Gregory's Server
@DimitriFayolle @reneestephen It depends on the field, of course. Poets won't cite any authority besides "The Ineffable" or "that sparse and surly raven," while sociologists insist on citing a source for the alphabet before embarking on any essay that utilizes said alphabet.
@msbellows @reneestephen Chemistry has a remarkably well-conserved background knowledge that many other fields probably do not have. That makes it more convenient to determine what is expectedly widely known and what is niche knowledge. Also things like "vitamin C is a weak acid with a pKa of about 4" is not really susceptible to social constructs such as sociological theories might be, for example.