whole population of Vietnam
was less than fifty million.
There are 745 students in Don Bosco Center of Studies.
For cardinal and ordinal numbers, write second and third as 2d and 3d, instead of 2nd
and 3rd as in the example below.
Example:
On his 162d and 193d days of recovery after the assassination attempt on his life, John
Paul II received his twelfth and thirteenth letters, respectively, from the Roman Curia.

15
2. Series: Use numerals only when numbers appear in a series, i.e., a listing of numbers
referring to the same kind of thing.
Example:
Of the group served, 154 students come from the Philippines, 267 from Indonesia, 78
from East Timor, and 38 from Korea.
3. Initial Numbers: Never start a sentence with a numeral, whether or not there are other
numerals within the sentence.
Example:
Five hundred and twenty-five students have enrolled in Don Bosco Center of Studies for
Academic Year 2015–2016: 125 are enrolled in the Institute of Theological Formation (ITF), 50
in the Institute of Catechetics and Youth Ministry (ICYM), and 350 in the Institute for Religious
Formation (IRF).
Recommended
Of the 525 enrollees in Don Bosco Center of Studies for Academic Year 2015–2016, 125
are enrolled in the Institute of Theological Formation (ITF); 50 in the Institute of Catechetics and
Youth Ministry (ICYM); and 350 in the Institute for Religious Formation (IRF).
4. Percentages and Decimals: Write both as numerals. For percentages, use “%”for scientific
and statistical data, otherwise, write “percent.”
Example:
With interest at 8.3 percent, the total amount of deposits that Bank of the Philippine
Islands receives per day is PhP1.8 billion.
A grade of 3.8 is equivalent to 95%.
Write fractional and whole numbers in the same sentence or paragraph as numerals.
Example:
The average number of children allowed in Vietnam dropped from 3.2 to 2 per couple.
DATE AND TIME
1. Day, Month, and Year:
 Choose one of the two styles listed below and use it consistently:
Style 1: Day-Month-Year
On 24 November 2013, Pope Francis promulgated his Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii
Gaudium (“The Joy of the Gospel”).

16
Style 2: Month-Day-Year
On November 24, 2013, Pope Francis promulgated his Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii
Gaudium (“The Joy of the Gospel”).
 Do not use st, d, or th after the day when the day, month, and year are written.
Example:
Developments resulting from the Congress for New Evangelization of 27 May need to be
monitored more closely.
 Spell out the day in the following cases:
 Only the day (i.e., no month, no year) appears in the text; and
 The month does not immediately follow it as in the example below.
Example:
The date set for our meeting is the eleventh of June.
 Do not put a comma when writing only the month and year.
Example:
Our batch graduated in September 2012.
 Never abbreviate the year.
2. Century: Spell out the reference to the century in lowercase. Place a hyphen when it is used
as an adjective; see the first two examples below.
Example:
 I have quoted from fifteenth-century literature.
 Many theologians love the late sixteenth-century ideas.
 The French Revolution took place in the eighteenth century.
 John Paul II is the saint of the twenty-first century.
 World War II broke out in the mid-twentieth century.
3. Decade: Use one of two forms depending on the context.
Example:
 The 1960s witnessed the sexual revolution initiated by Margaret Sanger.
 During the sixties, Paul VI’s Humanae Vitae became the point of
dissention for some moral theologians in the Church.

17
HIGHLIGHTING
Highlight text in the following cases:
 To identify foreign words, use italic letters;

 To emphasize words or expressions within a direct quotation (the corresponding footnote
would include the words “Emphasis mine.”), use italic letters; and
 To emphasize words and ideas in the main text or the footnote, choose one of the
following and be consistent: underline, use bold letters, or use italic letters.
ABBREVIATED FORMS
As a rule, abbreviated forms are used only after the full form is written. Thus, if an abbreviation
is not included in the List of Abbreviations, the full form has to be written first before the
abbreviation is used. For terms already in the List of Abbreviations, only abbreviated forms are
used consistently in the body text and footnotes.
EXPRESSIONS AND OTHERS
Non-English terms or expressions in the original language are to be used throughout the paper.
But on the first appearance, be sure to include the English translation. Choose between the two
styles shown below, and be consistent.
Style 1: Non-English original term (“English translation”)
Example:
Lantayan (“place and process of purifying precious metals”)….
Style 2: “English translation” (Non-English original term)
Example:
The “place and process of purifying precious metals” (Lantayan)….
Never use contractions (i.e., short words produced by putting two words together) such as isn’t,
weren’t, don’t, and let’s in formal writing.
EDITING THE PAPER
Polishing the paper before submission is a necessary step. Consult someone who can help edit or
comment on the paper to improve it and ensure that it is a good paper not only in terms of
content but also in the way that it is written and presented.

18
Assuming that the content is already solid, accurate, and logically presented, editing focuses on
the following:
 Errors in grammar and spelling;

 Consistency; and
 Technical aspects (i.e., based on the House Style).
A well-written paper also has greater chances of being published.
PRINTED DOCUMENTATION STYLE
This section presents the format of footnote and bibliography citations for printed materials.
I. BOOKS
A. Author
1. Single author
Footnote Citation Bibliography Citation

3
J. Baille, Our Knowledge of God Baille, J. Our Knowledge of God. New York:
(New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1959), Charles Scribner’s Son, 1959.
24.
12
Benedict M. Ashley, Living the Truth Ashley, Benedict M. Living the Truth in Love:
in Love: A Biblical Introduction to Moral A Biblical Introduction to Moral
Theology (New York: Alba House, 1996), 24. Theology. New York: Alba House, 1996.
Note that when the bibliography, which is arranged alphabetically (by the author’s name),
includes more than one work by the same author and/or editor, the name is only written
in the first entry. In the following entry (or entries), press the underscore key eight times
to form a blank line, and place a period at the end. This will take the place of the name.
The order in which entries from the same author appear in the bibliography is determined
by the title (arranged alphabetically).
2. Two authors

5
James Dallen and Joseph Favazza, Dallen, James and Joseph Favazza. Removing
Removing the Barriers: The Practice of the Barriers: The Practice of
Reconciliation (Illinois: Liturgy Training Reconciliation. Illinois: Liturgy Training
Publications: 1991), 71. Publications, 1991.

19
3. Three authors

8
Heinz Schurman, Joseph Ratzinger, and Schurman, Heinz, Joseph Ratzinger, and Hans
Hans Urs Von Balthasar, Principles of Urs Von Balthasar. Principles of Christian
Christian Morality (San Francisco: Ignatius Morality. San Francisco: Ignatius Press,
Press, 1986), 44. 1986.
4. More than three authors
Note that all the authors and/or editors appear only in the bibliography entry.

14
Joseph J. Allen and others [or et al.], Allen, Joseph J., Peter L’Huillier, Patrick
eds., Vested in Grace: Priesthood and Viscuso, Michael Najim, and Nicolas
Marriage in the Christian East (Brookline, Nagorny, eds. Vested in Grace: Priesthood
Massachusetts: Holy Cross Orthodox Press, and Marriage in the Christian East.
2001), 60. Brookline, Massachusetts: Holy Cross
Orthodox Press, 2001.
5. No author given

11
Mixed Marriages: Pastoral and Mixed Marriages: Pastoral and Liturgical
Liturgical Guidelines (Manila, Philippines: Guidelines. Manila, Philippines: Bishop’s
Bishop’s Commission for Promoting Christian Commission for Promoting Christian
Unity, PCPM S.P. no. 669, [1976]), 20–25. Unity. PCPM S.P. no. 669, 1976.
6. Institution, association, committee or the like as “author”

9
Fifth National Eucharist Congress, The Fifth National Eucharist Congress. The
Eucharist and Freedom (Manila, Philippine Eucharist and Freedom. Manila,
International Convention Center, January 22– Philippine International Convention
26, 1997), 30. Center, January 22–26, 1997.
7. Editor/compiler/translator as “author”
a. Single

16
Philip C. Hudges, ed., Introduction to Hudges, Philip C. ed. Introduction to Dogmatic
Dogmatic Theology (London: James Clark, Theology. London: James Clark, 1960.

