Research Guides: Music: Organize, write, cite

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Academic writing: in the humanities, and in music

The Elements of Academic Style: Writing for the Humanities by Eric Hayot
Call number: PE1404 .H396 2014
From granular concerns, such as sentence structure and grammar, to big-picture issues, such as adhering to genre patterns for successful research and publishing and developing productive and rewarding writing habits, Hayot helps ambitious students, newly minted Ph.D.'s, and established professors shape their work and develop their voices. Combining psychological support with practical suggestions for composing introductions and conclusions, developing a schedule for writing, using notes and citations, and structuring paragraphs and essays, this guide to the elements of academic style does its part to rejuvenate scholarship and writing in the humanities.
Music Research by Laurie J. Sampsel
Call number: ML113 .S28 2013
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. It is a selective guide to the most significant English-language research tools and resources; reference titles in major areas; and the principal sources in French, German, Italian, and Spanish.
A Short Guide to Writing about Music by Jonathan D. Bellman
Call number: ML3797 .B4 2007
Intended for all writers on music--college through budding professional--and far more than a course textbook, this brief text coaches writers how to approach, research, and write about music. A Short Guide to Writing about Music is written in a clear and conversational style, and employs a variety of writing samples (both student and professional) as a means to illustrate effective writing
Irvine's Writing about music by Demar Irvine, revised by Mark A. Radice
Call number: ML3797 .I79 2000
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This Handbook has been designed primarily as a guide for students writing papers or theses on musical subjects - but it is useful for anyone writing for publication about music. As well as dealing with the requirements of scholarly writing, from citation and documentation to the mechanics of punctuation and abbreviation, it also addresses the specific circumstances that arise in writing about music, such as the use of musical examples to supplement prose text.

Cite

Most music scholarly writing uses either Turabian/University of Chicago citation style, or MLA (Modern Language Association) citation style. Ask your instructor which style is preferred for your writing project.

There are numerous online reference pages for Turabian/Chicago style that are easy to use. The Citation Quick Guide page from the University of Chicago and the Chicago section of the Purdue OWL are good places to start. You may need to consult the published version in some instances; it is available in the Library at the Research Help Desk: Quick Ref LB2369 .T8 2018

Similarly, there are numerous online pages to help use MLA Style. The MLA Style Center and the MLA section of the Purdue OWL are good places to start. The published version of the MLA Style Book is available in the Library at the Research Help Desk: Quick Ref LB2369 .M52 2016.

For additional help...

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