Lateral reading is an evaluation technique used by professional fact-checkers to determine the trustworthiness of online information. Watch the video to learn more about this technique.
Peer review is the process in which scholarly works are evaluated by experts in the field before publication. Watch the video for more information.
For even more information about evaluating your potential sources, check out the Libraries' guide below.
What am I going to do with my sources? BEAM asks you to consider the function of the source.
Credit: Portland State University Library
Run Time: 3:25
| Source Function | Explanation | Examples of Types of Sources | Where you might use it in your paper |
|---|---|---|---|
| B: Background | Factual and noncontroversial information, providing context | Encyclopedia articles, overviews in books, statistics, historical facts | Introduction |
| E: Exhibit/ Evidence | Data, observations, objects, artifacts, documents that can be analyzed | Text of a novel, field observations, focus group transcriptions, questionnaire data, results of an experiment, interview data (primary sources) | Body/Results |
| A: Argument | Critical views from other scholars and commentators; part of the academic conversation | Scholarly articles, books, critical reviews (e.g. literacy criticism), editorials | Body, sometimes in Introduction or in Literature Review |
| M: Method | Reference to methods or theories used, usually explicit though may be implicit; approach or research methodology used | Part of books or articles with reference to theorists (e.g. Foucault, Derrida) or theory (e.g. feminism, post-colonialism, new historicism etc.); information on a research methodology | Methods or referenced in Introduction or Body |
A source may serve more than one function. For instance, a journal article could provide you with background information, exhibits, argument, and method. However, some sources are focused on a single function. For example, an encyclopedia entry is likely to only serve as background information.
Citation: Bizup, Joseph. “BEAM: A Rhetorical Vocabulary for Teaching Research-Based Writing.” Rhetoric Review 27.1 (2008): 72-86.
Credit: This page adapted from "Source Functions: Background, Exhibits, Argument, Method (BEAM)" from the University of California Merced Library.