20
1960).
Mursell, Gordon, gen. ed. The Story of
14
Gordon Mursell, gen. ed., The Story of Christian Spirituality: Two Thousand
Christian Spirituality: Two Thousand Years, Years, from East to West. Minneapolis:
from East to West (Minneapolis: Fortress Fortress Press, 2001.
Press, 2001), 129.
b. Single with twofold task

12
E. Allison Peer, trans. and ed., Ascent of Peer, E. Allison, trans. and ed. Ascent of Mount
Mount Carmel: A Masterpiece in the Carmel: A Masterpiece in the Literature of
Literature of Mysticism by St. John of the Mysticism by St. John of the Cross. Garden
Cross (Garden City, New York: Image Books, City, New York: Image Books, 1958.
1958), 115.
10
Raymond B. Fullam, SJ, comp. and ed., Fullam, Raymond B., SJ, comp. and ed. The
The Popes on Youth: Principles for Forming Popes on Youth: Principles for Forming
and Guiding Youth from Popes Leo XIII to and Guiding Youth from Popes Leo XIII to
Pius XII (Buffalo, New York: Canisius High Pius XII. Buffalo, New York: Canisius
School, 1956), 160. High School, 1956.
c. Many
Note that if there is more than one editor, and if there is more than one compiler,
plural forms are indicated by adding “s,” i.e., eds. comps. But if there is more than
one translator, use “trans.” which is the same term used for a single translator.

18
Patrick W. Carey and Earl C. Muller, SJ, Carey, Patrick W. and Earl C. Muller, SJ, eds.
eds., Theological Education in the Catholic Theological Education in the Catholic
Tradition: Contemporary Challenges (New Tradition: Contemporary Challenges.
York: Crossroad Herder Book & Crossroad New York: Crossroad Herder Book &
Publishing, 1997), 66. Crossroad Publishing, 1997.
123
Terry L. Miethe and Vernon J. Bourke, Miethe, Terry L. and Vernon J. Bourke, comps.
comps., Thomistic Bibliographies, 1940–1978 Thomistic Bibliographies, 1940–1978.
(London: Greenwood Press, 1980), 82–83. London: Greenwood Press, 1980.
8. Author’s work translated/edited/compiled by another
a. Single

24
Edward Arthur Litton, Introduction to Litton, Edward Arthur. Introduction to

21
Dogmatic Theology, ed. Philip C. Hudges Dogmatic Theology. Edited by Philip C.

(London: James Clark, 1960), 86. Hudges. London: James Clark, 1960.
17
Jean-Marie Roger Tillard, Church of Tillard, Jean-Marie Roger. Church of
Churches: The Ecclesiology of Communion, Churches: The Ecclesiology of
trans. R. C. de Peaux (Collegeville, Minnesota: Communion. Translated by R. C. de
Liturgical Press, 1992), 26. Peaux. Collegeville, Minnesota: Liturgical
Press, 1992.
b. Single with twofold task

24
Helmut Thielicke, Man in God’s World, Thielicke, Helmut. Man in God’s World.
trans. and ed. John W. Doberstein (New York: Translated and edited by John W.
Harper & Row, 1963), 43. Doberstein. New York: Harper & Row,
1963.
c. Many
Note that in this case, ed./trans./comp. in the footnote mean edited by, translated by,
compiled by (in fact, these are spelled out in the bibliography). Thus plural forms
(i.e., eds. and comps.) are not used.

24
August von Hathausen, Studies on the Von Hathausen, August. Studies on the Interior
Interior of Russia, ed. S. Frederick Starr, trans. of Russia. Edited by S. Frederick Starr.
Eleanore L. M. Schmidt (Chicago: University Translated by Eleanore L. M. Schmidt.
of Chicago Press, 1972), 47. Chicago: University of Chicago Press,
1972.
9. Author’s work contained in collected works

24
The Complete Works of Santa Teresa of Santa Teresa of Jesus. The Complete Works of
Jesus, trans. and ed. E. Allison Peers from the Santa Teresa of Jesus. Translated and
Critical Edition of P. Silverio de Santa Teresa, edited by E. Allison Peers from the
C.D. vol. 2, Book called Way of Perfection, Critical Edition of P. Silverio de Santa
Interior Castle, Conceptions of the Love of Teresa. C.D. Vol. 2. Book called Way of
God, Exclamations of the Soul of God (New Perfection, Interior Castle, Conceptions of
York: Harper & Bros., 1884), 18. the Love of God, Exclamations of the Soul
of God. New York: Harper & Bros., 1884.

22
B. Title of Work
Note the following:
 Use italic letters for titles of books. If there is a title of another book/publication
within the title, enclose it also in double quotation marks (see Title within a title
below);
 Enclose in double quotation marks the title of articles featured in books. Do not
italicize; and
 Be sure that the title appears like it does in the original publication; use a colon to
separate the title from the subtitle, if any.
Example:
2
José Antonio E. Aureada, OP and Richard G. Ang, OP, eds., Theology Week 2006:
Vatican II, 40 Years After, Proceedings of the 7th Theology Week of the Faculty of Sacred
Theology in cooperation with the Institute of Religion (Manila: UST Publishing House, 2007),
126.
Bishop Teodoro C. Bacani, Jr., “From Grabbing to Giving,” in Loving, Our Way of
3
Living (Manila: Gift of God Publications), 102.
Title within a title

28
Allen Forte, The Harmonic Organization Forte, Allen. The Harmonic Organization of
of “The Rite of Spring” (New Haven: Yale “The Rite of Spring.” New Haven: Yale
University Press, 1878), 50. University Press, 1878.
C. Volume Book
1. Volume in a multi-volume work with a general title and editor(s)

32
Aimé Georges Martimont, ed., The Martimont, Aimé Georges ed. The Church at
Church at Prayer: An Introduction to Liturgy, Prayer: An Introduction to Liturgy. Vol. 4,
vol. 4, The Liturgy and Time, by Irenée Henry The Liturgy and Time by Irenée Henry
Delmais, Pierre Journel, and Aimé Georges Delmais, Pierre Journel, and Aimé
Martimont (Collegeville: The Liturgical Press, Georges Martimont. Collegeville: The
1992), 90–95. Liturgical Press, 1992.
69
Angelo Di Bernardino and Basil Studer, Di Bernardino, Angelo and Basil Studer, eds.
eds., History of Theology, vol. 1, The Patristic History of Theology. Vol. 1, The Patristic
Period, trans. Matthew J. O’Connell Period. Translated by Matthew J.
(Collegeville, Minnesota: Liturgical Press, O’Connell. Collegeville, Minnesota:

23
1996), 345. Liturgical Press, 1996.

