Section 2

CRAAP: Checking Whether a Source Is Trustworthy

BEAM answers what is this source for. CRAAP answers a different question: can I actually trust it. You'll use both on the same source — BEAM tells you which job it's doing, CRAAP tells you whether it's doing that job well. Every source gets a CRAAP check, no matter which BEAM category it lands in — though which letters matter most shifts depending on the job.

C

Currency

How recent is this? Has anything changed since it was published?

An article from several years ago about which phone apps are popular with teens is outdated — that changes fast. An older article about the basic legal rights schools have to regulate student behavior probably hasn't changed much.
R

Relevance

Does this actually help answer your question, or is it just adjacent to your topic?

An article about screen time's effect on sleep is relevant if you're arguing about phone bans and student wellbeing. It's not relevant if your argument is specifically about classroom disruption.
A

Authority

Who wrote or published this, and do they actually have standing to speak on it?

A statement from a school district's superintendent about the effects of their own phone policy carries real authority. A random comment on a news article does not — the commenter has no verified standing at all.
A

Accuracy

Can this information be verified? Does it show its sources, or match what other credible sources say?

A statistic that links directly to a named study, or shows up consistently across multiple credible outlets, is accurate. A statistic with no clear origin — "studies show..." with nothing named — is a red flag.
P

Purpose

Why does this source exist? To inform, to persuade, to sell something?

A district's public report on phone-policy outcomes exists to inform. An op-ed exists to persuade. A website for a company that sells phone-locking pouches to schools exists to sell — read anything from them with that in mind.
How this connects to BEAM Which letters matter most shifts depending on a source's BEAM role. Background leans on Currency and Purpose. Evidence leans on Accuracy and Authority. Argument leans on Purpose and Authority. The Sort & Vet page walks through each role's emphasis in detail.