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Brill’s Encyclopedia of Buddhism (BEB) Style Guide

April 2016

Contents

I. General Principles................................................................................................................... 1
II. Spelling and Usage ................................................................................................................ 3
III. Capitalization ....................................................................................................................... 5
IV. Italicization .......................................................................................................................... 7
V. Abbreviations ........................................................................................................................ 8
VI. Punctuation .......................................................................................................................... 9
VII. Numbers and Dates .......................................................................................................... 11
VIII. Citations and Text References ........................................................................................ 12
IX. Bibliographies .................................................................................................................... 15
X. Diacritics and Transliteration .............................................................................................. 20
XI. Checklist ............................................................................................................................ 21

I. General Principles

1. This style guide, with appendixes, is the main authority for style, together with the
associated abbreviations lists, the authorities list, and the lemma list, which are
updated from time to time. Regarding points not covered specifically in this guide,
for style The Chicago Manual of Style (16th ed.) and for spelling the Merriam-Webster
dictionary are authoritative.
2. Although we will not strive for consistency and uniformity in all respects, we will
try to present a consistent picture when it comes to facts and figures. We will also
keep an eye on where there is too much overlap and where lacunae appear. For
these and other reasons (such as space limitations), all articles submitted are subject
to editing for content, style, and length. In rare cases, articles can also be rejected.
Naturally, the editing will be done in close communication with the authors. This
that
3. The BEB is an encyclopedia. This means that readers expect the articles to be
authoritative and objective, providing information that is comprehensive,
uncontroversial, and up to date. They expect a fair summary of current scholarship.
We would like to fulfill that expectation, but this does not mean that the articles in
BEB cannot present new ideas or innovative views. As a consequence, controversial
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issues need not be avoided at all times. Just make sure that all points of view are
presented in an impartial manner. We would like to encourage authors to convey in
an objective manner to readers their fascination with the topic in question – by
giving tantalizing details and delving deep rather than staying at the surface, even
at the expense of making things a bit more difficult. Do not be afraid to go deep: if
possible, do not stop at mere description – give generalizations and analyses (and
competing analyses), and discuss controversies. We do not only want facts; we also
want ideas.
4. Begin each lemma with a short definition of the lemma. Remember that this is an
encyclopedia that will be used by specialists and nonspecialists alike. The text
should be comprehensible to educated nonspecialists.
5. Refrain from extensive quotations, but rather try to summarize an author’s
viewpoint.
6. Longer articles may be subdivided into sections; each section must have its own
heading.
7. Do not use notes at all (footnotes, endnotes).
8. If possible, have articles by non-native English speakers corrected by a native
English speaker before submitting.
9. Provide maps and line drawings with their captions as separate files, and send them
by e-mail or file transfer to the project manager at Brill. Indicate clearly in the
manuscript where each map or drawing should be inserted. We also welcome the
submission of copyright-free illustrations and photos to accompany articles. In case
images cannot be obtained copyright free, please contact your section editor. In
case there are more maps and illustrations/images than one, they should be
numbered (Map 1:, Map 2:, Fig. 1:, Fig. 2:, etc.) and provided with a caption.
10. Tables may be given in the body of the text; in case there is more than one, they
should be numbered and provided with a caption (Table 1:, Table 2:, etc.)
11. Do not use bold type.
12. Please provide (a) a summary of your article in two or three lines, as a “teaser” for
online brochures and the like; (b) around three to ten terms for indexing of the
article; and (c) a short autobiography (about 100–150 words) following the example
below.
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Bronkhorst, Johannes, is professor of Sanskrit and Indian studies at the University of Lausanne,
Switzerland, authoring some 15 books and 150 articles in journals and edited volumes on various
aspects of Indian studies and the study of religion. Some of his books include The Two Traditions of
Meditation in Ancient India (1986), Tradition and Argument in Classical Indian Linguistics (1986), The Two
Sources of Indian Asceticism (1993), Langage et réalité: Sur un épisode de la pensée indienne (1999), and
Karma and Teleology: A Problem and Its Solutions in Indian Philosophy (2000). He is editor of two book
series with Brill (Brill’s Indological Library and Handbook of Oriental Studies 2: India). His most
recent books are Greater Magadha (2007), Aux origines de la philosophie indienne (2008), Absorption: Two
Studies of Human Nature (2009), and Buddhist Teaching in India.

II. Spelling and Usage

1. American spelling is used in general, including “e” rather than “ae” (exception:
archaeology). “Dialogue” and “catalogue” are used, as is “center” rather than
“centre,” but “theatre” rather than “theater.” Americanisms, Britishisms, and
colloquialisms are to be avoided. We do not start a sentence with the phrase “Based
on.” Use “on the basis of” or “in view of” as an adverbial phrase instead.