54
Hans Urs von Balthasar, The Glory of the Balthasar, Hans Urs von. The Glory of the
Lord, vol. 1, Seeing the Form, ed. Joseph Lord. Vol. 1, Seeing the Form. Edited by
Fessio and John Riches, trans. Erasmo Leiva- Joseph Fessio and John Riches. Translated
Merikakis (Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1982), by Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis. Edinburgh: T
175. & T Clark, 1982.
2. Book in a series

67
Jean Holm and John Bowker, eds., Holm, Jean and John Bowker, eds. Human
Human Nature and Destiny, Themes in Nature and Destiny. Themes in Religious
Religious Studies (London: Pinther Publisher, Studies. London: Pinther Publisher, 1994.
1994), 10.
3. Book in a series naming the series editor

76
J. Louis Matyn, The Gospel of John in Matyn, J. Louis. The Gospel of John in
Christian History: Essays of Interpreters, Christian History: Essays of Interpreters,
Theological Inquiries, gen. ed. Lawrence Boadt Theological Inquiries. Edited by Lawrence
(New York: Paulist Press, 1979). Boadt. New York: Paulist Press, 1979.
4. Book in foreign language with official translation

45
Gustavo Gutierrez, En basca de los Gutierrez, Gustavo. En basca de los pobres de
pobres de Jesucristo (In search of the poor of Jesucristo (In search of the poor of Jesus
Jesus Christ) (Peru: Institutio Bartolomé de las Christ). Peru: Institutio Bartolomé de las
casas-Rimae, 1993), 16. casas-Rimae, 1993.
5. Book in foreign language with researcher’s personal translation

67
Tran Ngoc Them, Co So Van Hoa Viet Them, Tran Ngoc. Co So Van Hoa Viet Nam
Nam [Foundation of Vietnamese Culture] (Ho [Foundation of Vietnamese Culture]. Ho
Chi Minh City: Giao Duc Publishing House, Chi Minh City: Giao Duc Publishing
2000), 28–29. House, 2000.
6. Component part by one author in a work by another (e.g. anthology)

Mary Higdon Beech, “The Domestic Beech, Mary Higdon. “The Domestic Realm in
53
Realm in the Lives of Hindu Women in the Lives of Hindu Women in Calcutta.”

24
Calcutta,” in Separate Worlds: Studies of In Separate Worlds: Studies of Purdah in

Purdah in South Asia, ed. Hanna Papanek and South Asia. Edited by Hanna Papanek and
Gail Minault (Delhi: Chanakya, 1982), 115. Gail Minault. Delhi: Chanakya, 1982.
D. Edition
1. Numbered edition
Example:
5
William Garzke Jr. and Robert O. Dulin Jr., Battleship: Axis Battleship in World War
III, 3d ed., Battleship Series, vol. 3 (Annapolis, Md: Naval Institute Press, 1985), 262.
6
J. Neuner, S.J. and J. Duipuis, S.J., The Christian Faith, 5th rev. and enl. ed. (New
York: Alba House, 1990), 262.
2. Named edition
Example:
9
Blaise Pascal, Pensées and the Provincial Letters, Modern Library ed. (New York:
Random House, 1941), 418.
3. Reprint edition

15
Sana Loue, Textbook of Research Ethics: Loue, Sana. Textbook of Research Ethics:
Theory and Ethics (New York: Kluwen Theory and Ethics. New York: Kluwen
Academic/Plenum Publishers, 2000; reprint Academic/Plenum Publishers, 2000.
with permission, Illinois: Southern Illinois Reprint with permission, Illinois: Southern
University Press, 1999), 5–7. Illinois University Press, 1999.
4. Paperback edition

68
Dietrich Bonhoeffen, Ethics (New York: Bonhoeffen, Dietrich. Ethics. New York:
Macmillan Publishing Company, 1995; Macmillan Publishing Company, 1995;
Touchstone Book, 1995), 12. Touchstone Book, 1995.

25
II. PERIODICALS
This section is for articles featured in periodicals. Note the following:
 Enclose title of article in double quotation marks;

 Italicize title of periodical; and
 Indicate pages covered by the article at the end of the bibliography entry.
A. Journal
Title within a title in a journal

52
Victor Kimoski, “Planning for Kimoski, Victor. “Planning for Innovation: A
Innovation: A Framework for Reflective Framework for Reflective Practice.”
Practice,” Theological Education 41, no. 1 Theological Education 41, no. 1 (2005):
(2005): 3. 1–15.
72
Carl Avren Levenson, “Distance and Levenson, Carl Avren. “Distance and Presence
Presence in Augustine’s Confession,” Journal in Augustine’s Confession.” Journal of
of Religion 65 (October 1985): 508, n. 4. Religion 65 (October 1985): 500–512.
B. Magazine

76
Robert J. Wicks, “Encountering God in Wicks, Robert J. “Encountering God in the
the Third Christian Millennium: A Spirituality Third Christian Millennium: A Spirituality
of Contradiction and Mystery,” The Catholic of Contradiction and Mystery.” The
World, September/October 1993, 223–226. Catholic World, September/October 1993,
223–226.
C. Newspaper

65
John Agbayani, “The Future of Agbayani, John. “The Future of Philippine
Philippine Films,” The Philippine Star, 24 May Films.” The Philippine Star. 24 May 2005,
2005, Lifestyle Section, 3. Lifestyle Section, 3–4.
III. ENCYCLOPEDIA/DICTIONARY
A. Encyclopedia

2
Encyclopedia of Catholicism, 1995 ed., Richard P. Mcbrien, gen. ed. Encyclopedia of
s.v. “Iconostasis,” 54–58. Catholicism, New York: Harper Collins

26
Publishers, 1995.
B. Dictionary

5
The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian F. L. Cross, ed. The Oxford Dictionary of the
Church, 1974, 2d ed., s.v. Christian Church. 2d ed. Edited by F. L.
“Congregationalism,” 332–333. Cross and E. A. Livingstone. Oxford:
Oxford University Press, 1958, 1974.
IV. OTHERS
A. Speech/Address/Lecture/Homily/Sermon

52
John Paul II, “Effective Co- John Paul II. “Effective Co-responsibility.”
responsibility,” (address to Quebec bishops on Address to Quebec bishops on November
November 18, 1998) in Origin 18, no. 29 18, 1998. In Origin 18, no. 29 (1988):
(1988): 478–479. 478–479.
B. Interview
1. Published interview

24
John Fowles, “A Conversation with John Fowles, John. “A Conversation with John
Fowles,” interviewed by Robert Foulke (Lyme Fowles.” Interviewed by Robert Foulke.
Regis, 3 April 1984), Salmagundi, nos. 68–69 Lyme Regis, 3 April 1984. Salmagundi,
(fall 1985–winter 1986): 370. nos. 68–69, fall 1985–winter 1986: 367–
384.
2. Personal interview
Example: (Bibliography)
Goldish, Meish. Personal interview. 21 July 1998.

