You do not need to cite common knowledge—information your readers could easily find in any number of general sources. For example, it is well known that Toni Morrison won the Nobel Prize in literature in 1993 and that Emily Dickinson published only a handful of her many poems during her lifetime.
As a rule, when you have seen information repeatedly in your reading, you don’t need to cite it. However, when information has appeared in only one or two sources or when it is controversial, you should cite the source. If a topic is new to you and you are not sure what is considered common knowledge or what is controversial, ask your instructor or someone else with expertise. When in doubt, cite the source.
Exercise: Recognizing common knowledge in MLA papers
Exercise: Avoiding plagiarism in MLA papers 1
Exercise: Avoiding plagiarism in MLA papers 2
Exercise: Avoiding plagiarism in MLA papers 3
Exercise: Avoiding plagiarism in MLA papers 4
Exercise: Avoiding plagiarism in MLA papers 5