Criteria for inclusion

Inclusion is based on a single reference by a reliable source that refers to the group:

# as a "cult" directly in North American English, a "sect" in British English or any equivalent foreign-language word;
# as a group (organizations and sets of individual practitioners, including those named by their technical practice of cults, qualify as groups);
# as such within the last 50 years;
# as not qualifying as a personality cult (heads of state), fan-cult of popular culture, or a group that doesn't have an actual following (fictional or self-nominated groups).

Reliability of sources
This list of references for further research, cannot of itself reliably establish any harmful or beneficial attributes. The sources referenced must be reliable sources, with the acceptable fact-checking required for all articles. Fact-checking does not imply that referenced opinions are either true or false, only that they are correctly attributed.

To deal with the very different uses of the term "cult", this article provides distinct sections. Some references may apply the terms "cult" or "sect" in a scientific way to mainstream systems of spirituality; other references may use those terms as pejoratives, and their application to specific groups can become controversial. Because of the perceived negative sense of the word "cult", very few groups or organizations show any readiness to accept the label of "cult" for themselves. The article Cult examines in depth the different definitions and common use of the term "cult".

Inclusion in the media list does not prove, in any manner, that a group functions as a "cult" or as a "sect", and all definitions of those words not excluded by the header inclusion criteria, are accepted. Media listings are almost exclusively references to opinions. Opinions are not facts.

Inclusion in the academic list implies that scientific standards or academically authoritative opinions have been utilized in determining a well-defined cult or sect status. All academic references should be articles in peer-reviewed sociological or psychological journals, or books by academics who have published extensively in either discipline in peer-reviewed journals.

Groups referred to as "cult" in academic sources
In the sociology of religion, the term cult refers to one of four terms making up the church-sect typology. Under this definition, "cult" refers to a religious group with a high degree of tension with the surrounding society combined with novel religious beliefs. Sociologists of religion distinguish such a "cult" from "sects", which have a high degree of tension with society but whose beliefs are traditional to that society, and from "ecclesias" and "denominations" — groups with a low degree of tension and which espouse traditional beliefs.

In psychology the definition of cults is often "harmful groups." However, some psychologists use the term "cult" in a similar manner to sociologists. It is necessary to consult the sources themselves to ascertain which definition is in use in a particular instance.
* Alcoholics Anonymous Communal/Institutional
* Alexander of Abonoteichus
*Bahá'í Faith
* The Benandanti, an agrarian cult of the 17th century
* Church of Scientology Beit-Hallahmi, Benjamin in the Marburg Journal of Religion in 2003; Bainbridge, W.S. and Stark, R. in Sociological Analysis in 1981.
* Cult of the Virgin Mary
* Erhard Seminars Training (also known as "est")
* The Essenes, a monastic cult of the 2nd century BC.
* Hungarian dynastic cults (Medieval Central Europe).
* Meher Baba
* Macumba cult of Rio de Janeiro
* Maori cults of Ratana and Lo
* Norse cults of Ingvi-freyr and Borr
* Pentecostal Church of Besançon
* Sathya Sai Baba
* Pastophoroi, of the cult of Osiris and Isis in Rome.
* Santeria (or Yoruba) cults
* Selfism psychology (Jung, Fromm, Rogers, Maslow, May)

Groups referred to as "cult" in the media

A-C
*Aesthetic Realism
*Adidam
*Tony Alamo (a.k.a. Alamo Ministries, Alamo Christian Foundation, Holy Alamo Christian Church, Gloryland Church)
*Al-Qaeda
*Ananda Marga
*Antoinism
*Aquarian Concepts Community
*Aum Shinrikyo
*Bahá'í Faith because Bahá'í beliefs differ from Islam
*Beasts of Satan
*Black Axe Confraternity, and other Nigerian gangs including the Klansmen, the Icelanders, the Outlaws and the Niger Delta Vigilante.
*Blackburn Cult
*The Body of Christ (a.k.a. Attleboro Cult)
*Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University
*Branch Davidians
* Branhamism
*Chado, the cult of the Japanese tea ceremony
*Chen Tao
*Children of God (a.k.a. "The Family")
* (formerly "Forever Family")
*Church of God with Signs Following -One of the larger Snake handling groups.
*Church of Scientology/Church of Spiritual Technology
*Church Universal and Triumphant
*Colonia Dignidad or Villa Baviera of Paul Schäfer
*Community of the Lady of All Nations
*Concerned Christians
*Contemporary architecture
*Creativity Movement