27
ELECTRONIC DOCUMENTATION STYLE
I. COMPUTER SOFTWARE
A. Periodicals in CD-ROM and Print

23
William Least Heat Moon, “Blue Moon, William Least Heat. “Blue Highways.”
Highways,” US News & World Report, 17 US News & World Report, 17 January
January 1993: 12+. Native American Voices. 1993: 12+. Native American Voices. CD-
CD-ROM. InforTrack. March 1998. ROM. InforTrack. March 1998.
B. Periodicals in CD-ROM
Format:
Include: (1) Author (if given); (2) Title; (3) Edition; (4) “CD-ROM” (publication
medium); (5) Distributor or vendor; (6) Publication details: city, publisher, and date.
“Dinosaurs.” Compton’s Interactive Encyclopedia. 1995 ed. CD-ROM. Cambridge,
Massachusetts, 1997.
C. On-line Sources
1. Researcher’s personal e-mail
Example: (Footnote)
L.A. Chavez (personal communication, March 28, 1997).
2. Posted e-mail
Format:
Include: (1) Sender’s name; (2) Description of document; (3) Date.
Lawrence, Charles. “Fair Division.” E-Mail to Jill Fitzpatrick. May 26, 1996.
D. E-News Groups and Bulletin Boards
Format:
(1) Author’s name (if given); (2) Title; (3) Date posted; (4) Date accessed; (5) “from on-
line posting” (publication medium); (6) Location online and name of network.
Brown, Margery. “Inclusion of Handicapped Children.” 20 March 1997. Retrieved March 25
1997 from on-line posting. ivillage, Children with Special Needs. American Online.

28
E. Website
Format:
(1) Author’s name (if given); (2) Title of the document or article; (3) Website name; (4)
Date last modified (if possible); (5) Date accessed; (6) URL or website address of the
data.
Kyle M. Langley. “Wrestling with God: Jacob’s Encounter with the Divine.” The Last Things
Online Journal. Last modified May 10, 2015. Accessed July 3, 2015. http://www.thelast
things.com/editorial/Wrestling-with-God.

29
PART II: INSTRUCTIONS FOR PROJECT PAPER WRITING

WHAT IS A PROJECT PAPER?
A Project Paper is a requirement for graduation demanded by the DBCS and the Commission on
Higher Education (CHED). It is intended for students pursuing the non-thesis and terminal
Master in Religious Studies Program.3
The Project Paper is both a theological and a pastoral paper.

 It is practical in approach, outlook, and content.
 It seeks to offer a theory-based, concrete, and user-friendly contribution on a chosen
field of pastoral endeavor according to one’s area of specialization (i.e., Catechetics,
Youth Ministry, Pastoral Ministry).
WHY WRITE A PROJECT PAPER?

Writing a project paper provides the student with an opportunity to propose a pastoral response
to a concrete, actual, or emerging issue related to his/her field of specialization. For example:
 Create training modules to form youth leaders;

 Prepare a seminar course for youth ministers; or
 Prepare a catechetical program of instruction for a particular age group.
NOTES ON STYLE
Write the paper using the essay and narrative style. It normally consists of 30–40 pages and
adheres to the House Style. Include graphics and schematic representations as needed.
1. Paper size: Letter (8.5 in. by 11 in.)
2. Fonts, Spacing, Alignment:
 Body text: Times New Roman, 12 points; double-spaced, justified

 Footnotes: Times New Roman 10 points; single-spaced, justified
3. Headings:
 Label all major divisions accordingly (except Title Page and Dedication).
 Format: All capital letters, centered, two inches from the top of the page; chapter
numbers are preferably spelled out (e.g., CHAPTER ONE).
3
Cf. DBCS Academic Handbook, Parañaque City, 2008, 24-28. See also the DBCS Research Paper Guide,
released ad experimentum June 2016.

30
4. Margins:
 Left: 1.5 inches

 Right, top, bottom: 1 inch
5. Page Numbers:
 For the purpose of placing page numbers, count the front matter separately from the
main text (i.e., when the body text begins, its first page reverts to page 1).
 Count the title page as the first page in the front matter but do not put a page number;
the blank page that follows it is the second page, and so on.
 Do not put any page numbers on the front matter until the table of contents and
thereafter.
 Format: small Roman numerals, Times New Roman, 12 points for the page numbers
of the table of contents and the succeeding parts of the front matter; for the body text
and back matter, use Arabic numerals, Times New Roman, 12 points.
 Placing: If the page starts a major division (e.g., new chapter), put the page number at
the bottom, centered. For the rest of the pages, put the page number on the upper right
hand corner.
FRONT MATTER
1. Title Page: (See sample in the appendices.)
 Font: Times New Roman, 14.5 points, bold

 Alignment: centered
 Use the inverted pyramid format for text that covers two or more lines, single-spaced.
 Include: “Don Bosco Center of Studies”; title (note terms that should be included in
the definition of terms); course and department, writer’s name; and the place and
date.
2. Blank Page
3. Certificate of Originality: Include this once the project paper has been presented and
finalized. It is signed by the researcher to certify that the paper is an original work.
4. Abstract: (See the format and sample in appendices.)
Write the abstract or summary of the project paper in the most concise way possible. It
consists of 300–350 words, and has the following parts: 4
4
DBCS borrows heavily from the abstract format of the Catholic University of America and UC Berkeley.
Leah Carroll, Ph.D, "How to Write an Abstract," Haas Scholars-University of California Berkeley, accessed
December 2, 2014, http://hsp.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/HOW%20TO%20WRITE%20AN%20ABSTRACT.pdf; Catholic
University of America, Abstract format, Graduate Studies resources, accessed December 2, 2014,
http://graduatestudies.cua.edu/res/docs/Masters-Handbook.pdf.

31
 Statement of motivation/main objective: Why is this project worth doing? What does
this paper propose to contribute or achieve?
 Description of the theoretical framework/method/procedure/approach: What was
done to get the results? (For example, reading and analysis of the sources.)
 Explanation of the results leading to the completion of the paper: What was learned?
 Summary of conclusion (findings /recommendations): What are the findings and
recommendations with reference to the main objective in a. Statement of motivation?
Be careful in preparing the text. The abstract is often the basis upon which scholars and
pastoral workers may decide to read the entire paper.
Note that previous post-graduate degrees earned must be included in the researcher/author’s
name and the adviser’s name.
Format: Times New Roman, 12 points; single space within each paragraph, double space
between paragraphs.
5. Dedication: (Note that this is optional.)
 Begin this brief text with “To” followed by the full name of the person (or group) for
whom the work is dedicated.
 Format: Type it like an ordinary sentence but there is no period; centered; three
inches below the top of the page. There is no heading for this page.
6. Table of Contents: (See sample in the appendices.)
 To label this section, type “CONTENTS,” centered, two inches from the top of the
page.
 List all parts as these appear in the paper excluding the preliminary pages before the
table of contents and the table of contents itself. The back matter is included.
 Align page numbers on the right following a line of periods (i.e., leaders) that appears
between the table of contents entry and the page number where it is found.
 Align chapter numbers on the left; use the same style (often spelled out, e.g.,
CHAPTER ONE) as in the body text.
 Use double space between entries.
 For each entry that occupies more than one line, use single space, and every part that
runs over is indented two more spaces compared to the first line. Put the leaders and
the page number on the last line of the entry.
 Indent subheads a little more than the chapter titles. If there is more than one subhead
level, the succeeding ones are slightly more indented ― so that if there are three
subhead levels, indent subhead level 2 two more spaces than subhead level 1, and
indent subhead level 3 two more spaces than subhead level 2.

32
 Use all capital letters for major divisions, such as chapters; use headline style (i.e.
capitalize the first letter of every word (except articles, prepositions, and
conjunctions) for all the subheads. Note that this same style is followed in the body
text.
7. Acknowledgments: Recognize those who helped to make the paper possible, including (but
not limited to) the following:
 Mentors/professors, project paper adviser;

 Fellow students, friends, and members of the academic community who offered
assistance;
 Others (including persons and institutions) that supported the research; and
 Authors and their works, if the researcher was given permission to reproduce text
from said works in the project paper.
8. List of Abbreviations: Include this section in a paper featuring abbreviations devised by the
researcher and so unknown to the readers.
 Arrange alphabetically using the abbreviated forms. Basically, the list consists of two
columns, centered under the heading.
 Put the abbreviated text in the first column and align the spelled-out terms in the
second column. Using the longest abbreviation as reference point, count four spaces
after to determine where the second column begins.
 Use double space between entries, single space if one entry uses more than one line.
9. Glossary: Include this section in a paper that features many foreign or technical terms that
most people are not familiar with.
 Arrange alphabetically, flush left.

