MLA 9 Workshop: When to Cite

These categories do not require a citation:

• your own thoughts (but be careful that you are differentiating between your own thoughts and what you have read)
• common knowledge (MLA 4.13)
• passing mentions (MLA 4.14)
• allusions (MLA 4.15)
• epigraphs (MLA 4.16)

Everything else requires a citation. Every time you

• quote,
• paraphrase or
• summarize

a source, include an in-text citation.

It is better to have too many citations than too few. If a citation is necessary and not present, it is plagiarism. If in doubt, CITE!

Facts that are well-known and not widely disputed.

·    Generally you can consider something common knowledge if you can find it in 5 different reference sources.

·    Many historical, geographic and scientific facts are considered common knowledge.

·    What’s considered common knowledge may also change based on your audience.

• Halloween is celebrated on October 31st.
• Disney World is located south of Orlando.
• C is the chemical symbol for carbon.
• Joe Biden is the president of the United States.
• Havana is the capital of Cuba.

Which of the following are common knowledge?

• President Trump was elected in 2016.
• President Trump is the most significant president of the last fifty years.
• President Trump’s approval rating was 39% in March 2018.
• O is the chemical symbol for oxygen.
• Oxygen is one of the most abundant elements in the universe.
• The moons of Saturn are surrounded by oxygen and may be able to support life.
• Polar bears are an endangered species.
• Polar bears’ black skin absorbs sunlight and keeps them warm.
• Polar bears can swim up to 80 km at a time without stopping.
• The Great Depression started with the stock market crash of October 1929.
• The unemployment rate during the Great Depression was 24.9%.
• Franklin Roosevelt helped to lift the country out of depression by creating work relief programs such as the Civilian Conservations Corps and the Works Progress Administration.