Bahaipedia:Article sources

Finding good sources is key to developing Bahá'í-related articles.

This page offers a list of potential sources for articles relating to the Bahá'í Faith. These are suggested sources which are generally known to be reliable, but of course, other reliable published sources may be used depending on their suitability for the topic being covered.

The sources below are classified according to their type: Either they are primary, secondary, or tertiary sources. Reliable, published secondary sources are a great help in establishing the notability of a subject, but all three types of sources can be used to support statements within articles.

For a guide on how to use citation templates and for shortcuts to citing from certain Bahá’í publications see Bahaipedia:Citing sources.

Primary sources

The following can be considered as primary sources, as they collect original materials produced by the central figures of the Bahá'í Faith and by Bahá'í institutions. These sources are generally not independent, as they are closely associated with the worldwide Bahá'í community. These sources can be helpful in establishing the notability of a subject within the Bahá'í community.

Official

• The Bahá'í Faith – Official website
• Bahá'í Reference Library – Writings of the Bahá'í Faith
• The Universal House of Justice - Official Website
• Bahá'í International Community (BIC) – Official website
  • Bahá'í World News Service (BWNS) – Official news service
  • One Country – BIC newsletter
• National Bahá'í communities – Useful for country articles

General collections

• Bahai.works – Collection of periodicals and documents of various Bahá’í publishers
• Bahá'í Library Online – Unofficial library of Bahá'í materials from various sources
• Ocean – Downloadable collection of writings from a variety of religious traditions
• Holy-Writings.com – Collected writings from a variety of religious traditions

Topical collections

• Loom of Reality – Topic-based collection of Bahá'í writings
• Covenant Study – Collected writings regarding the Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh

Individual collections

• Afnan Library – Collected archives from National institutions, including the Iran National Baha'i Archives (INBA)

Secondary sources

The following can be considered as secondary sources, as they collect works that offer analysis of the primary sources noted above. They may or may not be intellectually independent of the worldwide Bahá'í community. These sources can be helpful in establishing the general notability of a subject, independent of the Bahá'í community.

Official

• The Bahá'í World – Collected essays and articles

General collections

• Bahai.works – Collection of periodicals and documents of various Bahá’í publishers
• Bahá'í Library Online – Unofficial library of Bahá'í materials from various sources

Bahá'í studies

• Association for Bahá'í Studies, North America
  • Journal of Bahá'í Studies
• Irfan Colloquia
• Bahá'í Studies Review
  • Past printed editions
• H-Bahai
• Wilmette Institute: Publications
• Institute for Global Prosperity: Publications
• Bahá’í Chair for World Peace, University of Maryland
• Bahá’í Chair for Studies in Development, Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, Indore

Individual collections

• Afnan Library
• William S. Hatcher Library

Tertiary sources

The following can be considered as tertiary sources, as they summarize primary and secondary sources. They may or may not be intellectually independent of the worldwide Bahá'í community. These sources can be helpful in establishing the general notability of a subject, independent of the Bahá'í community.

• Encyclopædia Iranica
• Bahá'í Encyclopedia Project
• Bahá'í Library Online: Encyclopedia articles
• Encyclopædia Britannica – Public domain editions on Wikisource
  • See particularly 9th edition, "Bábí"; and 11th edition, "Bábíism".