Wikipedia:WikiProject Latter Day Saint movement/Sources

WP:LDS/RS

This page in a nutshell: A dynamic list of the reliability of various Latter Day Saint movement sources.

The purpose of this page is to help improve the references in Wikipedia articles related to the Latter Day Saint movement. It serves to inform users about a source's reliability and independence from denominations in the movement such as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). This list is merely a collection of some frequently discussed sources; other good sources do exist that are not listed here. You can help to expand this list by starting a discussion about a source on the talk page.

List of sources

Legend

Generally reliable: Editors show consensus that the source is reliable for use on LDS topics in most cases. The source has a reputation for fact-checking, accuracy, and error-correction, often in the form of a strong editorial team. It will still be necessary to analyze how much weight to give the source and how to describe its statements. Arguments to exclude such a source entirely must be strong and convincing.
Additional considerations: The source is marginally reliable (i.e. neither generally reliable nor generally unreliable), and may be usable depending on context. Editors may not have been able to agree on whether the source is appropriate, or may have agreed that it is only reliable in certain circumstances. It will likely be necessary to evaluate each use of the source on a case-by-case basis while accounting for specific factors unique to the source in question. Carefully review the Summary column of the table for details on the status of the source and the factors that should be considered.
Generally unreliable: Editors show consensus that the source is questionable in most cases. The source may lack an editorial team, have a poor reputation for fact-checking, fail to correct errors, be self-published, or present user-generated content. Outside exceptional circumstances, the source should normally not be used, and it should never be used for information about a living person. Even in cases where the source may be valid, it is usually better to find a more reliable source instead. If no such source exists, that may suggest that the information is inaccurate.
Deprecated: There is community consensus to deprecate the source. The source is considered generally unreliable, and use of the source is generally prohibited. Despite this, the source may potentially be able to be used for some uncontroversial self-descriptions, although reliable secondary sources are still very much preferred.


