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I've always wanted to be a writer, and I used to write for a couple of small newsletters a few years ago to try to get my first clips, but here is what I have never understood, that maybe professional writers can answer: when writing a feature story, article, etc.--how do you know when something should be cited or when something is common knowledge? I rarely see feature articles with a bunch of cites in them. What are the guidelines for this? For academic papers back in school, the guideline always seemed to be to cite everything. Like every sentence had a cite after it. But I know that popular writing doesn't work that way, for general interest magazines and newspapers.
For instance, if I were writing an article about vegetables, and I come across the following from a source, do I have to cite this or how would I know if it is common knowledge? (this is made up, let's say from the Vegetable Nutrient Association): Broccoli is the most nutrient-dense vegetable, and provides more nutrition in a single stalk than a whole bowl of salad.
If I wanted to use this fact in my article about vegetables, would I provide a cite, or would I not provide a cite, and how would I put this into my own words to satisfy not plagarising, without losing all the important facts in the sentence?
I've always been really confused about how this works in non-academic writing.
Cite a book. "Broadband Publishers, full address, date and author"
Cite a newspaper the same way If it is a reprint from an article that is over 100 years do site the date, name of original newspaper and author. And be sure sure to note reprint.
Vegetable Nutrient Association the same citiation except add URL or page number(s)
People are different. John Doe, New York Times Editor" said in an article dated ....... the sky is falling.
Cite when you believe that it is new information which you are presenting. Cite when the information is controversial or disputed.
Don;t cite when the information well known and undisputed.
For example, you would not need to cite "Davey Crockett was killed at the Alamo in 1836" because no one out there is arguing that he was not. But if you wish to present the information which suggests that he surrendered and was executed after the battle had concluded, then you will need to cite because there are those who would argue to the contrary, as well as many who might be learning of this for the first time.
I doubt that anyone can provide you with a precise answer and an exacting set of rules, I know that I could never get an unambiguous answer about this from any of my profs. I decided to go with the general guide...if there is a chance someone will challenge this information, it needs to include the citation.
I understand how to cite. Just not when to cite, and what is common knowledge, and what is not, and how to know.
I would say cite whenever you use something verbatim, even if it is common knowlege. But don't just rewrite something someone else has already said - that can get you in a lot of trouble, even if you do think you've disguised it. Some things you wouldn't even need a full cite, not for an article, you could just say 'According to the Vegetable Nutrient Association, broccoli is...' It would depend on how in-depth your article is, whether it's serious or fluff.
I would say cite whenever you use something verbatim, even if it is common knowlege. But don't just rewrite something someone else has already said - that can get you in a lot of trouble, even if you do think you've disguised it.
I don't understand what you're saying here. I thought you can never use something "verbatim" unless there are quotes around it, and then you must cite. What do you mean by your second sentence?
Is there some website out there that spells out these rules? I know there are plenty of academic sites, but academic rules don't apply to popular writing.
Any time you borrow something said by another, quote it and cite the author especially if the person who made the remark is well known. President Teddy Roosevelt called this road the "worlds most beautiful drive". If you cite a passage in the book quote and italicize the name of your source, then add the page and or volume number, publisher date and author. Most of the citations are numbered in your work a found in foot notes, except reprinted newspapers. This is not what my editor says. If you are writing for a NYC editor you need to find out Manual or Style they use and follow it. How I am expected to cite may be much different. You can buy the book at most large book stores. Be prepared to spend $50 or more and replace it every year or two at the most. NYC editors do not always use the same Style book every year. They may use the Chicago Manual one year and someplace else the next. What these editors do from year to year is unpredictable.
Okay, but let's say you're writing an article about tomatoes. You get a bunch of information about tomatoes, like how to plant them, what species there are, etc. from various gardening web sites. Do you have to cite where you got this info? Is this common knowledge or not? I am still confused.
I don't understand what you're saying here. I thought you can never use something "verbatim" unless there are quotes around it, and then you must cite. What do you mean by your second sentence?
Is there some website out there that spells out these rules? I know there are plenty of academic sites, but academic rules don't apply to popular writing.
It depends somewhat on what market you are writing for. I've seen any number of little fillers in Reader's Digest that were essentially the same story, but told differently - as happening to a man, woman, grandparent, etc. They were just barely different enough from each other to slide by as cute little fillers. That's what I mean by fluff. A more serious, in-depth article would need formal attributions. There are times, rarely, when it's possible to rewrite something someone else has said, but it's dicey, at best. For a look at what happens when one gets caught, go to:
I've written papers and used knowledge that I have obtained from reading articles, talking to people, and just living general life and I use this information in a paper and the professor ask where my citation is. I reply that it is just general knowledge that I have picked up from living life and I dont know where I got it.
I would think that you would only have to cite when you are directly using information from another source such as a quote or a statistic.
I would love for someone to provide a resource that provides the real rules for this.
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