Guidelines
I. Guidelines for Writing a Proposal
To ensure that the Dictionary does not already have a biography on your proposed subject in its line-up, please email us (admin@sedictionary.org) a one-paragraph summary (about 100 words) of your proposed subject citing the person’s full name, contributions, and the major points of his or her life before embarking on your research and writing. Subjects whose stories already appear in the Dictionary website or line-up will not normally be considered unless the proposed article includes significant new material and insights.
II. Guidelines for Writing a Biography
In preparing a biography for inclusion in the Dictionary, please insure that your article includes information on as many of the following categories as possible. The author should integrate this information into an article between 500 and 1500 words long.
1. Name of Subject. Provide explanations of these names, if necessary.
- Given name of the Subject
- Nicknames or other names by which Subject was known
2. Subject’s family. If there is more than one spouse, list children under the appropriate parent.
- Ethno-linguistic group
- Clan or kinship group
- Parents
- Spouse
- Children
- Grandchildren
3. Life story
- Date or approximate date of birth
- Place of birth: village, city, province, nation
- Formative experiences such as illnesses, personal misfortunes, tragedies, visions, etc.
- Education, degrees (including dates)
- Conversion (including date, if applicable)
- Calling and/or ordination to ministry (including date)
- Date or approximate date, place, and circumstances of death
4. Nationality/citizenship
5. Languages (including first, second, third, etc.)
6. Church affiliation
- Roman Catholic
- Orthodox
- Protestant
- Independent
7. Churches begun or served by the Subject
- Names
- Locations
- Descriptions
8. Ministry details (Where stories include anecdotes and interviews, please ensure citation details are complete.)
- Countries/Regions
- Duration
- Memorable or meaningful events during the ministry
- Short and long term impacts
9. Continuing influence and significance of the Subject
10. Publications, reports, writings, letters, musical compositions, and/or artistic contributions by the Subject
11. Sources of information about the Subject
- Unpublished: For eyewitness and oral accounts, anecdotes and interviews, give names and the town/city where your sources live and include details of their relationship to the subject.
- Published: Include complete data on author of book, book title, location, publisher, year of publication and other relevant details in the bibliography.
12. Picture of the Subject
13. Other pertinent information
*These guidelines have been adapted with permission from the Dictionary of African Christian Biography, as well as from the Dictionary of Christian Biography in Asia.