Biblical text
Bible passages are the primary sources for pages explaining what Scripture says about Jesus, salvation, faith, prayer, Christian living, and related subjects.
Research and verification
Sources Policy
This policy explains how sources should be selected, evaluated, verified, cited, and represented in content published by Ask Jesus Clearly.
Last updated:
Purpose
Sources should support clarity, not create an appearance of authority
A citation is useful only when the source genuinely supports the statement connected to it.
Ask Jesus Clearly should not add references merely to make an article look researched. Important claims should be traceable to reliable biblical texts, original documents, official publications, qualified organizations, or reputable academic and professional sources.
Readers should be able to distinguish between what a source states, what an article summarizes, and what the site offers as interpretation or practical reflection.
Source categories
Types of sources the site may use
Biblical context
Introductions, commentaries, dictionaries, concordances, language tools, and other study resources may be used to understand literary, historical, and cultural context.
Christian theology
Historical creeds, confessions, denominational documents, and respected theological works may be consulted when describing Christian beliefs or differences between traditions.
Historical information
Primary documents, academic publications, museums, archives, universities, and reputable reference works may be used for historical claims.
Professional guidance
Government agencies, professional associations, medical institutions, and qualified organizations may be used when a page touches health, safety, legal, financial, or other specialized subjects.
Official information
Official websites and documentation are preferred for information about organizations, services, software, policies, public resources, and current procedures.
Evaluation standards
How a source should be evaluated
Standard 01
Relevance
A source should directly support the specific statement, explanation, or recommendation for which it is used.
Standard 02
Authority
The author, publisher, institution, or organization should have appropriate knowledge or responsibility for the subject.
Standard 03
Accuracy
Important claims should be checked against the source itself and, when appropriate, compared with additional reliable sources.
Standard 04
Context
Quotations and conclusions should not be separated from surrounding material in a way that changes their meaning.
Standard 05
Currency
For information that can change, the publication date, revision date, and current official guidance should be considered.
Standard 06
Transparency
Sources should be represented honestly without claiming that they say more, prove more, or agree more completely than they actually do.
Scripture standards
Handling Bible quotations and references
Identify the translation
Direct Bible quotations should name the translation so readers know which wording is being presented.
Verify the wording
The quotation, punctuation, verse reference, and translation label should be checked against a reliable Bible text.
Read the surrounding passage
A verse should not be treated as an isolated statement when the surrounding chapter affects its meaning.
Distinguish quotations from summaries
Paraphrases, summaries, and explanations should not be placed inside quotation marks or presented as exact biblical wording.
Avoid manufactured combinations
Separate verses should not be blended into a single quotation that makes the Bible appear to say something it does not say in one passage.
Explain interpretive uncertainty
When a passage has multiple established interpretations, the article should avoid presenting a disputed conclusion as unquestionable fact.
Current Bible-text implementation
Ask Jesus Clearly currently identifies direct quotations as King James Version quotations where that wording is used.
A complete local public-domain Bible dataset and automated quotation-validation system have not yet been implemented. Direct quotations and references therefore still require careful manual verification.
Until that system exists, articles may summarize a passage instead of quoting it when exact wording has not been fully checked.
Preferred evidence
Sources generally preferred
- The biblical passage being discussed, read in its immediate and wider context.
- Official publications from the organization responsible for the information.
- Primary historical documents when they are available and understandable.
- Peer-reviewed research and established academic publications.
- Government agencies and recognized professional associations for specialized guidance.
- Respected theological works and official denominational documents when describing a tradition's own beliefs.
- Reputable reference works that identify their authors, editors, sources, and revision process.
Weak or unacceptable evidence
Sources that require caution or should not be relied upon
- Anonymous claims that provide no evidence or identifiable author.
- AI-generated text presented as an independent source.
- Search-result summaries used without opening and reviewing the original page.
- Social-media posts used as proof of medical, legal, historical, or theological claims.
- Websites that copy material without identifying the original source.
- Pages created mainly to sell a product while presenting promotional claims as neutral research.
- Quotations that cannot be traced to a reliable original publication.
- Outdated information used for subjects that have changed materially.
Theological differences
Sources should represent Christian traditions fairly
Christians share central beliefs while differing on some doctrines, interpretations, and practices.
When an article discusses those differences, sources should be chosen that accurately represent each position rather than relying only on critics of that position.
Represent each view fairly
A position should be described using sources that its own responsible representatives would recognize as accurate.
Separate agreement from disagreement
Articles should explain what major traditions share before describing meaningful differences.
Avoid false balance
The existence of an online claim does not automatically make it an established Christian interpretation deserving equal weight.
Avoid unnecessary conflict
Differences should be explained when they help answer the question, not added merely to create controversy.
Health, safety, and professional subjects
Specialized claims require specialized sources
Bible passages may provide spiritual teaching and comfort, but they should not be used to manufacture medical diagnoses, legal conclusions, financial guarantees, or emergency instructions.
When articles touch those subjects, current information should come from official agencies, recognized professional associations, qualified institutions, or other appropriate primary sources.
External resources should be described accurately. A link to a professional organization does not mean that the organization endorses Ask Jesus Clearly.
Artificial intelligence
AI output is not an independent source
Artificial intelligence may help locate questions, organize drafts, compare wording, or identify areas requiring review.
AI-generated statements can be inaccurate, incomplete, or invented. An AI response should not be cited as proof of a biblical, theological, historical, medical, legal, or factual claim.
Material suggested by AI should be checked against the actual Bible passage, original document, official publication, or reliable external source.
Read AI Use & LimitationsLinks and citations
What an external link does and does not mean
An external link is provided to help readers examine a source, supporting resource, or professional service.
Linking to a website does not necessarily mean Ask Jesus Clearly endorses every statement, belief, service, product, or policy found on that website.
External websites can change after an article is published. Broken, redirected, outdated, or substantially altered links may be corrected or removed during later review.
Corrections
Reporting an incorrect source or quotation
Readers may report a broken link, incorrect Bible reference, inaccurate quotation, unsupported factual statement, or misleading description of a source.
Reports should identify the page, the specific statement or citation, and the reason it appears incorrect.
Confirmed errors may be corrected, clarified, replaced with a stronger source, or removed.
Report a source concernRelated information
Continue reading about the site’s standards
Content standards
Editorial Policy
Learn how guides should be written, reviewed, corrected, and maintained.
Technology standards
AI Use & Limitations
Understand how AI may assist the project and why generated material still requires verification.
Project information
About Ask Jesus Clearly
Learn about the purpose, independence, and limitations of the site.