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Approved by the Editorial Board and posted to HABSBURG
September 23, 1997

HABSBURG is a scholarly community of over 1100 members worldwide who bring to this network a range of interests and expectations. Since we are all busy professionals, the editors try, as a primary goal, to ensure each message's utility to the maximum number of members. Conversely, we try to avoid postings that will be of limited interest or which could even bother or alienate subscribers.

For this reason, we would like to state our policy on queries:

1. All queries should concern research or teaching problems in Habsburg and East European history up to and including areas where Habsburg influence was either geographically limited, like Poland, Ukraine, and Romania, or largely indirect through broader policy concerns, like Bulgaria or Greece. For that reason we will accept queries in any language of the region. The HABSBURG editors are all competent in English and German and queries in those languages will be posted in their original language. For other languages we may ask for translation assistance from appropriate list-members.

2. Queries should be sent only after readily available sources of information have been tried. Each query should list those sources already tried that have failed to produce the information sought. Among other things, this will save the valuable time of subscribers, who will otherwise respond with suggestions one has already considered. It is also a courtesy to your colleagues both to spare them overly elementary queries, and to share with us where you looked first before resorting to the list. Simple bibliographic queries will not be posted unless there is an indication of what sources have been tried or there is a request for titles which have worked well as course readings.

3. All queries should be informative in nature. Provide background information so that HABSBURG members who know little about the topic can still benefit from the discussion. If, for example, you need the address of an institution and haven't found it in the obvious places, try telling the membership exactly what service the institution performs. If you need bibliographic information, explain the context of the problem for which you need additional reading. If you need teaching materials, explain the problem that you are trying to deal with in the classroom and the methods you have tried so far.

4. Longer queries are better; short queries are likely to be returned to their authors for more background information so that the entire network can benefit. Medieval scholars should be able to learn something from reading a query about the twentieth century era, while queries on pre-modern topics should be interesting to modern history specialists. By the same token, social and cultural historians should also be able to learn from queries by diplomatic and military historians.

5. Queries will be posted as soon as practical, depending upon the current traffic on HABSBURG. In a particularly busy period, some queries that meet these guidelines may have to wait several days before being posted.

6. Your suggestions for revisions of this policy are welcome.

Your HABSBURG Editors
September, 1997