Level 1: Direct observation of the facts (Eyewitness testimony)
- Requires a description of the witness and the conditions of the observation
- Ideally, published in a formal way, in the witnesses own words, or summarized from them.
Level 2: Citing facts from an eyewitness' testimony
- Needs a citation of the source, and an evaluation of the source's credibility
Level 3: Making an statement without providing support
If the statement's credibility is challenged, the "author" of it might say...
- "This is commonly known"
- "You could look it up, but I don't feel the need"
- Or, "Trust me. I'm giving you the benefit of all my study, but I'm emphasizing the findings and skipping the documentation."
Unsupported statements have their place, but rarely in academic writing. Unless it is truly common knowledge, provide support: an example, an observation (data), an argument, or a source.