 Enter the term first, followed by a colon or hyphen, and then the definition, which can
be a phrase or a complete sentence. Be consistent.
 Use double space between entries and single space for entries that use more than one
line. Indent the succeeding lines of a single entry five spaces more than the first line.
BACK MATTER
1. Appendix: This features important supplementary or supporting data. Putting information in

an appendix means that the data is not suitable to include in the body text but these are
nevertheless included in the paper as part of the back matter. Examples include the
following:
 Tables with detailed information;

 A set of illustrations;
 Technical notes on data gathering (method, schedules, forms used);
 Copy of hard-to-find documents; and

33
 Case studies too long to include in the text.
Guidelines:
 Identify each appendix by a number or letter, be consistent (e.g., APPENDIX A), and
also with a title if there is more than one appendix.
 Place each category of data in a separate appendix as needed.
 Use double space except for case studies, which are single-spaced.
 Put page numbers enclosed in brackets on photocopied documents, which should be
of good quality.
2. Bibliography:
 Type one of the following to label this section: “SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY,”

“WORKS CITED,” or, if non-printed documentation is also included (such as
interviews, lectures, videos), “SOURCES CONSULTED.”
 Group the sources by category, and present these in the order shown below. Arrange
entries alphabetically under each category. Category headings are numbered with
Roman numerals, flushed left, headline style (e.g., IV. Papal Documents).
 Bible Version
 Conciliar Church Documents
 Congregational Church Documents
 Regional Church Documents
 Papal Documents
 Books – Divide these into primary and secondary sources. There are two ways
by which sources may be classified into these two categories. Choose the way
most appropriate or applicable to the paper and be consistent: First, primary
sources may refer to books that have a direct bearing on the main
topics/themes being discussed in the paper, while secondary sources are those
that have an indirect (i.e. allied) bearing on the main topics/themes.5 Second,
primary sources may refer to those books that were created in a particular
period of time or produced in a particular moment in history of interest to the
researcher (e.g. Doctrina Christiana as a primary source on how the faith was
taught to the Filipinos in the sixteenth century), while secondary sources refer
to those books that analyze and interpret primary sources (e.g. Edwin Wolf’s
Introductory Essay in the Project Gutenberg version of Doctrina Christiana).6
 Periodicals
 General References (commentaries, dictionaries, encyclopedia)
 E-Sources
 Others (interviews, unpublished works, lectures, films, etc.)
5
See Aureada, Thesis Writing for Theology Students, 56.
6
Princeton.edu: Getting Started with Research, “What is a Primary Source?”; accessed September 9, 2015,
http://www.princeton.edu/~refdesk/getting_started.html/.

34
THREE STAGES IN WRITING A PROJECT PAPER
A. Stage 1: Writing a Prospectus
The prospectus is a preliminary written work that briefly describes the project. It forecasts the
nature of the project and the possible course the writer might follow.
Format:
Paper size: Letter (8.5 in. by 11 in.); font: Times New Roman, 12 points; spacing: 1.5;
maximum of 5 pages.
The prospectus contains the following elements:
1. Title of the Project: Come up with an appropriate title as described below ―
 It captures the subject-matter of the project; and

 Must have reference to the area of specialization.
2. Background of the Project: Consider two aspects, namely ―
 The exigencies of the times: the project may be presented as a response to a

present need or demand of the times; and
 A “felt need” arising from writer’s personal experience: the project may be a
response to an existing unsatisfactory condition or an emerging concern or issue.
3. Main Pastoral Objective of the Project: Express the intention or purpose in

undertaking the project.
4. Significance of the Project: The project may be significant on four counts ―
 To the field of religious studies (pastoral, catechetical, or youth ministry);

 To the Universal Church;
 To the local Church (diocese, parish, or religious congregation); and
 To the writer/researcher.
5. Initial Bibliography: List down 10–15 books or articles that are useful to the research
project and classify these into two groups —
 Primary sources: more directly useful.

 Secondary sources: useful as references.
See Bibliography under Back Matter for more information.

35
Submit the prospectus to the Vice-Dean of the Institute of Catechetics and Youth Ministry
(ICYM) for approval, two weeks after formally signifying the intention to write the project
paper.
Upon approval of the prospectus, draw up and submit the proposed work schedule (see the
Appendices).
B. Stage 2: Crafting the Project Paper Proposal
With the approval of the Vice-Dean of the ICYM, choose an adviser for the research project. The
first task of the adviser is to guide the researcher in crafting the project paper proposal
(maximum of 10 pages).
The project paper proposal contains the following elements:
1. Title of the Project (from the prospectus)

2. Background of the Project (from the prospectus)
3. Main Pastoral Objective of the Project (from the prospectus)
4. Significance of the Project (from the prospectus)
5. Scope and Limitation:
 Scope of the project - Refers to the project coverage, in terms of subject-matter,

concepts, procedures, sources, etc.
 Limitation - Refers to the boundaries beyond which the writer does not intend to
consider/explore.
6. Theoretical Framework:
 Theoretical framework - Refers to the lens (or point of reference) through which
the researcher views a particular reality (e.g., from the point of view of
Catechetics or of Youth Ministry).
 Methodology - Refers to the approach the researcher uses to craft the project (e.g.,
the kerygmatic approach or the human experiential approach).
7. Related Literature: This refers to studies which are related to the proposed project.
Present a minimum of 5 books or studies and give a brief description of the book/study (or
part of the book/study) that is related to the project.
8. Outline of the Project: Present the outline of the research project, its main divisions and
sections, as approved by the adviser.
The researcher has one month to work on the proposal. Submit the project paper proposal with
the endorsement of the adviser to the Vice-Dean of the ICYM for approval.

36
C. Stage 3: Producing the Project Paper
1. Writing the Project Paper:
 Submit the finished draft (chapter by chapter) to the adviser for timely
corrections and observations.
 The adviser approves the final draft of the project paper, including the abstract,
before it is printed out.
 Two copies (in provisional binding) are submitted to the ICYM office at least
four weeks prior to the Comprehensive Examinations or the project paper
presentation before a panel of examiners.
2. Presenting the Project Paper:
 Apply at the ICYM office for the presentation of the project paper.
 Prepare a 15-minute PowerPoint presentation (text only, without animation) that
includes the following elements:
- The main pastoral objective of the project;

- The significance of the project;
- The theoretical framework and methodology;
- The project itself; and
- The conclusion (findings and recommendations).
 Be ready for a 15-minute Question-and-Answer portion.
3. Submitting the final version of the Project Paper: The final form of the Project Paper
needs to be submitted to the ICYM Office before the current academic year closes.
 With all corrections and recommendations duly incorporated, submit one copy of the
final text of the project paper to the ICYM Vice-Dean for scrutiny.
 When approved, submit to the ICYM Office the following:
- Three hardbound copies in book form (dark blue cover), each including
the Certificate of Originality and Abstract ― details of the cover: gold
letters on dark blue background; data on the spine: Name of the Author (on
top), the Title of the Project Paper (in the middle), and, finally, DBCS with
the year of submission of the work. If the title is too long for the spine, use
a shortened version;
- Two additional copies of the Abstract; and
- One CD containing the PDF file of the Project Paper.
Note that the appendices also include samples of forms needed throughout the course of writing
the project paper (e.g. endorsement form for project paper proposal, application and acceptance
for project paper presentation, etc.)

