General Discussion

data drawn from secular sources and known authorities connecting those papers' topics with a general subject area of knowledge.

When I taught research and research paper writing to high school juniors and seniors, that was always made quite clear. When I graded college papers at a local Christian Brothers university, the same standard held.

Only in theological schools and seminaries does the ancient text of the Bible get referenced as
-- a primary religious/literary text for theological study,
-- a historical document for historical context, and sometimes
-- a cultural artifact, requiring specific citation (version, publication) and understanding its diverse nature beyond just faith for academic rigor. It is not just accepted, it's fundamental to biblical studies, but scholars analyze its internal variations and external historical contexts, not just assume its absolute factual accuracy for every claim.

The main thing when one does advanced studies, is respect the knowledge in how the research is presented. The way you use research depends on the discipline; theological studies use sources differently than historical or scientific studies.