Library:Library Research Skills For Biologists/Module 6/Page 06

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The first strategy involves asking yourself a question: Is this information common knowledge?

  • If the information is common knowledge, you 'do not have to cite the fact or material that you are referring to.
  • If the information is not common knowledge, you must paraphrase or summarize the material/fact if you wish to include it in your paper.


At this point you are probably asking, how do I determine if information is common knowledge? Simply defined, common knowledge is information that is generally known by many people.


Some examples of common knowledge:

  • The earth is round.
  • The sun rises in the east and sets in the west.
  • It is cold in the winter in Saskatchewan.


An example of material that is not common knowledge:

From 1961-1990, the average temperature in July in Vancouver, British Columbia has been 17 degrees Celsius. (The Weather Network 2003) [1]




Literature Cited:

<references>[1] Literature Cited:

  1. 1.0 1.1 The Weather Network. 2003. Weather statistics [online]. Available from http://www.theweathernetwork.com/index.php?product=statistics&pagecontent=C02096 [accessed 22 May 2012].