Welcome:
Welcome to RS101OL Orientation & Research Methods. I look forward to serving as your online facilitator for this course. May God bless our time together this semester. Below are some helpful resources for the course and further guidance for the completion of the course's assignments. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact me. The message system in Canvas is the best way to reach me. If you would like to call me, send me a message through Canvas and I will send you my contact information.
Student Resources:
Turabian 8th Edition (Electronic Version Download) An ebook of the 8th edition of Turabian may be purchased from this site. There are a variety of ebook formats available on this site—prices vary.
Turabian 8th Edition Changes from the 7th Edition
Writing and Formatting Aids from the DTS Library
SBL Handbook of Style The Second Edition is now available, but only in hardcopy. The electronic version should soon become available.
Bibliographical Software:
Zotero Free for PC and Mac
Endnote A standard Bibliographical software for purchase.
Assignment 1:
For assignment 1, create and post a brief bio of yourself.
Module 2 Assignment:
In completing unit 2 assignment, Narrow Your Topic Statement, be sure to consult Turabian 1.2 (pages 8–9). You will want to present your narrowed topic statement according to the format shown there. This assignment consists of two parts: a narrowed topic statement and a preliminary outline that flows from your narrowed topic statement. Consult Turabian 23.4.2.2 (pages 328–29 in the 8th edition) when constructing your outline. Read the paragraph carefully and note how to properly format an outline.
Module 3 and 4 Assignments:
Unit assignments 3 and 4, using BIBLOS and ATLA respectively, were created by Marvin Hunn, Director of Libraries and Library Computing. If you have a specific question with respect to these assignments, please contact him at mhunn@dts.edu
Module 5 and 6 Assignments:
Be sure to download and consult the DTS Turabian Supplement as you complete assignments 5 Create a Bibliography and 6 Format a Research Paper. When inconsistency exists between Turabian format and the DTS Turabian Supplement, ALWAYS go with the DTS Turabian Supplement formatting.
For assignment 5, you will be creating a bibliography out of the ten sources provided for this assignment. Format your bibliography as if it were to be included in a paper, i.e., with a 2 inch top margin, BIBLIOGRAPHY listed as the title and centered, a page number at the bottom center of the page, sources listed according to alphabetical order, etc.
Assignment 5 becomes the bibliography for assignment 6. Since assignment 6 builds on 5, please wait until you have received my comments on assignment 5 before submitting assignment 6. Make the corrections noted in my comments. Download and use the MS Word Turabian Paper Template to create a "dummy" paper that demonstrates proper DTS Turabian format and style.
I suggest using your assignment 2 as a basis for creating a "dummy" paper. Come up with a title for your paper based upon your narrowed topic statement. Insert this title on your title page and at the top of the first page of your paper (note this format is the same as a chapter title for a thesis). Convert your outline into first, second, and third level headings. Use your narrowed topic statement as an example of proper paragraph form. You can repeat the statement several times to create additional paragraphs and a block quotation. Cite the ten bibliographic sources as ten footnotes (these do not have to be actual citations, remember we are only interested in seeing that you can cite according to proper DTS Turabian format and style).
Common Mistakes for Assignments 5 and 6:
Failure to use en dash between page numbers. Hyphens are used for hyphenated words, mother-in-law. En dash is longer than the hyphen being the same length as the letter "N," thus the name "en dash." It means "to" or "through" and is therefore the proper punctuation choice between page numbers when the span of numbers is in view. When you write 1–3, you are saying pages 1 to 3. If you are using a Mac, producing the en dash is easy. Simply press the hyphen and option key simultaneously. Follow these links for more information on the hyphen and en dash.
Superscripting the abbreviation after edition numbers. Write 3rd, not 3rd.
Failure to italicize transliterated Greek words. If you transliterate (note transliterate, not translate) a Hebrew or Greek word, it needs to be marked as such by italics.