additionaldocuments

Additional Documents

Additional Document in DBQs

Another task that needs to be accomplished in a Document Based Question (DBQ) is to identify what kind(s) of additional documents you would need in order to answer the question more fully and explain why they would help in answering the question. You should aim to request at least three additional documents– one for each grouping ideally or more.

1. Identifying what documents are missing

A good time to begin to consider what document/point of view is missing is when you are grouping your documents or analyzing their Point of View. Consider what information is not being given to you that would help answer the question (within reason). Remember, you do not need to ask for a specific document, rather you can ask for a kind of document or a document from a certain source. That said, if you know of a specific primary document that would be helpful (i.e. not your textbook) feel free to ask for it.

When beginning to consider what is missing you might consider a particular source or a kind of document.

Possible sources of documents (depending on which documents are provided)

· Gender – if all the documents are by men then a document from a woman’s point of view might be helpful in getting a more complete picture.

· Class – if all documents are written by elites, the perspective of someone from the middle or lower classes could be illuminating.

· Ethnicity – if all documents have been written by members of a single ethnic or belief systems group, then a document from someone outside of those groups would provide a different perspective.

· Occupation – if all the documents are from certain occupations (those working in the government, teachers, etc) then having a document from a person with a different occupation could also be helpful. However this could overlap with class, so be careful when formulating your request.

· Region of source – if all the sources are from within or outside of the region being discussed, then someone either from the inside or outside, could give a less partial account, this is also true of when you are comparing two countries or faiths, etc, someone from neither of those two backgrounds or places could give a useful perspective.

· Document specific – a document indicating a response from the intended audience of one of the documents given in the DBQ that would help see what reaction, if any, it received.

Kind of document (depending on which documents are provided)

· A diary or journal to give a first hand account of events

· A photograph (if there were photographs at that time) or other kinds of image that are related to the topic

· Statistical data related to the question to help gain some numerical appreciation

2. Formulating your request for the additional document

Once you have determined which document to request, you need to request it appropriately. Simply requesting it or saying it would help answer the question will not get you any points.

You should try to phrase your request in this manner: It would be useful to have another document by _____ / ____.document /etc. because ______.

Consider your request for an additional document as a triangle sentence whose three parts are:

Document (either identifying a source or kind of

document) desired

(Insert a triangle here, it won't let me do it for some reason)

Why documents present in Why this document would help answer the

the DBQ already are not question.

sufficient to answer the question

3. Where to put your request for the additional document

· It is recommended that you mention your intention to request an additional document in your introductory paragraph, immediately after your thesis or even as part of it. Since the additional document prompt is part of the question, you want to make sure you are letting the reader know that it will be in your essay. However you will want to elaborate on your request within the body paragraph(s) of the grouping in which the additional document would be most helpful as to why you would want that document.

· You should ask for more than one additional document, ideally at least three to match your groups. You do not need to list all three in your introductory paragraph, but do either use your best request there or a summary of them. Barring that at least mention that additional documents would be needed.

4. Additional cautions for when you are requesting an additional document

· Avoid simply requesting another document from a source or a kind of source already present unless you can argue convincingly why it would help.

· Asking for a secondary or tertiary source (not a history book or encyclopedia) will rarely if ever work so do not ask for them. Even asking for an encyclopedia because it has more up to date information will not be accepted because DBQs are supposed to use primary documents and furthermore encyclopedias generally do not have more up to date information. Likewise asking for your textbook will be considered an insufficient request.

· You must make sure that the document (or source) that you are requesting actually will help answer the question. Furthermore you need to make the reasons why you want that document perfectly clear.

• For example, if the question is asking you to analyze responses of Buddhists, only ask for a non-Buddhist source if they would be able to comment on Buddhist responses in that region or area. However this would work: “There are no documents by women given in this DBQ, therefore an additional document from a Buddhist woman’s point of view would help give a more complete idea of Buddhist responses.”
• “All of the documents come from people in the upper classes, a document from the point of view of an average citizen that is Buddhist would offer a perspective on Buddhism not given in the current group of documents.”