Citing Your Sources: What Is Common Knowledge?

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Common knowledge refers to facts and ideas that are widely known and can be found in multiple general reference sources. However, if an opinion or interpretation is added, you will need to cite the source. Generally, if you are not sure whether information is considered common knowledge by your audience, just cite it!

Example Icon ImageExamples

  • Basic facts such as:
    • Water freezes at 32o Fahrenheit
    • Barack Obama was the President of the United States
  • Information shared by a cultural or national group such as the names of famous heroes or events in a nation's history
  • Knowledge shared by members within a certain academic discipline such as the fact that the necessary condition for diffraction of radiation of wavelength from a crystalline solid is given by Bragg’s law

Remember: what may be common knowledge in one culture, nation, or academic discipline may not be common knowledge in another.1

Thought Prompt Icon ImageThought Prompts

  • What is common knowledge among your friends versus your parents? Among your parents versus your grandparents? Among your friends versus your professors?
  • The basics ingredients of bread are water, flour, and yeast. For what audience would this be common knowledge? When would you need to include a citation?

1 Deeke, Alex (2018). University of Michigan Library DIY Module: Academic Integrity & Plagiarism. Retrieved November 13, 2019 from Canvas Commons