2. No space between initials, but one space between last initial and surname. Surname
prefixes (e.g. “von”) are not abbreviated.

3. Single (not double) space between sentences.

4. Generally do not hyphenate prefixed words (e.g. with anti, co, counter, extra, inter,
intra, macro, micro, multi, non, over, post, pre, pro, pseudo, re, semi, socio, sub,
trans, etc.), even when a letter is repeated (preexilic, overreaction, etc.). But use a
hyphen

a. to avoid awkwardness, for long words, to avoid confusion, or to aid

pronunciation (e.g. non-geographical, co-opt, re-creation);

b. if the second part begins with a capital or number (anti-Jewish, pan-Indian

[“pan” is always lowercase], mid-15th cent.);

c. with “self” (self-understanding).

5. Compound nouns in common use are closed up (worldview, but: well-being), but
those formed from a noun and gerund, two nouns, or noun and adjective are two
words, not hyphenated (e.g. decision makers). However, compound
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nouns/adjectives use a hyphen when preceding/modifying a noun (16th-century

reform, late 20th-century thought, mid-19th century, historical-critical
methodology, decision-making authority), except when the combination is
unambiguous (high school district), using most/least, or with an adverb ending in –
ly (legally protected interest).

6. “Century” is plural when multiple centuries are indicated (late 3rd and early 4th
centuries), but singular when not inclusive (in the 3rd or 4th century). Likewise, “in
the 5th to 8th centuries” or “(in the 5th–8th cents.)” but “from the 5th to the 8th
century” (some judgment is required in many of these cases).

7. The indefinite article “a” (rather than “an”) is used before h-words like historical,
heroic, and so on.

8. Do not use contractions (not “can’t” but “cannot,” not “don’t” but “do not,” etc.).

9. Singular possessive of name or word ending in s: s’ (not s’s).

10. For ease of reading, use a comma after adverbial and introductory phrases unless
very short.

11. Italicized Sanskrit (etc.) terms and concepts are not capitalized (e.g. śūnyatā), except
primary sources (Laṅkāvatārasūtra). Sanskrit (etc.) composita are not hyphenated
(sūtradhara). For Chinese and Japanese, separate words (in italics), but not syllables,
and place the characters in parentheses afterward (Fangshan yunjusi shijing
[房山雲居寺石經]; Kokuyaku Issaikyō [國譯一切經]). For Tibetan write all syllables
separately (bcom ldan ’das) without hyphenation. For capitalization of Tibetan, see
below.

If non-English terms or titles of works are accompanied by original characters and

English translation, they are formatted in one of the following ways:

term in Romanization (characters; English translation)

Example: hwarang (花郞; flower boys)

English translation (Romanization [characters])

Example: ten vows (Kor. sibwŏn [十願])

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12. The phrases “on the one hand” and “on the other hand” are only used in pairs – if
used by itself, “on the other hand” will be changed to “however,” “in contrast,” or
the like. Likewise, parallelism is to be implemented with pairs like this (not
only/but also, both/and, etc.).

13. The spelling of modern-day place names is according to Google Earth. Tone marks
are not used in place names.

14. For the spelling of modern-day personal names, Encyclopedia Britannica is the
authority. This accounts also for personal names from non-Western cultures from
the 19th century onward. Diacritics for modern-day personal names can be used for
Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, and so on personal names. Diacritics are not
required for modern-day Indian personal names. Tone marks are not used in
personal (and place) names.

15. Names of languages are Anglicized (e.g Sanskrit, Prakrit, Tamil, Pali, Apabhramsha,
etc.).

III. Capitalization

1. Please see the authorities list for specific terms and exceptions to general rules.

2. Headline-style capitalization is used for most published titles and for headings
within articles: capitalize the first and last word, a word following a colon, and all
nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs; do not capitalize articles (the, a,
an), prepositions, conjunctions, to, as, and the second part of a prefixed hyphenated
term if the prefix cannot stand alone (Anti-caste).

Sentence-style capitalization capitalizes only the first word, the first word after a
colon, and proper nouns.

3. Words that are capitalized when following a specific name: churches, mosques,
temples, and other buildings/monuments, political designations (empire, kingdom,
sultanate, presidency, etc.), geographical designations (valley, plain, plateau, river,
peninsula, lake, forest, desert, etc.), and so on (capitalized Mount may precede or
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Mountain/s follow a proper name, and Lake may precede or follow a proper name).
The words festival, district, dynasty, school, basin, delta, glacier, age, procession,
cave, hill, and period are lowercase.