Source	Independent?	Status (legend)	Discussions		Uses
Source	Independent?	Status (legend)	Past	Summary	Uses
Association for Mormon Letters (AML)	No	Additional considerations	2024	This source has previously been promoted on Wikipedia by editors violating the conflict of interest guideline. There is not a clear consensus on the source's reliability. Editors should use a better source wherever possible. In questionable cases, the source should be removed. The organization states its aims are studying and promoting Mormon literature. It publishes a blog (Dawning of a Brighter Day) and an online literary journal (Irreantum) (not peer-reviewed).	1 2
BYU Studies	No	Additional considerations	2009	A peer-reviewed journal that generally meets academic standards. However, some articles may be tilted to favor institutional narratives of the LDS Church, as the journal self-describes as "scholarship informed by the restored gospel of Jesus Christ," i.e., the Latter-day Saint tradition. This is most true for articles in ancient Book of Mormon studies, the premise of which does not cohere with the scholarly archaeological community's broader consensus on archaeology of the Americas. Articles on other subjects (history, sociology, etc.) tends to meet a higher standard of reliability.	1
Church Newsroom	No	Additional considerations	2016	Church Newsroom is the press release arm of the LDS Church. As such, it is a self-published source and in many cases better understood as a primary source for church statements and policies, rather than a secondary source that critically analyzes it or other topics pertaining to the Latter Day Saint movement. Speeches by church officers are sometimes reprinted in Church Newsroom; such reprints might be used as a source for verifying quotations when relevant. Church Newsroom might be usable for uncontroversial self-descriptions, but avoid citing Church Newsroom as a source for exceptional claims. In general, a secondary source with a stronger consensus for reliability is preferred.	1
Church News (supplement)	No	Additional considerations		The Church News is a joint publication of the Deseret News and the LDS Church. As such, it is in part a self-published source. It is not clear what degree of editorial control or freedom exists for the Church News and editors agree it consistently depicts the church in a favorable light and avoids both controversial events and dissenting critical analysis. It might be used for uncontroversial self-descriptions, but avoid using it as a source for exceptional claims. In general, a secondary source with a stronger consensus for reliability is preferred.	1
ChurchofJesusChristTemples.org	Yes	Generally unreliable		The ChurchofJesusChristTemples.org is a self-published source and is not an official website of the LDS Church. It therefore does not qualify as a reliable source nor meets the special case usage for self-published sources.	1
Deseret News	No consensus	Generally reliable	2012 2016 2016 2022	The Deseret News is considered generally reliable, however, it is owned by a subsidiary of the LDS Church, and there is no consensus on whether the Deseret News is independent of the LDS Church, so it should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. The publication's statements on topics regarding the LDS Church should be attributed.	1
Encyclopedia of Mormonism	No consensus	Generally reliable	2018	The Encyclopedia preface states "Lest the role of the Encyclopedia be given more weight than it deserves, the editors make it clear that those who have written and edited have only tried to explain their understanding of Church history, doctrines, and procedures; their statement and opinions remain their own."	1
FAIR (Mormon apologetics organization)	No	Generally unreliable		FAIR Latter-day Saints (formerly The Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research) is an apologetic organization dedicated to answering criticisms of the LDS Church. It is not peer reviewed by the wider academic community should not be considered reliable, except when attributed to show a specific view of some within the LDS Church.	1
FARMS (Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies)	No	Generally unreliable	2024	The Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (FARMS) was an apologetic organization dedicated to answering criticisms of the LDS Church. It produced the periodical FARMS Review of Books (1989—2010). FARMS's works were not peer reviewed by the wider academic community and should not be considered reliable. In 2006 it was absorbed into the LDS Church's Brigham Young University (BYU) Maxwell Institute, and FARMS Review became Mormon Studies Review (MSR). MSR was published by BYU through 2018.	1
Gospel Topics Essays	No	Additional considerations		Anonymous essays that should only be used only to demonstrate an official viewpoint of the LDS Church.	1 2
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship	No consensus	Generally unreliable	2021 2021	Formerly named Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture. While not an official organ of the LDS Church, many contributors to the journal are employed by the church. Scholarship is not mainstream. Should only be used when presenting a particular viewpoint within the LDS Church, or non-controversial such as a pronunciation guide of Book of Mormon names.	1
Journal of Book of Mormon Studies	Yes	Generally reliable		Peer-reviewed scholarly journal published by the University of Illinois Press. Was briefly named the Journal of the Book of Mormon and Other Restoration Scripture from 2008–2013. Reliable, especially in its twenty-first-century incarnation, for interdisciplinary approaches to the Book of Mormon. Some older issues, especially from the twentieth century, might be less reliable. The best rule of thumb is probably that literary, philosophical, theological, reception history, cultural studies, and related approaches are usually reliable. Some older issues include archaeological articles working from an ancient Book of Mormon studies premise, and that is, as with all claims of ancient Book of Mormon historicity, a different matter.	1 2
Journal of Discourses	No	Generally unreliable		A multivolume collection of speeches given by Latter-day Saint leaders as compiled by George D. Watt, published from 1854–1866. Since it is a primary source, it is not independent. Furthermore, the Journal's more generalized reliability as a repository of what speakers said is complicated and uncertain at best. Watt often significantly altered the speeches between the shorthand transcription and their publication in the Journal: "The edited, published versions may represent ideas similar to what the speaker intended and may occasionally represent the speaker’s own editorial changes, but they do not represent a word-for-word echo. In fact, they often would not be recognizable when compared to the originally spoken words" (42). On Wikipedia, cite independent secondary sources instead.
Journal of Mormon History	Yes	Generally reliable		The Journal of Mormon History is a part of the non-profit Mormon History Association whose members include Latter-day Saints, members of Community of Christ, adherents of other Latter Day Saint denominations, and those who are not Mormon in any way.	1
KSL	Yes	Generally reliable		While KSL is owned by Bonneville International, the for-profit broadcasting arm of the LDS Church, the KSL newsroom has operational independence and maintains separate editorial staffing from the church.	1 2
MormonThink	Yes	Generally unreliable		MormonThink is a self-published source. Most authors are anonymous, so it is not possible to verify that they are established experts on the topic of the article whose work in the relevant field has previously been published by reliable third-party publications. As a self-published source, it may be used as a source when the statement concerns MormonThink itself.	1
No Man Knows My History	Yes	Additional considerations	2022	Originally released in 1945, Fawn Brodie's No Man Knows My History was an influential biography of Joseph Smith published by Alfred A. Knopf, a reputable press. However, scholarship in Mormon history has moved away from many of the book's interpretations (such as the assumption that Smith was fundamentally irreligious), and it contains some factual inaccuracies that have been disproved in later works. Editors should defer to more recent sources.
Salt Lake Tribune	Yes	Generally reliable	2013	A large local newspaper which is independently owned and not affiliated with the LDS Church. Like other newspapers, its articles are editor-reviewed though not peer-reviewed.	1

Note: There is no guarantee that sources listed here can be used for a particular purpose, and this list is not a substitute for understanding Wikipedia's guideline on reliable sources.