Plagiarism

Common knowledge includes information like this:

• painter of the Mona Lisa
• capitals of states and countries
• George Washington was the first president
• Columbus reached America in 1492

Don't be fooled:

• Everything on the Internet is considered common knowledge - WRONG! Unless it meets the criteria of common knowledge, you must cite your sources, whether found on the Internet or in print.

• Information found in an encyclopedia is considered common knowledge - WRONG! Encyclopedias contain lots of information, some of which is common knowledge and some of which is not.

• Facts found in newspaper articles are considered common knowledge - WRONG! Newspaper articles do contain facts that may be considered common knowledge, but not everything included in a newspaper article is common knowledge.

When in doubt, check with your instructor or cite the information.