Handbooks, guides, and bibliographies about specific composers, genres, or instruments can be excellent tools for your research!

What are they?

• Thorough and comprehensive lists of the major scholarship about a specific topic.

Why use them?

• To help direct your reading and research so you know what's already been published about your topic.
• Remember: Although they are a great place to start, it is important to check when they were published because they may not be up to date on the most current research and scholarship.

Oxford Bibliographies (linked below) is a great online tool that collects peer-reviewed annotated bibliographies on a variety of topics. Searching here to see what has been written about the topic you're researching is a great way to gather background information and decide what sources to read next.

You can also find handbooks, guides, and annotated bibliographies on a variety of topics through the library catalog. One particularly good series is Routledge Music Bibliographies (linked below), which has research guides on specific composers, musical styles, and instruments.

You can search for similar materials in the library catalog by searching Routledge Music Bibliographies or searching for your topic AND "research guide", "bibliography", or "handbook" to find additional materials.