4. In the context of monotheistic religions, God and Lord are capitalized in singular,
lowercase in plural. Do not capitalize the divine or dominical pronoun he, him, or
his. In the context of polytheistic religions, god and goddess are usually lowercase.
If it is a title, it should be capitalized and Roman: Buddha Amitabha (not: the buddha
Amitabha or the buddha Amitabha). Lord is capitalized preceding a name as part of a
personal title. Buddha is uppercase only when referring to Śākyamuni (the Buddha
traveled to), otherwise buddha (Roman); thus also buddhahood, buddha nature,
buddha field, buddha embryo, and so on.

5. Words like the absolute, the self, and the supreme being are lowercase.

6. Personal titles are capitalized if directly followed by a proper name (but not if in
apposition): president, king, bishop, emperor, duke, earl, rabbi, rector, and so on
(President Clinton, Bishop John, Emperor Chandragupta, but the bishop of Rome,
former president Clinton, the Indo-Greek king Agathokles). Titles of professional
positions are given in lowercase (e.g. professor of ancient history), except when the
position has a formal title (e.g. Taylor was appointed John V. Dougall Professor of
Ancient History in 1942) or when the title directly precedes the name (Professor
Taylor).

7. Do not capitalize the first word after a colon (unless it is a quotation or a series of
questions).

8. Words like book, chapter, section, act, and so on are lowercase even when followed
by an Arabic number.

9. North, south, east, west are lowercase unless referring to a fixed title (South Africa,
West Bengal before 1949) or recognized major region (the West, South/east Asia,
the Far East). Southwest(ern), northeast(ern), and so on are not hyphenated.

10. Subject areas such as ancient history, theology, mathematics, and so on are given in
lowercase, except in reference to a specific title of a faculty or school (Department
of Biblical Studies, University of Sheffield).
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11. Only periods/movements/schools/organizations with a generally accepted starting

date are capitalized (Mahāsāṃghika, Enlightenment, Romanticism).

12. Adjectives like brahmanic(al) (referring to literary body of works), upanishadic(al),

puranic(al), and shastric(al), and agamic(al) are Anglicized (therefore no diacritics)
and adjective (therefore not capitalized). Brahmanic(al) (referring to caste) is
capitalized. Anglicized terms in general do not have diacritics (saree, suttee, ghee,
etc.)

IV. Italicization

1. For titles of secondary sources, see Bibliographies section below.

2. Italics (not bold or full capitals) may be used for emphasis, but avoid overuse.

3. Latin abbreviations are italicized: et al., ad hoc, de facto, a priori, a fortiori, vis-à-vis; we
are not italicizing i.e., etc., e.g., c., vice versa, per se. We are not using op. cit., loc. cit.,
cf., eadem, ibid., passim.

4. Titles of primary sources, sections/chapters of primary sources, hymns, songs,

anthems, prayers, poems, and secondary literature (books) are italicized (headline
caps). English titles of legends are not italicized and not between quotation marks
(headline caps), as are scholarly traditions and inscriptions. Reports are
unitalicized, headline caps.

5. Literary genres/bodies of literature are italicized and lowercase: tantras, āgamas,

nikāyas, sūtra, and so on.

Exceptions: Vinaya, T(r)ipiṭaka, Abhidharma, Kanjur, and Tanjur.

6. We are not italicizing the following foreign terms (but we are using diacritics):

arhat
bodhisattva (= a bodhisattva)
buddha (= a buddha)
dharma
karma(n)
mantra
nirvāṇa
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pratyekabuddha
saṃsāra
saṅgha
stūpa
tathāgata (= a tathāgata)
vihāra
yoga

All other words in languages other than English are italicized.

7. Foreign-language technical terms remain untranslated and in italics (rapprochement,

Hineininterpretation). The plural of (italicized) foreign-language terms will be
followed by a roman –s or –es.

8. We do not italicize foreign-language names of institutions, schools of thought, and

so on (Académie Française, Mahāyāna).

9. Botanical names are given in parentheses, preceded by bot. and italicized.

V. Abbreviations

1. For the sake of readability, BEB will use only minimum abbreviations, retaining only
standard abbreviations in common use or in line with academic norms.

2. Abbreviations are not used in running text (with a few exceptions; see below), but
only in parentheses or bibliographies. In main text (as opposed to text in
parentheses), “for example” or “for instance” are used instead of e.g., “that is,”
instead of i.e., “namely” instead of viz., “see” instead of s., “among others” instead
of i.a. (inter alia). In parenthetical text, e.g. and i.e. are not followed by a comma.

