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ARTH 231A Prints & Print Culture of Early Modern & Modern Japan: BEAM: Evaluating Your Sources

BEAM

Infographic: BEAM METHOD Adapted from Bizup, Joseph. "BEAM: A Rhetorical Vocabulary for Teaching Research-Based Writing." Rhetoric Review 27.1 (2008): 72-86. BACKGROUND Background sources provide general, factual information Why: Used to provide context Example: Encyclopedia, catalog entries, definitions, literature reviews, non-fiction books, field guides, and Wikipedia But biographies, scores, and other sources could also provide background information, depending on the specific project. EXHIBIT Exhibit sources are primary source materials Why: Used as material for analyses and interpretation Examples: Works of literature, art or music, field recordings, newspaper articles from the time, ephemera, historical documents, or anything else that might be considered a primary source. ARGUMENT Argument sources that assert something; these sources can affirm, dispute, refine, or extend an idea. Why: Engage with existing claims, ideas, theories Examples: Articles, editorials / opinion pieces, and critical edition introductions. A source in any format in which an argument is put forth. METHOD Research methodology or theoretical framework employed Why: Used as a model for the structure or theoretical approach Examples: critical lens; key terms, theory, style, perspective, discourse, literature reviews, textbooks, and blogs that comment on research.

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