In a DBQ, sourcing means analyzing a document’s perspective, purpose, audience, or historical situation to explain why it is useful in supporting your argument.
Audience refers to who the document was intended for when it was created.
Understanding the audience helps explain why the author wrote it the way they did and how that affects the document’s reliability or bias.
Look at who the author is speaking to in the document.
Consider if the audience is:
The general public (e.g., newspaper, speech, pamphlet)
A specific ruler or government official
A particular social class or group (e.g., merchants, elites, clergy)
A foreign power or ally
Ask yourself:
How does the intended audience shape the way the author presents their ideas?
Does the author change their tone or omit details based on their audience?
Is the author trying to persuade, inform, or justify something to the audience?
Clearly connect the audience to the document’s message.
Explain how understanding the audience helps interpret the document’s reliability, bias, or significance.
End by tying your sourcing back to your thesis.
Explain how the audience affects the document’s usefulness in answering the prompt.
"Evaluate the causes of the spread of Buddhism in China during the Tang Dynasty."
Document: A Buddhist monk’s letter to a Tang emperor defending Buddhism from Confucian critics.
✅ Strong Audience Sourcing:
"This document was written by a Buddhist monk to the Tang emperor, meaning the intended audience was the imperial court. Because Confucian officials often criticized Buddhism as a foreign religion, the monk carefully frames Buddhism as beneficial to Chinese society. The intended audience likely influenced the monk to present Buddhism in a way that aligns with Confucian and imperial values, which suggests a possible bias in the document."
🚫 Weak Sourcing:
"This was written to the emperor because the monk wanted him to know about Buddhism."
(❌ Too vague and doesn’t explain why audience matters.)
"Evaluate the extent to which nationalism influenced political developments in Europe from 1750 to 1900."
Document: A nationalist pamphlet written in 1848 calling for German unification.
✅ Strong Audience Sourcing:
"This pamphlet was written for the German-speaking public during the Revolutions of 1848, a time of widespread nationalist uprisings. Because the author wanted to inspire popular support for unification, the document likely uses emotional and persuasive language rather than objective analysis. Understanding the audience helps explain why the author presents nationalism in an idealistic and urgent manner."
🚫 Weak Sourcing:
"The pamphlet was for people in Germany who wanted unification."
(❌ Too basic and does not analyze how the audience influenced the message.)
✅ Identify who the document was intended for.
✅ Explain how the audience affects the author’s message.
✅ Analyze whether the audience causes bias, persuasion, or omission of details.
✅ Connect back to your thesis.