Chris Vlachos sent an email with some basic guidance for style and formatting. Below is the relevant content from that email, a sort of "here's what you should have in your head as you work—in order to save time" quick reference guide.
- Measurements - Make sure that measurements conform to those specified on the website or seminar room hard copy template. Do not just print out the web cite template and assume measurements are exact. Measurements may vary according to printer used. This is why I specify the measurements in writing on the web page. Do sample pages and measure.
- Top margin - Make sure that the top line on all pages of the body and bibliography does not drop below the top margin
- Dot leaders - For the final copy, the table of contents dot leaders must be spaced and must line up. Do not wait until the final draft to begin learning how to format this. See me for simple instructions.
- Chapters - Foot note number sequence begins with #1 at every chapter. Thus in chapter two, the first foot note should be "1".
- Appendix - Page numbers continue sequentially through entire dissertation-- i.e., all the way through the bibliography.
- Page numbers - On a chapter, appendix, bibliography title page, place page number bottom center. On other pages place number at upper center--or (preferably) upper right corner.
- Proper use of number sequences - 245-48 NOT 245-248 104-5 not 104-05 - See SBL or Turabian
- Numbers - Use en dashes to separate numbers
- State abbreviations - Use either postal codes IL or abbreviations Ill. Do not use both
- Pages - No widows or orphans at top or bottom of page
- Bibliography entries - Do not split a reference at the top or bottom of page.
- Footnotes - be consistent in the way you cite T & T Clark -- not T. & T. Clark here and then T & T Clark there.
- Ellipses - space between periods - . . . not ...
- Initials - C. S. Lewis not C.S. Lewis N. J. not N.J.
- Publishers - InterVarsity not Inter Varsity - Westminster John Knox not Westminster/John Knox
- Publishers - "Unless ambiguity or awkwardness would result, it is preferable to shorten the reference by excluding words such as Press, Publishing House, Inc., Ltd., Company, Verlag, etc. Do not, however, omit the word Press from the name of a university press." (Wheaton PhD Dissertation Style Guide, FORTHCOMING)
- Colons - WA 12:353 not WA 12: 353 - (1967): 234-46 not (1967):234-46
- Commas - TDNT 8:312 not TDNT, 8:312 - As a general rule, do not place a comma after an abbreviated title - BDAG 312, LW 23:213-24, NIDNTT 2:1-12
- Periodicals - Do note cite no. and month - JBL 13 (1978) not JBL 13, no. 3 (April, 1978). The only time you need to give the issue number or month is if the pagination is not sequential through the volume.