BEAM Approach
Every source in your bibliography or works cited page should have a purpose and a reason for existing in your paper. The BEAM acronym gives you a way to think about each source and the job it performs in your paper. Joseph Bizup devised and published the BEAM model in this article. Citation: Bizup, J. (2008). BEAM: A Rhetorical Vocabulary for Teaching Research-Based Writing. Rhetoric Review, 27(1), 72-86. Retrieved August 30, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/20176824
BACKGROUND provides context for your reader. These sources are non-controversial and fact-based. These sources will tend to appear at the beginning of your paper. A good place to find BACKGROUND information is in
EXHIBITS (or EXAMPLES, if you prefer to think of it that way) explain the issue. Exhibits are what you will present to the reader to analyze your topic. You will probably use data, statistics, case studies or surveys that have not been interpreted by other experts. In this paper, YOU are the expert. Think of primary sources here.
ARGUMENT sources are those that affirm or dispute the points you make. Argument sources can be one person's viewpoint, so be sure that the author has some expertise on your topic and isn't just some internet crackpot. A well-written paper will have argument sources that support and strengthen the writer's ideas, but argument sources may also challenge or refute your point of view.
METHOD sources may not appear at all in your paper, simply because of the nature of the assignment. Method sources present a philosophy or lens through which the topic is addressed. For example, a paper addressing sex discrimination may use feminist theory or a paper about international relations could be written from a nationalist philosophy. If you approach your topic through a specific lens like this, you may need a source in your bibliography that explains your method. Example of a "method" article that looks at causes of cyberbullying.
Please note: one single source may provide information that qualifies as background AND exhibit, or method AND argument or any combination of the above. So, one source may serve more than purpose in your paper.
This video was made for a writing class at the University of Baltimore. It provides examples that I hope will be helpful in understanding the BEAM model.