<p>Is it really bad to put [Source A] when citing sources?</p>
<p>Example:
Document A
March 22, 2010 Joe to Bob: "I like to eat meat."</p>
<p>Is it okay if I write: </p>
<p>This shows X, because Joe says "I like to eat meat" to Bob. [Source A]</p>
<p>Or should I entirely leave out [Source A]?</p>
<p>My AP US teacher isn't the most bright person in the world and he says to completely leave out Document A or Document B, because the graders will give us the lowest grade they can if they see that. Is this true?</p>
<p>From what I have been taught, you must include citations (document A,B, or whatever) after each quote. Periods go after citations.</p>
<p>In DBQ, you are using information that is not your own, so you must cite your sources. In addition, AP graders want to see that you interpret the sources you use correctly, and without citations, they do not know how to grade you. (On the AP scoring guidelines, there are specific information that student should interpret from the DBQ sources).</p>
<p>That’s what I thought.</p>
<p>My APUS Teacher… well let’s just say that he isn’t the brightest crayon in the box… I don’t trust a word he says. It’s mostly just lies anyways.</p>
<p>Actually, I think your teacher’s right. My teacher says to not cite like (doc A), but rather use titles. And I completely trust her. In all her years of teaching, there was only like one or two kids who had a 2. Everyone else received 4s or 5s. Anyway, so if you were reading Ben Franklin’s letter, you would be like: “from Ben Franklin’s letter blah blah blah”. But in AP English it’s okay to cite as Doc A etc.</p>
<p>Interesting. I took the APUSH last year, cite my sources on the DBQ, and still got a 5. </p>
<p>I think I understand where your teacher is coming from. If a student clearly cites a source but misinterprets it, the AP graders will give her a lower score. So if you don’t cite it, you can’t be subtracted points for misinterpretation. </p>
<p>When I read the AP essays samples, one student decides to cite his/ her source, and one decides not to. They both earn an eight on their respective essays.</p>
<p>The most important things to focus on are the strength of your argument and your ability to connect with many sources outside of what is given to you.</p>
<p>In my Euro class, we write the Document number in the margin.</p>
<p>E.G.</p>
<p>(Doc 6) Otto Von Bismarck says that Europe is his Africa, showing that he does not care about Africa. This is because Bismarck did not care for colonies as other nations did.</p>
<p>I don’t think they care as long as they can tell what the document is.</p>