DBQ Frequently Asked Questions

What kinds of sites on the internet can I use?

The only sites you are not allowed to use are .com sites. Many colleges currently use this as the acceptable standard for internet research, and it is a good guideline for us to use as well. There are extenuating circumstances when a .com might be usable, but in this case you need your teacher's specific permission.

There are lots of good DBQs already done on the web, can't I use them as my project?

Of course NOT! The purpose of this assignment is to get you to think historically and to consider what documents might  be used in answering your historical controversy. Using other people's work as your own is plagiarism, and is a major violation of ethical work. You are smart enough to do a good job all on your own.

What does SIC mean?

It comes from the Latin "so thus" but in English it translates roughly to "as in the original". This is used when there are spelling and grammar errors in a quoted document to indicate that the writer recognizes the original author's error. For example: "The divilishness of this assignment really irks most studints (sic)"

What does IBID mean?

It is short for Ibidem which literally means "in the same place" It is used in footnotes and citations to indicate that this quote is from the same source as the previous one. Example: "Four score and seven years ago" (Horton, 1) was the time in which Lincoln promised that "government of the people, for the people, and by the people shall not perish from the earth" (Ibid)

Should I use the entire document or should I take an excerpt from it?

As a general rule of thumb, its better to take an excerpt from a document to help students get to the heart of the matter. In some cases, you need to include the entire document to make it understandable for the reader. Some students use the captions or descriptions under the document to help clarify this information.

How do I correctly "excerpt" a document?

Three dots in a row (...) indicates that a part of the original text has been deleted for brevity or simplification of the language. Be very careful that you do not change the meaning of the quote by deleting key portions of it. Example: "Four score and seven years ago...all men are created equal" If you need to ADD words to clarify within a citation, you should use brackets. "I wish that [Horton] he would give us easier assignments in this class"

How do I cite an internet source?

The generally accepted method is to indicate the web address AND the date that the information was accessed from the web (because information changes so quickly on the web). Example: "The generally accepted method is..." www.mrhorton.cjb.net/dbqfaq.htm accessed on March 15, 1970.

Why do I have to include a summary sheet at the end of the DBQ?

This is the part of the assignment that most students make far more complicated than it needs to be. In two to three sentences, you should indicate what relevance the document has to your question. That's all! For example, if you cite something from Washington's Farewell address, your summary sheet should indicate that this quote would be used to show the origins of America's typical neutrality policy.