Historical thinking skills · AP U.S. History, AP World History: Modern
Sourcing
Also called: HIPP, HAPP
Sourcing: Analyzing how a document's point of view, purpose, historical situation or audience shapes its content and its usefulness as evidence.
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What it means
Sourcing asks who created a source, why, for whom and in what circumstances, and then explains why that matters. Students often remember the elements with an acronym such as HIPP (historical situation, intended audience, purpose, point of view).
The important step is the explanation: why the author's position leads the document to emphasize or omit something.
Example
A factory owner's testimony to Congress that his workers are well paid should be read with his purpose in mind: he is defending his business against regulation, so he has reason to present conditions favorably.
On the exam
On the DBQ, explaining the sourcing of at least two documents in a way that supports your argument earns one point. Sourcing questions also appear in SAQs and multiple choice.