Citation style guides for Music
The most often used citation styles for Music are the Chicago Manual of Style and MLA Handbook for Writers, both of which are located at the library service desk. For more assistance, please consult a librarian or your professor.
You may also want to look at How to write about music : the RILM manual of style (James R. Cowdery, editor), call number: 808.06678 H741wr.
Music Research: a handbook includes detailed instructions on how to cite music sources in Chicago and MLA style
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Music research: a handbook
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Call Number: 780.72 Sa48mu (3rd floor)Introduces music students to the major print and electronic research tools available to them.
Chicago style
Cite a score as you would a book in Chicago style:
Composer last name, first name. Title of score. Place of publication: Publisher, Year of publication (or n.d. if there is no date).
For example:
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus. The piano sonatas and fantasies. New York: E. Kalmus, 1968.
(From The Chicago Manual of Style)
Cite a music recording in Chicago style:
Composer last name, first name. Title of musical recording. Essential performer(s) first name, last name. Record label CD identifying number. Year. Format.
--Essential performers can include soloists, conductor, or ensemble
For example:
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus. Piano sonatas. Christoph Eschenbach. Deutsche Grammophon 463 137-2, 1999. CD.
MLA style
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How to cite sound recordings in MLA - Purdue OWLScroll down the page to the "A Song or Album" section
Cite a score as you would a book in MLA style:
Composer last name, first name. Title as it appears on title page (italicized and capitalize the abbreviations No. and Op.). Date of composition (or N.d. if there is no date). Place of publication: Publisher, Date of publication. Print (or Online). If the score is part of a series, include the series name.
For example:
Donizetti, Gaetano. Don Pasquale: An Opera in Three Acts with Italian-English Text. 1842. New York: Belwin, 1959. Print. Kalmus Vocal Scores.
Zotero Citation Manager
The zotero Citation Manager is a free, easy to use tool to help you collect, organize, cite, and share your research sources.
Follow these steps to start building your own Zotero Library:
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Download ZoteroDownload both 1) the Zotero program (left side of the page) and 2) the connector/extension for your browser you are using
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Register for a free Zotero accountRegistering a user account lets you sync your library so you can access it on different computers
You can also collaborate and share Zotero libraries with others -
Add items to your Zotero LibrarySave articles, books, websites, and more with just one click
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Zotero video trainingStep-by-step instruction videos on how to set up Zotero
ZoteroBib: the quickest way to build an accurate bib
Zotero now has a quick and accurate tool to create a bibliography entry!
- go to https://zbib.org/
- enter a URL (website), ISBN (book), DOI (online article), PMID (PubMed), arXiv ID (author), or title
- click on the Cite button
- select a Bibliography style
- copy to clipboard to paste into your document
- formatted citations are stored in your browser until you delete them
Writing about music
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Writing about music : a style sheet
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Call Number: 808.06678 H741wr (3rd floor)A resource that lends significant technical insight, Holoman’s book covers many of the more difficult issues of musical discourse. It addresses tasks such as describing musical works and procedures in prose, using the rules for citations in notes and bibliographies, and preparing materials like musical examples, tables, and illustrations. The most helpful section within the context of undergraduate writing assignments in music would be the most recent addition to the book: a section outlining the best practices for student writers. (Michelle Eichel, '10) -
A short guide to writing about music
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Call Number: 808.06678 B417sh (3rd floor)This book is written in a conversational style that clearly reaches its audience, examining a variety of writing assignments for music courses at all levels of the undergraduate curriculum. It includes many writing samples to illustrate effective student writing and covers topics ranging from initial research to successful writing about music. (Michelle Eichel, '10) -
Writing about music : an introductory guide
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Call Number: 780.722 W726wr2 (3rd floor)Contains complete chapters on writing about music, analysis and research, getting started, writing a research paper (from choosing a topic through outlining, writing the draft, editing and revising), questions of format, other kinds of writing projects (i.e., seminar presentations, concert reports, program notes), writing styles, and common writing problem. (amazon.com) -
Music in words : a guide to researching and writing about music
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Call Number: 780.72 H414mu (3rd floor)A compact guide to researching and writing about music, addressing all the issues that anyone who writes about music--from students to professional musicians and critics--may confront when putting together anything from brief program notes to a lengthy thesis. -
How to write about music : the RILM manual of style
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Call Number: P.R. 808.066782 H83co (located at the library service desk)Addresses the special problems of writers writing about music. Included are chapters on nomenclature, foreign language, punctuation, abstract writing and many others. This book covers material not covered in standard writing manuals. (rilm.org) -
Sourcebook for research in music
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Call Number: 780.16 C84so2 (3rd floor)Emphasizes English-language and recent sources, and also include essential materials in other languages. An opening chapter of introductory materials, including a list of common bibliographical terms with definitions, German and French bibliographical terms, and the plan of the Library of Congress and the Dewey Decimal music classification systems, is followed by seven bibliographical chapters, covering lists of sources as well as collective annotations that introduce and identify specific items. (amazon.com) -
Music research: a handbook
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Call Number: 780.72 Sa48mu (3rd floor)Introduces music students to the major print and electronic research tools available to them.
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A style and usage guide to writing about music
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Call Number: 808.06678 D714st (3rd floor)
Annotated bibliographies
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Annotated Bibliographies (Purdue OWL)What is and how to prepare an annotated bibliography
Writing Center
The Writing Center offers online, real-time appointments. Students can make appointments as usual via http://elon.mywconline.com and meet with a consultant via video and text chat. Appointments will be available during the usual hours and all appointments will be scheduled for eastern standard time. For more information: https://www.elon.edu/u/academics/writing-excellence/the-writing-center/.
Elon's Writing Center will help you understand an assignment, as well as brainstorm, draft, revise, edit & document sources.
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Schedule an appointment at the Writing CenterYou can pick the day, time, duration and the WC consultant
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Writing Center websiteVisit the WC website for current hours and locations