3. Do not start a sentence with an abbreviation.

4. Abbreviations generally end with a period, with the exception of acronyms and
measurements.

5. Abbreviations like AMF are to be avoided and should be written out in full.
However, if, for example, American Muslim Foundation is followed by (AMF), then
in the next instance the abbreviation can be used, especially if such a term occurs
frequently in an article. Exceptions are UN, UNESCO, and so on.
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6. BCE and CE (rather than BC and AD) are used in running text and parentheses.
However, “Common Era” and “before the Common Era” are spelled out if not
preceded by a year.

7. Century/millennium in the main text are written out in full. Within

parentheses/brackets, they are abbreviated to cent. or cents. and mill. (e.g. 11th
cent., 11th-cent. philosopher, 11th–12th cents., 3rd mill. BCE). Numerals are always
used with century/millennium.

8. Measurements are abbreviated and not punctuated (km rather than kilometer, km2
rather than sq. km), unless not following a numeral (“a journey of several
kilometers” vs. 158 km) or if necessary for ease of reading in running text (“5,000-
meter-high pass”). The degree symbol is used for temperatures and
latitude/longitude (“situated between 12⁰ and 18⁰ north latitude and 74⁰ and 78⁰
east longitude”). Metric measurements are always used; English measurements
must be converted if used.

9. c. and approx. (only to be used in parenthetical text): c. for circa (not italicized) is
used for dates; approx. for other numbers or measurements (“around” or “some”
are often good alternatives).

10. b. (born) or d. (died) are only used in parentheses. The form of birth and death
citation for biographical entries is: Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von (Aug 28, 1749,
Frankfurt am Main – Mar 22, 1832, Weimar).

11. Names of languages are spelled out, except in parentheses when identifying the
language of a term (Lat., Skt.).

12. US and UK are spelled out in running text, unless adjectives (US president).

13. US states following a city name may use standard two-letter postal abbreviations
(no periods), otherwise spelled out in full.

VI. Punctuation

1. For use of quotation marks with titles, see Bibliographies section below.
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2. Double quotation marks are used (with single quotation marks, where necessary,
within double quotation marks): “He said, ‘If I were you, I would not do that.’”

3. Series (Oxford) comma is used (comma before “and” in a list of more than two
items): red, white, and blue rather than red, white and blue. (The exception to this is
in lists of authors in bibliographical references or before et al.).

4. Quotation marks close after a period/full stop or a comma, but before a colon or
semi-colon; a question mark or exclamation point is inside quotation marks only if
part of the original quotation. “This,” he said, “is the truth.” Did he say “good
morning”? But: He asked, “What time is it?” Exception: in a bibliography only, if
quotation marks come at the end of an italicized title, the comma falls outside:
Smith, W.L., The One-Eyed Goddess: A Study of the “Manasā Maṅgala”, Stockholm, 1980.

5. French chevrons ( » ..... « ) or German opening and closing quotation marks ( , ..... ʼ)
are not used.

6. Semicolons are used instead of a period to denote a connection between two

independent (complete) clauses (This is the first thought; the second thought is
related.). They are also used in complex lists when individual parts of the list
contain commas (The list contained punctuation; verbs, nouns, and pronouns; and
numbers.), but a list without internal commas, even if wordy, does not require
semicolons.

7. Quotation marks or italics are not necessary after “so-called.”

8. Quotation marks (rather than italics) can be used when speaking of a term as a
term.

9. A translation in parentheses of a term does not need quotation marks: kṛṣṇa (black,
dark). If the literal meaning rather than common meaning is meant, quotation
marks can be used, for example: tīrthaṅkara (“ford maker,” i.e. Jain teacher).

10. Square brackets are used only for parentheses within parentheses (…[…]…) or to
indicate editorial additions to a quotation.

11. A comma is not used after i.e. or e.g., which are used in parenthetical text only.
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12. A hyphen is appropriate when designating a dual-nature being (e.g. snake-god,

buffalo-demon). However, in general, a hyphen is not necessary between adjective
and noun or two nouns (e.g. alms bowl).

13. Geography: if an abbreviation (state, province, country) is used, no commas are

needed (New York NY is crowded); if the full name is used, commas set off the
region (Ann Arbor, Michigan, is a university town).

14. Lists (run-in or vertical) may use numbers or letters, set off by parentheses: (1), (2),
(3), or (a), (b), (c), or bullet points (note: the punctuation – comma or semicolon –
separating items in a list is not altered by the use of numbers/letters).

VII. Numbers and Dates

1. In main text, the numbers from one to ten (only) are written out in full. However,
when comparing numbers, digits are used (12 years in exile and 1 year in disguise;
exception: if all of the compared numbers would normally be spelled out, then they
may be spelled out when being compared). Digits are always used for designating
book, chapter, and other such numbers (book 3, chapter 12).

2. Commas are used in numbers with more than three digits (1,000), except page
numbers and dates.

3. For small decimals, a zero precedes the decimal (0.16%).

4. For percentages, use the percentage sign if using digits, but spell out percent (not:
per cent) if spelling out the number (ten percent, 27%, 9% compared to 12%).

