Academic Integrity/Plagiarism: Citing Sources

If something is considered common knowledge the information does not need to be cited! But what is considered common knowledge? Find out below:

- Common knowledge is information and ideas that are considered to be widely known and accepted by the readers of your paper and scholars. 

• Information such as  the dates of historical events, biographical information of an author, widely acknowledged  scientific facts, proverbs, cliches, sayings, etc., do not need to be cited.

Examples:

• Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564.
• Water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit. 
• The Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776. 
• A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
• Curiosity killed the cat. 

- As a general rule, information that has been stated repeatedly in your reading, does not need to be cited. If the information only shows up in one or two of your sources, it is not considered common knowledge and should be cited. Please also remember to cite direct quotes of authors and statistics!