Introduction to references and bibliographies for Music
Reference books for Music
Any piece of written work that draws on secondary sources (books, articles, websites, recordings, etc) must acknowledge those sources fully and accurately. Whether you quote directly from a source or paraphrase an idea or information in your own words, if you use material from a secondary source without proper acknowledgement you are committing plagiarism.
When citing your sources in references (usually footnotes or endnotes) and bibliographies it is important to include all of the information necessary to identify the source. You must also format the information accurately according to one of the conventional academic referencing styles. Several different styles are in use, and depending on the course or unit you are taking you may be asked to use a specific style.
The activities below will introduce you to a reference style frequently used in Music, and help you to learn how to use it accurately and consistently. It is described in full in the following book: T. Herbert, Music in Words: A Guide to Researching and Writing about Music (London: ABRSM Publishing, 2001), chapter 4.
Activity 1: Recognising reference information
Instruction
Based on academic writing you have read, decide which of the following statements you think best describes the information that must be included in references and bibliographic entries. Then read the feedback.
The author's initial and surname, the title of the work, the publisher, and the place and date of publication
In the following correct reference, note that the author's initial and surname is given first, followed by the title of the work, and lastly the place of publication, publisher, and date: M. Everist, Music Drama at the Paris Odéon, 1824-1828 (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2002).
The information required for references and bibliographical entries can be found in the first few pages of books, and in library catalogue entries found in the library online catalogue, Webcat.
Activity 2: Identifying different types of publication
Before compiling a reference or bibliographic entry, it is important to know what kind of publication your source is.
Instruction
Choose the kind of publication that is being referred to for each of the common kinds of academic sources listed below and then read the feedback.
1. A. Fisher, 'Jazz', Andrew Fisher: Composer and Orchestrator (Accessed 15 September 2008)
Webpage
2. J. Brooks, 'Mildred Bliss Tells Nadia Boulanger to Think of Herself For Once', in Women Patrons and Activists in American Music, ed. C. Barr and R.P. Locke (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1997), 209-213.
Chapter in an edited book
3. M. Everist, Music Drama at the Paris Odéon, 1824-1828 (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2002).
Book
4. H. Deeming, 'The Sources and Origin of the Agincourt Carol', Early Music, 35 (2007), 23-38.
Article in a periodical (journal)
Activity 3: The information needed in a reference or bibliographic entry
Different kinds of information are needed in a reference depending on the kind of publication being cited and the order of this information is also important.
Instruction
Decide what kind of information is needed for each type of reference and drag and drop the appropriate items into the correct order for each one. Then read the feedback.
Article in a periodical (journal)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Author's initial and surname
Full page range of article
Title of article
Title of periodical
Volume number and year
Book
1.
2.
3.
4.
Author's initial and surname
Place of publication
Publisher and date
Title of book
Chapter in an edited book
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Author's initial and surname
Full page range of chapter
Name(s) of editor(s)
Place of publication
Publisher and date
Title of book
Title of chapter
Webpage
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Author's initial and surname
Date of access
Full URL
Title of webpage/article
Title of website
The information required in a reference to an article in a periodical (journal) is author's initial and surname, title of article, title of periodical, volume number and year, full page range of article. The information required in a reference to a book is author's initial and surname, title of book, place of publication, publisher and date. The information required in a reference to a chapter in an edited book is author's initial and surname, title of chapter, title of book, name(s) of editor(s), place of publication, publisher and date, full page range of chapter. The information required in a reference to a webpage is author's initial and surname (if available), title of webpage/article, title of website, full URL, date of access (i.e. the date you accessed the page).
When taking notes from sources during your research, you should get into the habit of writing down the full bibliographical information for each source to help you compile your references and bibliography later.
Whilst musical scores are treated like books for the purpose of referencing, recordings and other kinds of source have their own requirements. You can look these up in Herbert, Music in Words, chapters 9-11.