37
DETAILED FORMAT OF THE PROJECT PAPER

CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
[8–9 pages]
[Write one short paragraph to introduce Chapter One.]
1. Background of the Project [2 pages]
2. Main Pastoral Objective of the Project [2 paragraphs]

[Write one paragraph to introduce the main pastoral objective which is deduced from background of the
project.
Identify any sub-objectives to attain main pastoral objective. These sub-objectives are the “specific
objectives” of the different chapters. They can be formulated in the form of interrogative sentences in
view of drawing up the “Findings” to be reported later in Chapter Four: Conclusion.]
3. Significance of the Project [The length depends on the writer.]
4. Scope and Limitation of the Project
[Write two paragraphs: one paragraph is for the “Scope”; the other is for the “Limitation.” Discuss the
Scope and the Limitation separately.]
5. Theoretical Framework and Methodology [1 page]
[Present or describe the theoretical framework and the methodology for the project.]
6. Related Literature [2–3 pages]

[Give a minimum of 5 books or studies that are related to the proposed project. In writing a brief
description of the book or study (or part of the book or study) consider the following questions:
- Which part of the literature is used in the research project?

- How is this part used or applied in the research project?
- In what part of the project is it applied or used?]
[Write one short paragraph to conclude Chapter One.]
CHAPTER TWO
[In this chapter, present the context of the project and
the Church directives. This chapter is 7–8 pages.]
[Write one short paragraph to introduce Chapter Two.]
1. The Context of the Project

38
[- Introduce the place or setting.

- Present the condition of the recipients of the project.
- Present other relevant matters.]
2. Church Directives [What does the Church say about the context?]
[Write one short paragraph to conclude Chapter Two.]
CHAPTER THREE
[This chapter is the heart of the project paper. Present the complete design of the project.
Use the necessary number of pages.]
[Write one short paragraph to introduce Chapter Three.]
[Consider these suggested steps:
a. Describe the process used in producing the project.

b. Present the results of the process.
b. Present the proposed project itself in its entirety.
This is the body of the project paper!]
[Write one short paragraph to conclude Chapter Three.]
CHAPTER FOUR
CONCLUSION
[Write one short paragraph to introduce Chapter Four.]
1. The Findings [3–4 points]

2. The Recommendations [3–4 points corresponding respectively to the points given under
“The Findings”]
[Write one short paragraph to conclude Chapter Four.]
BIBLIOGRAPHY
APPENDIX
[The End]

39
Research Code of Practice7

INTRODUCTION
DBCS has put in place the Research Code of Practice to give due importance to research and the
related responsibilities that the institution and the various members of the academic community
should fulfill.
The aim is twofold: First, to make sure that everything needed is in place (e.g., effective
supervision and conducive learning environment) to encourage and enable students to carry out
academic research ― especially the MATh thesis paper and MRS project paper. Second, to help
students and others in the academic community fulfill their respective roles with regard to
research.
DBCS’s rules and directives are not meant to restrict but rather to facilitate research, which can
only reach its full potential with the united efforts and commitment of all.
I. RESPONSIBILITIES OF DBCS AS AN INSTITUTION
As an institution of Higher Learning, DBCS facilitates research especially for MATh and MRS
candidates by ensuring that policies are in place, especially for the following:
a. Access to appropriate and needed research resources in the field of study, including
important publications and sources in the original language, where possible; and physical
facilities, including computers with basic word processing software, internet access, and
photocopier;
b. Compliance with DBCS requirements and standards for (1) admission into, (2) progress
in, and (3) completion of the MATh and MRS programs;
c. Adequate information supplied before enrollment to inform future students what to
expect and a proper orientation after the first enrollment to introduce students to
academic life in DBCS;
d. Awareness and implementation of the DBCS House Style and Research Code of Practice
among all members of the academic community ― especially MATh and MRS
candidates and their advisers;
e. Procedures that enable both students and staff, especially advisers, to track the progress
of the research project and submit progress reports to the head of the institute when
needed; suggest improvements; and report grievances;
f. Procedures for students who want to question results of the thesis defense, project paper
evaluation, and/or examinations;
7
This code is essentially indebted to the Code of Practice for Research — Higher Degree Candidature of
the University of Newcastle, Australia (www.newcastle.edu.au); University of Santo Tomas, Thesis Writing Guide
for UST Graduate School. The Research Code of Practice is mainly for the MATh and MRS Programs but ALL
students and professors are required to follow them, particularly V. Rules of Responsible Research.

40
g. Proper assistance necessary to enable students to complete the program successfully and
on time;
h. Clear guidelines and standards provided to examiners, panelists, readers, and evaluators
to ensure that the work is graded and reviewed based on the degree’s requirements;
i. Staff development for the furtherance of research in DBCS;
j. Proper monitoring of resources made available to researchers each semester by requiring
MRS and MATh candidates working on their project papers and thesis papers,
respectively, to report on the resources they have used thus far and those still to be used
or availed of;
k. Promotion of a research culture and a positive academic culture; and
l. Last but not the least, respect for intellectual property rights.
II. RESPONSIBILITIES AT THE INSTITUTE LEVEL8
Each institute takes responsibility for its students and ensures the following:
a. Only qualified applicants ― i.e., those who can complete the program and finish in a
reasonable amount of time ― are accepted;
b. Appropriateness of the project paper or thesis paper (in terms of level, scope, and
significance) considering that it will help earn the researcher a post-graduate degree;
c. Feasibility of the research project (i.e., required resources including staff; facilities and
equipment; printed sources and e-sources; funding; etc.);
d. Proper consultations are made throughout the project; and
e. Adequate data about the advisers (e.g., research interests; qualifications and academic
experience; and availability, especially of advisers) is always available.
III. REQUIREMENTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF ADVISERS
The adviser is entrusted with a crucial role in the research project. The task not only involves
guiding the student and mentoring to ensure the completion of a work that is scholarly, but also
promoting excellence and integrity in research. The relationship of the adviser and the researcher
must always be grounded on mutual respect and professionalism. Thus the adviser should meet
the following requirements:
a. Be a resident professor at DBCS, or when this is not possible, one of the school’s guest
professors;
b. Be competent in the field of specialization called for by the topic of the research project;
c. Be knowledgeable of and be able to apply the DBCS House Style and Research Code of
Practice;
d. Be able to guide the advisee beginning with the proposal for the research project until its
completion;
8
These include the Institute of Theological Formation (ITF), Institute of Catechetics and Youth Ministry
(ICYM), Institute of Salesian Studies and Spirituality (ISS), and Institute of Religious Formation (IRF).

