What is general knowledge?
Factual information can be divided into two categories: general (everyone knows it, mostly) and non-general (if you asked a random passerby on the street, they would probably need to look up the answer).
General knowledge is accepted by everyone. This might include capitals, basic geography, general scientific laws, and so on.
However, it can also change based on context. In Vancouver, everyone is familiar with the word Skytrain and what it represents. But someone from Halifax might not. A biologist might be very familiar with the definition of a biome, while in the field of psychology, basic psychological concepts may not need to be cited.
A good rule of thumb is if you expect all of your readers to be familiar with the fact AND it is widely accepted, you probably don’t need to cite it.
Citing Sources
In many Western academic contexts, if you are not citing general knowledge, you need to include the source – where it came from. This has a lot of purposes, such as:
- Showing that you didn’t just fabricate this fact
- Shows where you got the information so they can read more about it or verify the source
- Gives acknowledgment to the people who worked hard to establish this fact
- Shows that you’ve built your argument on research
When should you cite?
When you make a claim (ex: food coloring is unhealthy), you must provide a citation to support the claim
- When you are referencing lesser-known facts
- When you use others’ images or illustrations
- When you use others’ words or ideas
But the biggest rule is: IF YOU ARE NOT SURE IF YOU SHOULD CITE, CITE! The consequences of NOT citing can be severe, while there is almost no penalty for citing unnecessarily.