5. Large, round numbers of more than three digits, but fewer than three words (eight
thousand or 80 thousand, but 800,000), are spelled out thus: numbers one to ten
spelled out, 11 and above numerals, and thousand, million, billion, and so on are
spelled out (ten million, 11 million, etc., but 9,333,433), with the exception of dates
and page numbers. If large, round numbers are mentioned in an inexact sense in
running text (e.g. a few hundred, a thousand), these need not be changed to digits.
Age in decades (“in his twenties”) may be spelled out, but a decade (the 1920s) is
not.
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6. Do not start a sentence with a numeral. Instead, spell out number (if reasonable) or
reword to avoid starting with a number.

7. Full ranges are used for numbers/years, rather than abbreviated forms (1971-1979
rather than 1971-79). Note that we use either a hyphen between dates or the words
“from” and “to”: “1978-1983” or “from 1978 to 1983,” but not “from 1978-1983.” Also
“between 1978 and 1983,” not “between 1978-1983.”

8. Digits are used in measurements (e.g. 9 km), which must be metric.

9. Common fractions (one-third, three-quarters, etc.) are spelled out and hyphenated.
But complex or uncommon fractions are digits (4¾).

10. Decades add s, not ’s (1970s, not 1970’s).

11. Dates: Month day, year. Months are spelled out in running text but abbreviated
(three-letter abbreviation, no period) if part of a date: Dec 6, 1993; December 1993.
Punctuation in a sentence: On Jun 1, 1868, they began...

12. If a date range includes BCE/CE designations, a space is left on either side of the
hyphen: (3rd cent. BCE – 4th cent. CE). However, if the dash is between numbers,
there are no spaces: (2nd–3rd cents. CE).

13. Time: 9:30 am or pm (not 9.30).

14. Money and currency: US $300 million.

15. Ordinal numbers are not elevated/superscripted (e.g. 1st, 2nd, not 2nd). In running
text, these numerals are used only with centuries or millennia. Otherwise the
ordinals first to tenth are written out in full. Use “early/mid- (always
hyphenated)/late” rather than “in the beginning of/in the middle of/at the end of.”

VIII. Citations and Text References

1. Secondary literature mentioned in the article should be included in the

bibliography; it is encouraged to indicate the edition(s) of primary sources in the
bibliography.
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2. Citation of secondary source: surname (only), date of publication, page number(s):

(Brockington, 1981, 117–121). EXCEPTION: For non-Western authors, first and last
name may be included at each mention. Always use a comma: (surname, year, page)
or (surname, year). In running text, the author’s first initial(s) and surname are
included at each mention: A. Feldhaus, not Feldhaus or Anne Feldhaus (exception:
for non-Western names, first and last names may be included at each mention and
in parentheses). This goes also for I. Kant, R. Descartes, and so on. Citation of a note:
(Schmid, 2004, 8n2). Citation of a volume: (Walker, vol. II, 1993, 190). Name with a
prefix: (van Skyhawk, 1993, 190); do not capitalize van, von, etc. Citation of an
online news article: (Time, Oct 15, 1974). Authors referring to themselves or
speaking in the first person should use the “I” form, not “we,” or refer to
themselves using first initial and last name.

3. Citation of primary source: separated by periods, not commas: (MBh. 3.82.53–85). If

an equivalent from another source is included, format thus: (MBh. 6.31.7 [= BhG. 9.7]).
Edited versions of primary sources are cited thus: editor, year of publication, page
number.

Pali

Reference, whenever possible, the Pali Text Society (PTS) editions of Pali texts.

References are to volume and page number, and when relevant, line: (Vin III.59, 3-5
[= Vinaya Volume 3, page 59, lines 3-5]). When other reference is necessary – for
instance verse numbers, story number (in the Jātaka), or sutta number – this should
be added first, before volume and page number, following the PTS numbering,
unless there is a good reason to do otherwise (e.g. Dhp 32 [= the 32nd verse of the
Dhammapada]). Abbreviations should follow the Critical Pali Dictionary (see
http://pali.hum.ku.dk/cpd/intro/vol1_epileg_abbrev_texts.html)

Chinese

References to the Taishō edition are as follows:

T. 1234 (LV) 234c5-236a4, where T. = Taishō, 1234 = serial number of text, (LV) =
volume number, 234 = page, c = register, 5 = line.
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Tibetan

References should give Derge (Tōhoku; and if necessary also Peking, Kyoto edition)
serial number, followed by the division, volume number, page number, side, and
line number). Italics as shown.