41
e. Be able to instruct the advisee on the requirements (including those pertaining to content
and technicalities) of thesis writing/project paper writing and in a way faithful to the
House Style;
f. Arrange with the advisee the consultation hours ― availability, frequency, duration, and
place, and comply accordingly;
g. Sign the Work Schedule sheet available in the appendices of this document every time
the advisee seeks consultation;
h. (For thesis advisers) Advise the advisee to submit the revised proposal to DBCS two
weeks after the proposal is returned by the evaluators; and
i. (For thesis advisers) Submit the grade of the advisee for thesis writing.
IV. REQUIREMENTS FOR MATH AND MRS CANDIDATES
To successfully earn the MATh or MRS degree, students need to comply with the following:
a. Be aware of all the requirements to complete the program;

b. Follow the DBCS House Style and Research Code of Practice diligently;
c. State the preferred adviser (either through writing or in a meeting with the head of the
institute, depending on what the requirement may be) and submit a request to the
designated adviser, if required;
d. Arrange with the adviser the consultation hours ― availability, frequency, duration, and
place, and comply accordingly;
e. Work closely with the adviser at every step, beginning with the proposal until the
completion of the project;
f. Submit the prospectus, proposal, first and the final drafts of the research project on time;
g. With the guidance of the adviser, integrate improvements to the proposal based on the
evaluation and submit it back on time to DBCS, if required (as in the case of a thesis
proposal);
h. With the guidance of the adviser, integrate improvements to the final paper after thesis
defense/project paper presentation and submit the final copy on time to DBCS;
i. Follow up evaluation results to ensure that the timetable is kept; and
j. Submit a report of resources already availed of and resources still to be used at the end of
every semester.
V. RESPONSIBLE RESEARCH GUIDELINES9
Research in the institution must entail intellectual honesty and integrity, and scholarly and
theoretical, or scientific rigor. To ensure that this is achieved, all researchers must adhere to the
following principles:
a. Respect and encourage the right to express and exchange ideas for the enrichment of all;
9
This section is heavily indebted to the University of Newcastle Australia, “Responsible Conduct of
Research Policy,” last modified August 7, 2015, accessed August 11, 2015, https://www.newcastle.edu.au/about-
uon/governance-and-leadership/policy-library/document?RecordNumber=D09_2044P.

42
b. Discern meticulously the merits and/or validity and reliability of sources and references
used, especially online or digital sources;
c. Avoid conscientiously all forms of research misconduct such as plagiarism and any form
of deception (e.g., fabrication of data) pertaining to the research project, as well as any
deliberate involvement in aiding or hiding the misconduct by other researchers;
d. Report cases of research misconduct to the Vice-Dean of the institute concerned.
Note that while the Responsible Research Guidelines particularly apply to MATh and MRS
students working on their thesis and project papers, everyone who engages in research in DBCS
(e.g., for course requirements, for publication in the Lantayan or the research website, etc.)
should adhere to these rules.

43
Appendix 1 Sample Title Page

An Affiliate of the Salesian Pontifical University – Rome
FROM THE LION TO THE LAMB:

Introducing Biblical Themes to Pre-School Children
Using the Chronicles of Narnia
A Project Paper Submitted to the

Institute of Catechetics and Youth Ministry
In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree
Master in Religious Studies
By
SR. VICTORIA S. DALISAY, SJBP
Paranaque City
October 2015

44
Appendix 2 Abstract Format Sheet

An Affiliate of the Salesian Pontifical University
Institute of Catechetics and Youth Ministry
Name :
Title :
Adviser :
Degree :
Specialization :
ABSTRACT

45
Appendix 3 Sample Table of Contents
CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS…………………………………………………………………….............vii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………………..1
I. Background of the Project…………………………………………………………...1
II. Main Pastoral Objective……………………………………………………………...3
III. Significance of the Project…..……………………………………………………….3
IV. Scope and Limitation………………………………………………………………...5
V. Theoretical Framework and Methodology…………………………………………..7
VI. Review of Related Literature………………………………………………………...8
CHAPTER TWO: PROMOTING LOVE OF SCRIPTURES TO YOUNG CHILDREN……………10
I. Faith Formation for the Pre-School Children of St. Martha’s Academy for Boys and
Girls…………………………………………………………………...…..……..10
II. Religious Education and Creativity in Storytelling …………………………..........13
III. Learning from Church Directives…………………………………………………..16
CHAPTER THREE: USING IMAGES AND THEMES FROM THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA TO
TEACH SCRIPTURES...................................................................................................................19
I. Laying the Groundwork and Building Something New……………………………20
II. From the Lion to the Lamb: A Different Approach………………………………...26
CHAPTER FOUR: CONCLUSION……………………………………………………..……………35
BIBLIOGRAPHY………………………………………………………………………..……………38
vi

46
Appendix 4 Forms
INSTITUTE OF CATECHETICS AND YOUTH MINISTRY
Project Paper Proposal

Endorsement Form
I, _____________________________________________, having accepted to guide the student

(Name of the Adviser)
(Name of Student)________________________________________________________________,
(Surname) (First Name) (Middle Initial)
under the program Master in Religious Studies, major in __________ Student No.___________
(Title of the Project Paper)__________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
do hereby endorse the above-mentioned “Project Paper Proposal” for the approval by the Vice-
Dean of the ICYM.
__________________________________ _________________________________
Signature of the Adviser Date and Place
______________________________________________________
Approval Form
The DBCS Graduate Studies authorities, through the Vice-Dean of the ICYM, do hereby approve
the “Project Paper Proposal” submitted by the candidate. (A copy is herewith attached.)
Remarks: ______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________ _________________________________
Signature of the ICYM Vice-Dean Date and Place

47
Note: Two copies (one for the adviser and the other for the student) of this work schedule are
maintained and updated at the same time. Page 1 of 2
MRS PROJECT PAPER WORK SCHEDULE
Name of Student: __________________________________ Student no.: ________________
Email Address: ___________________ Contact number: ______________ Major: ____________
Title of Project Paper: ____________________________________________________________
Name of Adviser:____________________________ Date: _________________________
Date of Noted by Adviser

Date of Assignment for Next
Agenda of the Meeting Next (signature and comments)
Meeting Meeting
Meeting
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

48
Page 2 of 2
Date of Noted by Adviser

Date of Assignment for Next
Agenda of the Meeting Next (signature and comments)
Meeting Meeting
Meeting
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.

49
MASTER IN RELIGIOUS STUDIES PROGRAM
PROJECT PAPER PRESENTATION
(Application Form)
Name of Student: ____________________________________________________

Student Number: ________________ Specialization: ( ) Catechetics. ( ) Youth Ministry.
Email Address: ______________________ Mobile / Telephone No. ____________________
Title of Project Paper: _____________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________
I hereby submit my project paper (two copies in provisional binding) and

respectfully request to present it for examination.
__________________________ Endorsed by: _______________________

Signature of Student Signature of the adviser over printed name
Official Receipt Number: ____________________

Date: __________________
Signature of Cashier: _______________________
Date: __________________
______________________________________________________
(Acceptance Form)
The request to present the Project Paper for examination is hereby officially
accepted.
Date of Presentation: ____________________ Time: _____________
Panelists: 1) ___________________________ 2) ____________________________
Approved by: __________________________ Date Approved: _________________

Vice-Dean of the ICYM

50
Master in Religious Studies Program
Project Paper Continuation

Endorsement Form for Project Paper Continuation
I, __________________________________, do hereby accept to guide the student

(Name of the Adviser)
(Name of Student) ______________________________________________________________,
under the program Master in Religious Studies, major in __________ Student No.__________
(Title of the Project Paper) _________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________ .
I endorse his/her application for “Project Paper Continuation.”
________________________ _________________________
Signature of the Adviser Date and Place
______________________________________________________
Approval Form for Project Paper Continuation
The DBCS Graduate Studies authorities, through the Vice-Dean of the ICYM, do hereby
approve the application of the above-mentioned student for “Project Paper Continuation.”
Remarks: ____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
________________________________ ______________________
Signature of the Vice-Dean of the ICYM Date and Place

