• Make sure the topic meets the requirements of the paper assignment. Note the following:
  • Scope of paper focused
  • Format - double spaced, font size no larger than 12; may be a multi-media project
  • Length - 5-7 pages
  • Number and Types of Sources - 5-7 authored sources, general, popular online sources are usually not acceptable
  • Citation Style -your choice
• Choose a topic that interests you.
  • Composer, performer, musical group, critic, musical entrepreneur
  • composition
  • historical moment
  • musical tradition
  • controversial topic

Subject encyclopedias are good starting points for your paper. They can be used in the following ways:

• Provide a broad overview of a topic that is more in-depth than in general encyclopedias
• Discuss how scholars have approached, explored, and debated the topic over time
• Identify words, phrases, names, dates, and events that can be used as keywords when searching a database
• List bibliographies in articles to find other sources (both primary and secondary)
• Provide cross-references to find related topics

Other starting points:

• Textbooks, music surveys
• Surveys, Textbooks, edited books or anthologies  can provide a broad viewpoint.
• Articles, typically found through subject or multidisciplinary databases, can be helpful in understanding the scholarly conversation about the topic.

A great first step in the research process. Includes Grove Music Online, The Oxford Companion to Music, The Oxford Dictionary of Music, and the Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Note: Limit of 3 simultaneous users.

  Garland Encyclopedia of World Music Volume 3: The United States and Canada