D 123, mdo sde, kha, 123a5-b6 / P 78, mdo sde, gi, 75b4-76a5.

4. If material other than citations (e.g. translation, cross-reference, or term) is

included in parentheses, separate with a semicolon: (nidrāyoga; MBh. 12.335.17).

5. Different sources and chapters (primary or secondary) are separated by a semicolon

(3.82.53-85; 3.85.5) or (Brockington, 1981; 1990) or (Brockington, 1981; Luce, 1969).
However, different verses of the same section/chapter (primary sources) or pages
(primary or secondary sources) are separated by commas (1.2.90-92, 238-245;
Brockington, 1981, 117, 121).

6. Long quotations (more than two lines) do not use quotation marks and are set off as
block quotes (using the “Insert quote” function, if using the CMS). There is a
period/full stop at the end of the quoted material, followed by the parenthetical
citation, with no punctuation after. That is:

This is the end of the quote. (citation)

7. Short quotations (shorter than two lines – approx. 15-18 words) remain run-in with
the text, within quotation marks. Punctuation must follow citation: “This is the
quotation” (author, year, page).

8. It is encouraged to quote original sources in translation without providing the

original source text in transliteration. The asterisk is used for reconstructed text.

9. Translator, together with the year of publication and the page number, is only
mentioned in running text following a quotation, in parentheses: (MaSm. 2.18; trans.
Olivelle, 2009, 102).

10. If providing the English translation (unpublished) of a foreign-language primary

source (epic, section, chapter, etc.), use headline-style capitalization without
 15

quotation marks: Droṇaparvan (Book of Droṇa). (Note: aside from indicating a

translation, Book of Droṇa and the like is not used to denote the source; “book 12”
or “Droṇaparvan” is to be used, and not Book of Droṇa alone.)

11. If adding editorial information/clarification to a quotation, enclose these in square

brackets. If citing material that includes a grammatical or other error, insert [sic]
after the error.

12. Ellipses (which must be inserted via the “insert symbol” function: …) are not used at
the beginning or end of a quotation, but only in the middle to indicate removed
text. There are no spaces on either side of an ellipses.

13. A quotation, including the capitalization at the beginning, must fit the syntax of the
surrounding text; if capitalization of the original material is adjusted for syntax,
indicate with square brackets (“The…” becomes “[t]he…”).

14. Direct quotations must maintain style, diacritics, spelling, punctuation, and so on of
the original. Italics may be added (if noted) and initial capitalization changed if
indicated by square brackets.

15. If italics are included in a quotation, indicate in parentheses either “italics mine” or
“italics original” as appropriate.

16. When providing a caption for a photo, diagram, or image (all of which are called
figures) style is as follows: Fig. 1: Image description (photo by photographer or
photo by photographer, used by courtesy). Please number figures if there is more
than one.

IX. Bibliographies

1. The following rules concerning the format of author names apply to Western
authors. For non-Western authors, the format of the author names is left to the
contributor’s (or contributors’) and editor’s (or editors’) discretion.
2. Bibliography entries are organized alphabetically (ordered by author surname, and
then by date – newest to oldest – if there are multiple entries for an author).
Surnames with prefixes list prefix last (e.g. Skyhawk, H. van,). Use suffixed letters a,
 16

b, c, and so on to distinguish more than one item published by a single author in the
same year (ordered alphabetically).

3. Information required for bibliography entries (separated by commas): surname,

first initial(s) (no space between initials), title of work, editor (if applicable), title of
journal or volume (if applicable), volume/series number (if applicable), city (only
one city need be listed), and year of publication (see below for examples of format).

4. For a journal article: (First) author’s surname, first initial(s), first initial(s) and
surname of other authors, “Full Title and Subtitle,” Journal volume/number [where
available], year, pages.

5. For an article in a book: (First) author’s surname, first initial(s), first initial(s) and
surname of other authors, “Full Title and Subtitle,” in: (First) editor’s first initial(s)
and surname, first initial(s) and surname of other editors, ed(s)., Title, place of
publication, year, pages.

6. It is encouraged to use standard editions of primary sources. If a nonstandard

edition is used, include references to both the nonstandard and the standard one.

7. Do not indicate series unless this information is essential for tracing the book.

8. There is a period/full stop at the end of each bibliography entry.

9. Multiple authors are joined by ampersand (&) in bibliographies and parenthetical

citations (there is no series comma before the & if there are three or more authors).
The symbol & (never “and”) is only used to join authors or editors in the
bibliography or parenthetical references (not cities, not in titles, and not in running
text).

