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BDCC Guidelines for Researchers/Writers and Participating Institutions

Guidelines for Researchers and Writers

In preparing a biographical study for inclusion in the Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Christianity, please insure that you include information on as many of the following categories as possible. The author should integrate this information into an article about a specific person/subject, between 200 and 3,000 words in length.

1. Given name(s) of subject. As necessary, provide explanations of these names.

  • Pinyin (Surname first)
  • Characters
  • Western name
  • Other (Wade-Giles, dialect)
  • Pseudonyms

2. Family of subject. In cases where there is more than one spouse, list the children under the appropriate mother or father.

  • Kinship group, clan
  • Father, father's family
  • Mother, mother's family
  • Spouse(s), family of spouse
  • Children
  • Grandchildren

3. Life story.

  • Date or approximate date, place, and circumstances of birth and of death
  • Formative experiences, such as honors, visions, illnesses, personal misfortunes, social traumas
  • Courtship, marriage, homes, relations with the in-laws
  • Education, degrees (including dates)
  • Conversion (including date, if applicable) and discipleship/spiritual formation
  • Calling to ministry or vocation (including date of ordination)

4. Nationality/citizenship, ethnolinguistic group.

5. Languages --- first, second, third, etc.

6. Faith tradition.

  • Protestant (including independent Chinese-initiated, Pentecostal and charismatic, etc.)
  • Roman Catholic
  • Orthodox
  • Other

7. Names, locations, and descriptions of churches or other organizations the Subject founded, served in or was a member of.

8. Ministry/career details: Where? How long? What happened? Close associates of the subject? Short-term and long-term impact? (This is the heart of the biography. Please provide detailed information wherever possible, including anecdotes, stories, direct quotations, and special life verses.)

9. Publications, reports, writings, letters, musical compositions, artistic contributions by the subject; artifacts or sites associated with the subject.

10. Continuing influence and significance of the subject.

11. Sources of information.

A. Unpublished

  • Diary, photos, correspondence; maps, diagrams, and documents
  • Eyewitness accounts (give names and addresses of storytellers; include details of their relationship to the subject)
  • Oral and anecdotal information (give names and addresses of storytellers; include details of their relationship to the subject)

B. Published (include full bibliographic data wherever possible)

  • Book: title, author, publisher, year of publication
  • Chapter within a book: title, author of the chapter, title of the book, name of the editor of the book, full publication data
  • Article in periodical: title, author of article, periodical title, date of periodical, page numbers of article
  • News reports: name of media, head-line, date, pages

Guidelines for Participating Institutions

Collecting biographical data. Educational and church-related institutions hold the key to the successful implementation of the BDCC project. It is the hope of the BDCC teamthat faculty and students of educational institutions, as well as leaders and staff of religious institutions, with the full cooperation of their organizations, will all participate in writing the stories of the men and women who have contributed significantly to the distinctive nature and vitality of Christianity in Chinese communities through the ages and around the world.

1. Each participating institution will appoint a BDCC liaison, to serve as the official communication link between the institution and the BDCC manager.

2. Senior students and staff will be encouraged to write the story of at least one person per year whose contribution to the Chinese Christian community is deemed to be significant.

3. Each contributor will undertake this study under a qualified designated supervisor, whose task it will be to ensure accuracy of detail and conformity to the standards of the BDCC project. Having collected the stories, and having selected those that merit inclusion in the dictionary, the supervisor will submit these to the institution's liaison, who will forward them to the BDCC manager.

4. Registry of participating institutions. Schools and other participating institutions will be listed on the BDCC website's annually revised "Registry of Participating Institutions."

Submission and Return of Stories by Writers
or Institutions

1. All stories submitted must conform to the Guidelines for Researchers, Writers, and Participating Institutions.

2. Each story accepted by BDCC for inclusion in the dictionary will be identified with the author and (if applicable) the liaison and participating institution.

3. Submit material intended for the dictionary to the BDCC manager (see contact information on the front).  For proper credit to be given to you as a contributor, please include:

  • Your name and address
  • Name and address of the educational or church-related institution(s) with which you are affiliated
  • Name and address of BDCC participating institution (if applicable)
  • Name of individual(s) chiefly responsible for researching each story
  • Name and position of the person supervising the research (if applicable).

4. Returning biographical stories. Those individuals or institutions that submit ten or more stories in a year will receive an annual electronic update of the full database.

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Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Christianity
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