Author Description

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.The 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 for evaluating reference and research tools are emphasized throughout the book.