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Academic Integrity Tutorial for DSB Graduate Students by DiMenna-Nyselius Library, Fairfield University

Common Knowledge

Common Knowledge

As you learned from the previous slide, you do not have to cite common knowledge. But what is common knowledge?

Common knowledge is general facts and principles about the world we live in. We know that the world is round, that fish swim in the ocean, and that there are 365 days in a year. Information like this would not need to be cited.

Common knowledge can shift depending on the context of the situation. Information that is considered common knowledge for a specific field or college class may be more in-depth than information that is common knowledge to the general public.

 

Community College of Vermont Hartness Library. (n.d.). Common Knowledge. Understanding plagiarism: More about common knowledge. Retrieved from http://tutorials.libraries.vsc.edu/plagiarism/common/after


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