How We Source

Our Sourcing Philosophy

ReligionCompare is built on a simple principle: every factual claim must be backed by a verifiable citation. We do not present opinions, personal interpretations, or unsourced assertions as facts. Our goal is to be the most trustworthy comparative religion resource on the internet.

Source Tiers

We classify all sources into three reliability tiers:

Primary Sources, Sacred texts, official doctrinal documents, catechisms, and authoritative religious bodies. Examples: the Quran, Catechism of the Catholic Church, Guru Granth Sahib, Pali Canon.
Secondary Sources, Peer-reviewed academic publications, university press books, established encyclopedias (Britannica, Oxford), and major research institutions (Pew Research Center). These interpret and analyze primary sources.
Tertiary Sources, Reputable journalistic outlets, educational websites, and well-sourced reference materials. Used sparingly and only when primary/secondary sources are unavailable.

How Pages Cite Sources

Factual statements carry numbered citations that point to the sources listed on the same page. A citation should:

Name a real, published source, with a specific page, section or web address where one exists
Support the statement it is attached to, not just the general topic
Make clear which religion, denomination or school the statement applies to

This makes it possible for any reader to check an individual statement against its source. Some older sections of the religion profiles still cite general reference works rather than a specific page. Each section is brought up to this standard when it is revised, and the revision is listed on the updates page.

Editorial Review Process

Research, Pages are drafted from primary and secondary sources. AI tools help with drafting and structure; they are never used as a source.
Citation, Every factual claim is linked to at least one source listed on the page.
Checking, Cited sources are checked to confirm they exist and support the claim. Claims that cannot be supported are removed rather than softened.
Publication, Pages are published with their sources visible to readers.
Corrections and updates, Reported errors are checked against the sources and fixed, and each change is listed on the updates page.

Handling Disagreements

Religious traditions are diverse and interpretations vary. When sources disagree, we:

Present the majority scholarly view as the primary claim
Note significant minority views or denominational differences
Cite sources for all perspectives presented
Never present one interpretation as "correct" over another

Report an Error

If you find an inaccuracy, missing citation, or biased presentation, use the "Report a problem with this page" link on articles, religion profiles, comparisons and the holiday calendar, the contact form, or email [email protected]. Each report is checked against the cited sources; a confirmed error is corrected or removed, and the correction is listed on the updates page.