Common Knowledge

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There are limited situations—known as common knowledge—in which you can use information from a source without giving a direct citation. Common knowledge information is widely known and disseminated in many sources. For example, you may not need to cite the fact that France presented the Statue of Liberty to the United States in 1886, but you might need to cite a source if you wanted to give statistics, such as the statue’s total weight (125 tons), the weight of the statue’s concrete foundation (27,000 tons), or the distance the statue’s torch sways in the wind (5 inches).5 Be sure to check with your instructor on guidelines for common knowledge. But remember: when in doubt, include the citation.