Writing About Music

Music Research: A Handbook is designed for use in both undergraduate and graduate music courses that require students to engage in library research or to write research papers. Concise and practical, this unique handbook does not aim to provide an exhaustive introduction to music research;rather, it is highly selective and helps students navigate the most significant English-language research tools and resources; reference titles in major areas; and the principal sources in French, German, Italian, and Spanish.OrganizationThe book's first section (Chapters 1-13) is organized by type of research tool-for example, encyclopedias, periodical indexes, and discographies. Each chapter in this section includes an overview of the tool it covers; an annotated bibliography that describes the tool's purpose, scope, strengths,and weaknesses; and an evaluation checklist that encourages students to think critically about the tools and materials they discover as they do research. The second section (Chapters 14-15) discusses style manuals and various resources for writing about music and citing sources. Methods forevaluating reference and research tools are emphasized throughout the book.Companion WebsiteA companion website (a href="http://www.us.oup.com/us/companion.websites/9780195171198/?view=usa"www.oup.com/us/musresearch/a) includes all the links cited in the text as well as supplemental links not cited; updates to bibliographies and readings; and lists of the research tools in the text, coremusic journals, and major professional music associations.

Jane Gottlieb provides an introductory text for courses in music research, methodology and librarianship. She introduces basic concepts in conducting research, provides sources and shows students how to synthesise their research.

"A Guide to Library Research in Music introduces the process and techniques for researching and writing about music. This informative textbook provides examples of different types of writing, offers a thorough introduction to music literature, describes various information-searching methods and library-based organizational systems, and explores the wide array of music resources."--BOOK JACKET.

Since it was first published in 1993, the Sourcebook for Research in Music has become an invaluable resource in musical scholarship. The balance between depth of content and brevity of format makes it ideal for use as a textbook for students, a reference work for faculty and professional musicians, and as an aid for librarians. The introductory chapter includes a comprehensive list of bibliographical terms with definitions; bibliographic terms in German, French, and Italian; and the plan of the Library of Congress and the Dewey Decimal music classification systems. Integrating helpful commentary to instruct the reader on the scope and usefulness of specific items, this updated and expanded edition accounts for the rapid growth in new editions of standard works, in fields such as ethnomusicology, performance practice, women in music, popular music, education, business, and music technology. These enhancements to its already extensive bibliographies ensures that the Sourcebook will continue to be an indispensable reference for years to come.

To do solid academic research, college students need to look beyond the computer search engine. This short, practical book introduces students to the important components of the information-seeking process. The Elements of Library Research provides a foundation for success in any research assignment, from a freshman paper to a senior thesis. Unlike guides that describe the research process but do not explain its logic, this book focuses entirely on basic concepts, strategies, tools, and tactics for research--in both electronic and print formats. Drawing on decades of experience with undergraduates, reference librarian Mary George arms students with the critical thinking skills and procedures they need to approach any academic project with confidence. Ways to turn a topic into a research question Techniques for effective online searches How to evaluate primary and secondary sources When and how to confer with reference librarians and faculty How to avoid plagiarism Glossary of key terms, from Boolean search to peer review Checklists, timelines, and hints for successful research projects

With more than three-quarters of a million copies sold since its first publication, The Craft of Research has helped generations of researchers at every level--from first-year undergraduates to advanced graduate students to research reporters in business and government--learn how to conduct effective and meaningful research. Conceived by seasoned researchers and educators Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, and Joseph M. Williams, this fundamental work explains how to find and evaluate sources, anticipate and respond to reader reservations, and integrate these pieces into an argument that stands up to reader critique. The fourth edition has been thoroughly but respectfully revised by Joseph Bizup and William T. FitzGerald. It retains the original five-part structure, as well as the sound advice of earlier editions, but reflects the way research and writing are taught and practiced today. Its chapters on finding and engaging sources now incorporate recent developments in library and Internet research, emphasizing new techniques made possible by online databases and search engines. Bizup and FitzGerald provide fresh examples and standardized terminology to clarify concepts like argument, warrant, and problem. Following the same guiding principle as earlier editions--that the skills of doing and reporting research are not just for elite students but for everyone--this new edition retains the accessible voice and direct approach that have made The Craft of Research a leader in the field of research reference. With updated examples and information on evaluation and using contemporary sources, this beloved classic is ready for the next generation of researchers.

The information world has undergone drastic changes since the publication of the 3rd edition of The Oxford Guide to Library Research in 2005, and Thomas Mann, a veteran reference librarian at the Library of Congress, has extensively revised his text to reflect those changes. This book will answer two basic questions: First, what is the extent of the significant research resources you will you miss if you confine your research entirely, or even primarily, to sources available on the open Internet? Second, if you are trying to get a reasonably good overview of the literature on a particular topic, rather than just "something quickly" on it, what are the several alternative methods of subject searching--which are not available on the Web--that are usually much more efficient for that purpose than typing keywords into a blank search box, with the results displayed by relevance-ranking computer algorithms?This book shows researchers how to do comprehensive research on any topic. It explains the variety of search mechanisms available, so that the researcher can have the reasonable confidence that s/he has not overlooked something important. This includes not just lists of resources, but discussions of the ways to search within them: how to find the best search terms, how to combine the terms, and how to make the databases (and other sources) show relevant material even when you don't know how to specify the best search terms in advance. The book's overall structuring by nine methods of searching that are applicable in any subject area, rather than by subjects or by types of literature, is unique among guides to research. Also unique is the range and variety of concrete examples of what to do--and of what not to do.The book is not "about" the Internet: it is about the best alternatives to the Internet--the sources that are not on the open Web to begin with, that can be found only through research libraries and that are more than ever necessary for any kind of substantive scholarly research. More than any other research guide available, this book directly addresses and provides solutions to the serious problems outlined in recent studies documenting the profound lack of research skills possessed by today's "digital natives."