51
Appendix 5 Project Paper Evaluation Guide

Master in Religious Studies Program
GUIDE TO STUDENTS, ADVISERS AND EXAMINERS ON HOW TO

EVALUATE A PROJECT PAPER
A) Introduction
1) What is a Project Paper?
A Project Paper is a requirement for graduation demanded by the Don Bosco

Center of Studies and the Commission on Higher Education. It is intended for students
pursuing the non-thesis and terminal Master in Religious Studies Program (cf. DBCS
Academic Handbook, Parañaque City, 2008, p. 24-28).
The Project Paper is both a theological and a pastoral paper. It is practical in

approach, outlook, and content. It seeks to offer a theory-based, concrete, and user-
friendly contribution on a chosen field of pastoral endeavour according to one’s area of
specialization (i.e. Catechetics, Youth Ministry, Pastoral Ministry).
2) What is the purpose of writing a project paper?
Writing a project paper provides the student with an opportunity to propose a

pastoral response to a concrete, actual, or emerging issue related to his/her field of
specialization. For example: create training modules to form youth leaders, prepare a
seminar course for youth ministers, design a catechetical program of instruction for a
particular age group, etc.
3) What is the style of writing a project paper?
It is an essay, narrative in style. It may include graphic and schematic

representations. It consists of around 30 to 40 pages. It adheres to the DBCS House Style.
B) Suggested Criteria for Evaluating a Project Paper
Here are the three suggested criteria on how to evaluate a project paper:
1) The project is pastorally applicable.

52
It means that the student is able to make a concrete application of what he/she
has learned in the MRS Program. This is demonstrated through the project being
presented (according to one’s area of specialization: catechetics, youth ministry, etc.).
2) The project is practicable.
It means that the proposed project is doable. It can actually be realized or

experiemented in the chosen target context and recipients; that enough resources are
available to actualize the project.
3) The project paper is technically correct in its written form.
It means that the paper adheres to the DBCS House Style..
[End]

53
Instructions: Please fill out this form made available through
Appendix 6: Resources Monitoring Sheet the Registrar’s Office. Place the accomplished form in the
drop box at the Research Office (G/F School building).
RESOURCES MONITORING SHEET

Note: MATh and MRS candidates working on their thesis/project paper should indicate all the resources they used
during the previous semester, as well as resources that will still be needed to finish the research project. Check items in
the checklist and/or indicate in the spaces provided those items that are not specified in this sheet.
Student’s Name: ____________________ Institute: __________ Course: ____________

Research Project Title: ____________________________________________________________
During the last semester, the ( ) first ( ) second of Academic Year ______________, I availed of
the following resources in DBCS:
 Library, please check particular sources that have been especially useful:
 General References  Canon Law  Catechetics
 Periodicals & Journals  Theology in General  Youth Ministry
Sources on the following:  Dogma  Theses, Dissertations, Project Papers
 Scriptures  Morals and Ethics  Others, please specify:
 Church Documents  Spirituality ______________________
 Church History  Salesianity ______________________
 Computer
 Internet
 Photocopier
 Others, please specify: _______________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
I still need to avail of the following resources in DBCS so I can finish my paper:
 Library, please check particular sources that have been especially useful:
 General References  Canon Law  Catechetics
 Periodicals & Journals  Theology in General  Youth Ministry
Sources on the following:  Dogma  Theses, Dissertations, Project Papers
 Scriptures  Morals and Ethics  Others, please specify:
 Church Documents  Spirituality ______________________
 Church History  Salesianity ______________________
 Computer
 Internet
 Photocopier
 Others, please specify: _______________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
 Please also indicate resources that you need that are not currently available in DBCS:
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Signature of Student: ___________________ Date: ________________

54
Appendix 7: Project Paper Certificate of Originality

CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY
The writer of this project paper,
Title of Project Paper:
Date of Presentation:
hereby declares that the contents of his/her final and submitted texts are free from any
material already published by another author nor does it contain statements lifted without
due acknowledgment of the sources. He/she similarly attests that materials taken from
other sources are properly quoted.
Thus, except those which have been duly acknowledged, recognized, and quoted in the
text, the content of this project paper has been authentically produced by the writer
himself/herself though he/she may have received assistance from others on style,
presentation, and language expression.
___________________________________
(Candidate, signature over printed name)
Date:

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DON BOSCO CENTER OF STUDIES

House Style and Research Code of Practice

Research Development & Communications Office

Guide for the MRS Program Updated: June 2016

DBCS HOUSE STYLE AND RESEARCH CODE OF PRACTICE

For any questions and concerns please contact us.

Research Development & Communications Office

Phone Nos.: (+632) 8239483, 8233290, 8246787 Loc. 201

Guide for the MRS Program Updated: June 2016

Part I General Notes in Academic Writing

Date and Time……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….15

Expressions and Others………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….17

Editing the Paper……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………17

Printed Documentation Style: Footnote and Bibliography Citations

Guide for the MRS Program Updated: June 2016

Electronic Documentation Style: Footnote and Bibliography Citations

Part II Instructions for Project Paper Writing

What is a Project Paper?.............................................................................................................................29

Why write a Project Paper?........................................................................................................................29

Three Stages in Writing a Project Paper………………………………………………………………………………………………...34

Crafting the Project Paper Proposal……………………………………………………………………………………35

Producing the Project Paper……………………………………………………………………………………………….36

Detailed Format of the Project Paper…………………………………………………………………………………………………….37

RESEARCH CODE OF PRACTICE

Responsibilities of DBCS as an Institution………………………………………………………………………………………………39

Responsibilities at the Institute Level…………………………………………………………………………………………………….40

Requirements and Responsibilities of Advisers………………………………………………………………………………………40

Requirements for MATh and MRS Candidates……………………………………………………………………………………….41

Guide for the MRS Program Updated: June 2016

Responsible Research Guidelines…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..41

Appendix 1: Sample Title Page…………………………….………………………………………………………………………………..43

Appendix 2: Abstract Format Sheet………..……………………………………………………………………………………………..44

Appendix 3: Sample Table of Contents…..………………………………………………………………………………………………45

Project Paper Proposal Form………………………………………………………………………………………………46

Project Paper Work Schedule……………………………………………………………………………………………..47

Project Paper Presentation Form………………………………………………………………………………………..49

Project Paper Continuation Endorsement Form………………………………………………………………….50

Appendix 5: Project Paper Evaluation Guide..………………………………………………………………………………………..51

Appendix 6: Resources Monitoring Sheet………..…………………………………………………………………………………….53

Appendix 7: Project Paper Certificate of Originality…,,…………………………………………………………………………..54

Guide for the MRS Program Updated: June 2016

PART I: GENERAL NOTES IN ACADEMIC WRITING2

Guide for the MRS Program Updated: June 2016

Participation corresponds to the person’s transcendence and integration in action

Guide for the MRS Program Updated: June 2016

Note that the original begins with From.

Guide for the MRS Program Updated: June 2016

Set-off (from lowercase to uppercase)

Guide for the MRS Program Updated: June 2016

1. Acknowledge indebtedness: As a rule, be sure to write the source of information of every

Example 1: Direct Quotation

Timothy L. Smith, Thomas Aquinas’ Trinitarian Theology: A Study in Theological

Example 2: Indirect Quotation

Guide for the MRS Program Updated: June 2016

San Francisco, 1990), 119.

Guide for the MRS Program Updated: June 2016

 Technical discussions or definitions;

5. Provide additional bibliography: Use footnotes to refer readers to other helpful or

Guide for the MRS Program Updated: June 2016