How can you tell if something is common knowledge?

Consider :

Can it be found in many different places?

Is it widely known by a lot of different people?

Only information that is widely available from a variety of sources-such as historic facts and geographic data-can be used without needing to cite the information and its author. If you still aren't sure, cite your source or check with your professor.

Examples of common knowledge:

• Dates of wars
• Abraham Lincoln was President of the United States
• Capitals of states and countries
• Columbus reached America in 1492

Don't be fooled:

• Everything on the Internet is considered common knowledge - WRONG! Unless it is common knowledge, you must cite your source whether your source is found on the Internet or in print.

• Information found in an encyclopedia is considered common knowledge - WRONG! Encyclopedias contain lots of information, some of which is common knowledge, and some which is not.

• Facts found in newspaper articles are considered common knowledge - WRONG! Newspaper articles of course do contain facts that are considered common knowledge, but not everything included in a newspaper article is common knowledge.

A Closer Look: Review the Scenario Below

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.