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Module 3. Common Knowledge

The U.S. Bill of RightsPlagiarism is the theft of the original thoughts or words of another, or the use of copyrighted material without credit. The best way to avoid committing plagiarism is to properly reference the original source. There is an exception to this rule, however. When a majority of people have the same understanding about an idea and know its source, it is referred to as "common knowledge."

 As a rule of thumb, an idea is common knowledge if it can be found in at least five other sources without citations.

  • The Bill of Rights is a list of amendments to the U.S. Constitution.
     
  • Every U.S. citizen has the right to a trial by jury.
     

Additional Resources:

Avoiding Common Knowledge Plagiarism California State San Marcos Library (last accessed 8/1/07).
What is Common Knowledge? Adams State College, Colorado (last accessed 8/1/07).
Common Knowledge, The Writing Center at Yale University (last accessed 8/1/07).
 

This lesson was developed and designed by Amanda Lindsay and Phoebe Morgan