10. Title format:

a. Italicize (headline caps) titles of published books, journals, periodicals,
newspapers, dictionaries, encyclopedias, lectures, lexica, encyclicals, plays,
titled volumes of poems, works of art, films.
b. Articles (from journals, books, newspapers, etc.), essays, dissertations, and
lectures are enclosed in double quotation marks and not italicized (headline
 17

caps).
c. Use single quotes for quotations within article titles (which are in double
quotation marks). In italicized titles, if there is quoted material, use double
quotation marks (The “Purāṇas” and the Making of a Regional Tradition)
d. Subtitles are separated from the main title by a colon in all languages except
German, where the separation is by a period. Subtitles always start with a capital
letter, in any language.

11. Arabic numerals are used for journals and series, Roman numerals for a volume
with single publication, book volume, or encyclopedia.

12. If multiple publication cities are included, remove all but one. Cambridge needs to
be distinguished as Cambridge MA or Cambridge UK (Title, Cambridge UK, 1900).

13. City of publication uses English spelling (e.g. Munich, Vienna).

14. If citing a later edition or a reprint of a work, the original year and place of
publication should be supplied, in addition to the year of publication of the edition
used.

15. If an edition is indicated, this takes the form of a superscripted number preceding
its publication year: 21979 indicates that the second edition was published in 1979.

16. If a part of a book is indicated, format thus: vol. IX/4 (i.e. part 4 of volume 9).

17. Languages of publications other than English, French, and German (e.g. Hindi,
Tamil, Spanish, Italian) can be added, abbreviated, in parentheses at the end of the
entry for clarification: Kalyāṇ Tīrthāṅk, Gorakhpur, 1957 (Hind.). Always list the
original publication before a translation (English translation or foreign).

Examples:

Bharati, A., “Pilgrimage in the India Tradition,” HR 3/1, 1963, 135-167. (note: journal article
with volume and number)
 18

Biardeau, M., L’Hindouisme: Anthropologie d’une civilization, Paris, 1981; ET: Hinduism: The
Anthropology of a Civilization, Delhi, 1989. (note: “ET” for English translation)

Brockington, J., The Sacred Thread, Edinburgh, 1981, repr. 1998. (note: “repr.” for reprint.)

Dasgupta, S.N., A History of Indian Philosophy, 5 vols., Cambridge UK, 1922. (note: “vols.”; UK)

Doniger O’Flaherty, W., Asceticism and Eroticism in the Mythology of Śiva, London, 1973; repr.
Śiva: The Erotic Ascetic, London, 1981. (note: repr. with new title separated by semicolon if
full, alternate citation is included)

Fleet, J.F., Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum, vol. III: Inscriptions of the Early Gupta Kings and Their
Successors, Varanasi, 1888, repr. 1963. (note: volume with title)

Geetha, V., & S.V. Rajadurai, Towards a Non-Brahmin Millennium: From Iyothee Thass to Periyar,
Calcutta, 1998. (note: comma before and after first author’s initial; & joins authors, not
“and” or /; second author’s initials precede surname)

Gold, D., “Organized Hinduism: From Vedic Truth to Hindu Nation,” in: M.E. Marty & R.S.
Appleby, eds., Fundamentalisms Observed, Chicago, 1991, 531-593. (note: article in a volume
with editors – editor names follow “in:”)

Gonda, J., The Indra Hymns of the Rgveda, Leiden, 1989.

Gonda, J., et al., A History of Indian Literature, Wiesbaden, 1973ff. (note: “et al.”; “ff.”; repeat
the author’s name, no ibid. or long dash)

Karmakar, R., “The Temple Revives Human Sacrifice,” BBC News, Apr 2, 2002. (note: news)

Kingsolver, A., & S. Balasundaram, “Walking with Amman,” paper presented at the Tamil
Studies Conference, Toronto, 2007. (note: format for paper)

Lorenzen, D.N., The Kāpālikas and Kālāmukhas: Two Lost Śaivite Sects, Delhi, 1972, 21991. (note:
superscript for 2nd ed.)

Nesbitt, E., “My Dad’s Hindu, My Mum’s Side are Sikh,” Oct 1991,
http://www.art.man.ac.uk/CASAS/pdfpapers/identity.pdf. (note: Web site with date)

Sanderson, A., “Śaivism and the Tantric Traditions,” in: F. Hardy, ed., The World’s Religions,
vol. II, London, 1990, 128-172. (note: Roman numerals for volume numbers in a single
 19

publication, book, or encyclopedia with more than one volume; repetition of all digits in
page number sequence.)

Sen, S., History of Bengali Literature, New Delhi, rev. ed. 1971. (note: rev. ed.)

