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WISE: Common knowledge

There are some things we are not expected to acknowledge. Information which is widely known and that can’t be contested is common knowledge. It is presumed that we already know these facts.

For example:
  • kiwis are native to New Zealand
  • Christmas Day falls on 25 December
  • the University of Waikato is located in Hamilton

The difference between common knowledge and researched information is that we haven’t needed to research information for the example because we already know it, and so do most other people.

However if we include, say, the exact number of students enrolled at the University of Waikato in a particular year, we would have to acknowledge any sources we used in order to find this information.
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