[en] The phenomena of deep inelastic electron scattering on single nucleons, viewed as virtual photon absorption, are reexamined with the nonspeculative, phenomenological attitude of source theory. The use of a double spectral representation for forward scattering, and of experimental inputs from the low energy resonance region and the high energy real photon diffraction region, lead naturally to the general observed characteristics of deep inelastic scattering. A reasonably successful description of deviations from simple scaling behavior is also presented. (U.S.)