Seventy-Six Accounts of Joseph Smith’s Visionary Experiences

While the visions received by Joseph Smith were also revelatory experiences, revelations were not always visionary. In researching Joseph Smith's visions, Baugh attempted to distinguish between visions and other kinds of inspiration or revelation. More often than not, when a vision, the wording of the source material indicated that a vision—not a more general ""revelation""—had been received. However, in some instances, the visual nature of the experience was not quite clear, so Baugh made some judgments calls as to whether a particular revelation involved a vision based on graphic detail in the account and the perceptual circumstances of the manifestations.