A question about a recipe: French Onion Soup

I have a question about step 1 on the recipe "French Onion Soup" from wcfoodies. It says:

"Slice & segment 3 pounds of onions."
Does this mean slice the onion and then pop the slices out into the rings of the onions or do you mean to quarter them? Just wanted to ask in case it makes a difference in how they cook.