The BEAM Framework
The BEAM Framework (Bizup, 2008) is a way to think about a source's relevance to you as a writer. What can you do with a source?
- Background sources can be used to present information or establish facts
- Exhibit or Example sources are interpreted or analyzed by you as a writer
- Argument sources can be used to build your own as you agree, dispute, refine, or extend them
- Methods sources present lenses, theories, or approaches you might use to frame your work
Learn More
Read the short chapter on BEAM from the open textbook, Choosing & Using Sources: A Guide to Academic Research. Chapter 13 ("Roles of Research Sources") includes an introduction, an overview of BEAM, an example, and practice activities.
Or watch this quick video from Vanderbilt Libraries Teaching & Learning (2023):