Singh, K.M., “Pilgrim’s Regress at the Kumbh: Polluted Water,” Down to Earth, February 15,
2007, 38-39. (note: magazine article)

Sivaram, D., “Tamil Nationalism,” www.tamil nation.org. (note: Web site)

Ślączka, A.A., “Temple Consecration Rituals in Ancient India: Text and Archaeology,” diss.,
Leiden University, 2006. (note: “diss.” for dissertation and the name of university)

Banaji, J., Theory as History, Historical Materialism 25, Leiden, 2010. (note: Historical
Materialism is a series, thus not italicized)

Vertovec, S., “‘Official’ and ‘Popular’ Hinduism in Diaspora,” CIS 28, 1994, 123-147. (note:
Arabic numerals for journal and series numbers; single quotation marks within double
quotation marks)

Weiss, Richard, Recipes for Immortality: Medicine, Religion, and Community in South India, New
York, forthcoming. (note: forthcoming)

Karashima Seishi (辛嶋静志), Jōagonkyō no gengo no kenkyū: Onshago bunseki o chūshin toshite
(『長阿含経』の原語 の研究 音写語分析を中心として; Study of the Original Language
Underlying the Cháng āhánjīng), Tokyo, 1994.

Yabuki, K. (矢吹慶輝), Meisha yoin: Tonkō shutsudo miden koitsu butten kaihō (鳴沙餘韻:
燉煌出土未傳古逸佛典開寶), Tokyo, 1930.

Yu, Hosŏn (유호선), Chosŏn hugi kyŏnghwa sajŏg-ŭi pulgyo insik-kwa pulgyo munhak (조선후기
경화사족의 불 교인식과 불교문학; Late Chosŏn Perceptions of Buddhism by Members of
the Capital Elite and Buddhist Literature), Paju, 2006.

(note: author’s name [either in full or with initials; First Name Last Name; Last Name, First
Name; Last Name First Name; and Last Name, Initials are all fine], followed by characters
for author’s name in parentheses [optional]; title in transcription, followed by title in
 20

characters [optional] in parentheses; English translation [optional] of title also in

parentheses, separated from the title in characters by semicolon)

Chŏng, Chaeho, “Naong chak kasa-ŭi chakka sibi,” (懶翁作歌辭의 作家 是非; The
Controversy about the Authorship of the Kasa Attributed to Naong), HY 19, 2003, 137–181.
(note: journal article with transcription, characters, and English translation)

X. Diacritics and Transliteration

1. Brill kindly requests authors to submit their articles in a Unicode font (Gentium, Arial
Unicode MS, Tahoma, etc.).
2. No diacritics: persons (exceptions: Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, Chinese, etc.),
organizations, movements, or institutions from 19th/20th centuries; or places, states,
regions, languages, scripts, kingdoms/empires/dynasties, historical periods and eras.
3. Use diacritics: place names that only existed in ancient times, or if referred to in the
context of an ancient text; river names; festivals (lowercase, italicized); original titles of
primary sources (written out in full, without spaces); months (lowercase, italicized).
4. Transliteration systems:
a. Chinese: Pinyin
b. Japanese: Modified Hepburn
c. Tibetan: Wylie. Capitalize the first letters of elements in names: Zhwa lu Kun
mkhyen Blo bzang, Jo nang pa Kun mkhyen Dol po pa Shes rab rgyal mtshan,
Dpal khang Lo tsa ba
d. Korean: McCune-Reischauer
e. Russian: Scientific Transliteration (ISO-9)
f. Arabic: Brill’s Simple Arabic
g. Sanskrit: Geneva Oriental Congress
Combinations of nasal + consonant: -ṅk-/-ṅg- (the alternative -ṃk-/-ṃg- is
allowed, e.g. Sāṃkhya), -ñc-/-ñj-, -ṇṭ-/-ṇḍ-, -nt-/-nd-/-nn-, -mp-/-mb-/-
mm-, -ṃṣ-/-ṃś-/-ṃs, -ṃh-.
h. Pali: see above
i. Tamil: a / ā / i / ī / u / ū / e / ē / ai / o / ō / au
k / ṅ / c / ñ / ṭ / ṇ / t / n / p /m
 21

y/r/l/v/ḷ/ḻ/ṟ/ṉ
j/ṣ/s/h
(note that –ś- is rendered as –c-; Śiva = Civaṉ)

XI. Checklist

We kindly ask that all authors make the following checks before finally sending on an
article in the CMS:
 Run spellcheck (please ensure that language is set to English).
 If there were any recurrent errors, search the entire article electronically for these
to ensure that none were missed.
 Search for italicized –s at the ends of transliterated words and remove italics.
 Search for double spaces and replace with single.
 Search for periods and commas outside quotation marks and change to our
punctuation style.
 Review all foreign, italicized, and other such words and check consistency with
Authorities List.
 Review the bibliography twice, as it is easy to miss details on a single check; also
check for correct alphabetical order.