How to Cite ReligionFacts as a Source

In order to cite ReligionFacts as a source for a school essay or project, please consult the writing style manual specified by your school (APA, MLA, etc.) regarding citation of Internet sources. For MLA, proper citation format would be something like this:

Anonymous. "Christian Holidays." ReligionFacts. 8 February 2007. [from "Updated:" on the left of the article] Accessed 8 December 2007 [date you accessed the article] <http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/holidays.htm>.

See "How do I document sources from the Web in my works-cited list?" on the official MLA website for more information.

I have received numerous e-mails from students asking for my name because they are not allowed to cite anonymous sources. But I am sticking to my decision to remain anonymous. This is primarily because I believe it helps support the goal of this website as an objective source if I don't reveal my religious background, specific area of academic study, or related information.

Moreover, even if I did provide a name, ReligionFacts is still a non-official, non-peer-reviewed website. As such, it is not generally suitable for citation in a school essay. For all you know, I could be making up my name and qualifications! Your teachers are right to insist against anonymous Internet sources and hopefully they are also teaching you that you can't trust everything you read, especially on the Web. The greatest thing and the worst thing about the Web is that anyone can publish anything.

So I don't claim ReligionFacts has inherent authority and you shouldn't treat it like it does. I do hope the quality of its articles its agreement with authoritative sources show it to be trustworthy (and I try very hard to be objective and accurate in all my information), but ReligionFacts is primarily intended to give you an introductory understanding of a religious topic. Most of the articles will point you to more official and authoritative sources that you can cite with more confidence, such as Encyclopedia Britannica, The Oxford Dictionary of World Religions, university websites, official websites of religions, and so on.

Good luck with your project and I'm very glad ReligionFacts was helpful in your research!

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