D-F
*Deer Tribe Metis
*Dera Sacha Sauda
*Eastern Lightning
*Elan Vital .
*Environmentalism
*Erhard Seminars Training ("est")
*Exclusive Brethren ("Taylorite")
*Falun Gong
*The Fellowship
*Fellowship of Friends
*Fiat Lux, led by Uriella,
*Freudianism
*Friends of the Western Buddhist Order
*Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

G-I
*Great Commission International (today known as Great Commission Association of Churches)
*Green Dragon Temple
*for Hare Krishna, see ISKCON in this list
*Hells Angels
* Hillsong
*Ho No Hana
*House of Yahweh
*Iglesia ni Cristo
*ISKCON (a.k.a. Hare Krishna)
*Isis Holistic Centre (Heide Fittkau-Garthe)

J-L
*Jeffrey Lundgren
*Jesus Army
*Jesus Morning Star
*Jehovah's Witnesses , Jehovah's Witnesses are a theological cult of Christianity only meaning that their beliefs differ signifigantly from Orthodox Christianity Jehovah's Witnesses are a denomination and should no longer be referred to as a cult
*John Frum Movement
* Jung Cult (Jungian psychology)
*Kenja Communication; Kenneth Dyers(deceased;suicide re sexual allegations); Jan Hamilton
*Landmark Education
*LaRouche movement
*Lifespring
*London Church of Christ (historic)
*Lord Our Righteousness (Strong City) ,
*Lu Sheng-yen

M-O
*The Cult of Mac
*Magnificat meal movement
*Manson Family
*MOVE
*Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God
*Mungiki
*Nation of Islam
*Nation of Yahweh
*National Labor Federation
*New Alliance Party
*New Christian Church of the Full Endeavor in Byron Bay - a branch of Endeavor Academy
*New Kadampa Tradition
*Nuwaubianism
*Objectivism
*Opus Dei
*Order of the Solar Temple
*Osho-Rajneesh movement

P-R
*Pana Wave
*Papua New Guinea human sacrifice cult
*Pentecostal Church of Besançon
*Peoples Temple
*Philippine Benevolent Missionaries Association
*Providence
*Quillabamba Pentecostal
*Rae Chorze-Fwaz aka Rama computer cult
*International Raelian Movement
*Rastafari movement
*Revelation of Ares
*Roch Thériault
*Roman Catholic Church

S-U
*Sahaja Yoga
*Sathya Sai Baba ,
*for Scientology, see Church of Scientology in this list
*Seas of David
*Soka-Gakkai
*Soldiers of Heaven
*Sukyo Mahikari
*Suma Ching Hai
*Symbionese Liberation Army
*Synanon
*Thuggee
*Tradition, Family and Property
*Transcendental Meditation
*Trinity Foundation
*True Buddha Lineage
*True Russian Orthodox Church
*Unification Church
*United Nuwaubian Nation of Moors/Malachi York

V-Z
*The Way International
*Werner Erhard and Associates
*Westboro Baptist Church of Fred Phelps
*William Kamm
*Word of Life, also known as "Livets Ord"
*World Mission Society Church of God
*Youth With A Mission

Key to abbreviated sources
* - American Broadcasting Company
* - Associated Press
* - British Broadcasting Corporation.
* - Encarta online encyclopedia.
* - The Guardian.
* - Insight Magazine (published by the Washington Times, a Unification Church publishing company)
* - KOMO-TV.
* - The New York Times.
* - Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance.
* - The Religious Movements Homepage Project at the University of Virginia
* - Salon.com.
* - San Francisco Chronicle
* - The Age
* - TIME Magazine
* - Television New Zealand
* - Washington Post's 1997 series, The Cult Controversy.