Developing a Search Strategy
Before you start researching, you should plan out a search strategy. Think about the research question you're trying to answer and brainstorm a list of possible keywords. What terms best describe the information you're looking for? What kind of sources do you need? Taking the time to articulate exactly what kind of information you need before you start looking will help you retrieve more focused, relevant results. To walk through the process of developing a search strategy, check out the example below!
- Developing a Search Strategy: Accessible VersionAn accessible version of the content included in the infographic above.
Breaking Down the Research Process
Using the steps below to structure your research can help keep you on the right track. Remember as you work that research is a cyclical, iterative process - you may need to reevaluate your search terms multiple times, brainstorming new keywords as you refine your topic.
- Write down your topic as a broad sentence or question - framing your topic as a question is a great strategy for directing your search and making sure you've developed a sufficiently complex topic. Your research question shouldn't be something that can be answered with a quick yes or no.
- Identify the main words or concepts in your topic - these will be the first terms you try to search with. These main concepts can also help you select appropriate background sources to learn more about your topic; for example, if one of your main concepts is "country music", you might take a look at a popular music encyclopedia to find general background information.
- Brainstorm alternative words you can use for each keyword - these should be synonyms or related ideas to the main words or concepts you identified earlier.
- Identify library resources to search - try to consult a variety of sources and remember there's a lot out there! You could try Grove Music Online or the Garland Encyclopedia for World Music for background information, a database like Music Index or JSTOR for scholarly journal articles, and a search in the library catalog for recordings, collected essays of criticism, or monographs on your topic!
Quick Tip: Keep track of the search terms you've used and the databases you've tried so you don't repeat unsuccessful searches. Keeping a research journal is a great way to develop your skills and ensure you remember what keywords and strategies worked and which ones didn't.
Guides to Researching & Writing About Music
As you conduct your research, you may find it helpful to consult some of the handbooks below to help guide you through the research process. For help with writing about music - including selecting the right terminology as well as general style tips - be sure to check out the next tab of this box!
The Craft of Research, Fourth Edition by Call Number: MPAL Reference Non-circulating Q180.55.M4 B66 2016This 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. Bizup and FitzGerald provide fresh examples and standardized terminology to clarify concepts like argument, warrant, and problem.
Music Research by Call Number: MPAL Reference Non-circulating ML113 .S28M8 2020With a strong focus on the connection between music and writing, this comprehensive guide is ideal for use in both undergraduate and graduate music courses that require students to engage in library research or to write research papers.
A Guide to Library Research in Music by Call Number: Online ResourceA Guide to Library Research in Music introduces the process and techniques for researching and writing about music. It 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.
Introduction to Research in Music by Call Number: MT1 W56I5Features a discussion of musical research, bibliographic tools, guides to print and electronic resources for research, specific research skills, discussion of the process of writing and editing a research paper on a musical topic, and analysis of an article from a musicological journal. The focus is on both music literature (books and writings about music) and music (scores, collected sets, thematic catalogues).
Writing about Music by Call Number: Online and MPAL Ready Reference Non-circulating ML3797 .H65W7 2014Extending the principles devised for the classical repertoires, this edition includes examples from world music, rock, jazz, popular music, and cinema. It covers some of the thorniest issues of musical discourse: how to go about describing musical works and procedures in prose, the rules for citations in notes and bibliography, and proper preparation of such materials as musical examples, tables, and illustrations.
Writing about Music by Call Number: MPAL Reference Non-circulating ML3797 W56W72002Writing About Music offers practical advice and guidance to help students master the special skills needed to write about this most-elusive of arts. The text serves as a guide for each phase in the process of researching and writing a paper on a musical topic, and preparing for other projects such as seminar presentations, concert reports, program notes and essay examinations.
How to Write About Music: the RILM Manual of Style by Call Number: Online ResourceThe manual addresses a multitude of special problems faced by writers on music–problems rarely solved by general writing guides. Detailed guidelines are provided for the bibliographic handling of standard print, audiovisual, and electronic sources, as well as specialized ones such as program notes, liner notes, and music videos. Third Edition (older editions available in print).
A Short Guide to Writing about Music by Call Number: ML3797 .B44S5 2007A Short Guide to Writing about Music parallels musical skills to writing skills, examining a wide range of writing tasks for undergraduate and graduate courses. Intended for all writers on music -- college through budding professional -- and far more than a course textbook, this brief and inexpensive text coaches writers how to approach, research, and write about music.
