Brainstorming
As with any research project, the first step is generally to select your topic. Reference materials (encyclopedias, dictionaries, bibliographies, etc. . .) can be a great way to get started. These resources offer overviews of thousands of topics and will help you launch into your search for the scholarly resources that you will need to use to support your research. On this page you will find some selections to get you started.
When brainstorming, it can also be helpful to browse popular, non-scholarly resources in order to understand the status of general discourse on your topic and explore diverse viewpoints while developing thesis statement that can be supported with scholarly resources.
Getting Started
- Read your assignment carefully!
- Take note of important elements such as the due date, the format, the length, the type of materials you are expected to use, and any other specific requirements.
- Break down the assignment into elements such as the following:
- Who or what are you researching?
- Are you arguing a specific point of view or analyzing a specific topic?
- What do you know about the topic already?
- Start with brainstorming and background research:
- Explore the assigned topic using broad, informational resources such as encyclopedias and reference databases that will help you understand the context of the topic.
- While you are exploring the topic, look for common terms, themes, and ideas.
- Use the outline of the assignment and your background research to brainstorm topics and thesis statements.
- Support your topic/thesis statement with high-quality resources that meet the requirements of your assignment:
- Scholarly materials (also known as peer-reviewed materials) are often required for academic research projects. This is because these resources must be written by experts in the fields, published in reputable journals, reviewed by other experts, and must be based on quality work.
- The Lyman Beecher Brooks Library has a curated collection of resources that provide you access to excellent, scholarly content. Visit the Library Catalog or the A-Z Database List to get started and consult a Research Guide or Ask a Librarian if you have any questions!
- Scholarly materials (also known as peer-reviewed materials) are often required for academic research projects. This is because these resources must be written by experts in the fields, published in reputable journals, reviewed by other experts, and must be based on quality work.
For more information on planning your research, visit the Writing Center, where professional and accomplished writing consultants will guide you through your writing project.
Encyclopedias & Dictionaries
Bloomsbury Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World, Volume 9 by Call Number: ML3486.A1 B56 2014ISBN: 9781441141972Publication Date: 2014The Bloomsbury Encyclopedia of Popular Music Volume 9 is one of six volumes within the 'Genre' strand of the series. This volume discusses the genres of the Caribbean and Latin America relation to their cultural, historical and geographic origins; technical musical characteristics; instrumentation and use of voice; lyrics and language; typical features of performance and presentation; historical development and paths and modes of dissemination; influence of technology, the music industry and political and economic circumstances; changing stylistic features; notable and influential performers; and relationships to other genres and sub-genres. This volume features over 300 in-depth essays on genres ranging from Afro-Cuban Jazz to Alcatraz, from Carnaval to Charanga, and from Dancehall to Dub.
Encyclopedia of African American Music [3 Volumes] by Call Number: eBookISBN: 9780313342004Publication Date: 2010African Americans' historical roots are encapsulated in the lyrics, melodies, and rhythms of their music. In the 18th and 19th centuries, African slaves, longing for emancipation, expressed their hopes and dreams through spirituals. Inspired by African civilization and culture, as well as religion, art, literature, and social issues, this influential, joyous, tragic, uplifting, challenging, and enduring music evolved into many diverse genres, including jazz, blues, rock and roll, soul, swing, and hip hop. Providing a lyrical history of our nation, this encyclopedia showcases all facets of African American music including folk, religious, concert and popular styles.
Historical Dictionary of Baroque Music by Call Number: eBookISBN: 9780810878259Publication Date: 2013Running roughly from 1600 to 1750, the Baroque period music continues to be widely played. This is a book for researchers, but it is also a good book for anyone who enjoys this music. The Historical Dictionary of Baroque Music tells us much more not only about the music but also the age that generated it.
Historical Dictionary of Music of the Classical Period by Call Number: ML100 .V37 2012ISBN: 9780810871830Publication Date: 2012The music of the classical period runs from about 1730 to 1800. Names connected with this period are Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Gluck, and C.P.E Bach, and dozens more who are regrettably little known today. This Historical Dictionary of Music of the Classical Period includes not only these composers, but also eminent conductors and performers, patrons, and publishers. There are also dictionary entries on major centers of music-making, typical instruments, important technical terms, and emerging musical forms, including the symphony and opera.
Historical Dictionary of Sacred Music by Call Number: ML102.C5 S83 2006ISBN: 9781442264625Publication Date: 2016-10-11This second edition of Historical Dictionary of Sacred Music contains a chronology, an introduction, appendixes, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 800 cross-referenced entries on major types of music, composers, key religious figures, specialized positions, genres of composition, technical terms, instruments, fundamental documents and sources, significant places, and important musical compositions. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about sacred music.
Icons of R&B and Soul vols. 1 & 2 by Call Number: ML3479 .G85 2008ISBN: 9780313340451Publication Date: 2007This biographical dictionary examines the innovations of 24 R&B artists. From Ray Charles to Prince, the detailed entries intimately describe the lives, backgrounds, careers and contributions of some of the most influential figures in the creation of R&B music.
Icons of Rock [2 Volumes] by Call Number: eBookISBN: 9780313081903Publication Date: 2007From Ray Charles to Joni Mitchell to Nirvana, rock music has been an undeniable force in both reflecting and shaping our cultural landscape. Icons of Rock offers a overview of rock's pervasive role in contemporary society by profiling the lives and work of the music's most legendary artists. This two-volume set provides extensive biographies of the 24 greatest rock n' rollers of all time, examining their influences, innovations, and impact in a critical and historical perspective. Entries inside this reference explore the issues, trends, and movements that defined the cultural and social climate of the artists' music. Sidebars spotlight the many iconic elements associated with rock, such as rock festivals, protest songs, and the British Invasion.
Grove Music Online/Oxford Music Online
- Oxford Music Online & Grove Music OnlineAn online music reference source, offering comprehensive coverage of music, musicians, music-making, and music scholarship. This platform is a powerful resource for music research with over 52,000 articles written by nearly 9,000 scholars charting the diverse history and cultures of music around the globe.
Running a basic search in Grove Music Online/Oxford Music Online is similar to searching in Wikipedia. You can use general keywords and phrases in your search and Grove Music Online/Oxford Music Online will return results that include some or all of your keywords.
For a list of abbreviations used within Grove Music Online, visit the "Tools and Resources" section that is linked at the top of any page and then select "Abbreviations and Library Sigla". This page provides detailed information on the abbreviations used for general terms, periodical titles, standard reference books and series, libraries and institutions, and instrument collections.
Clicking the "Advanced Search" button to the right of the search box opens up a search results page that includes all items in the collection. From this starting point, you can use the filtering tools on the left side of the results list which has been renamed from "Modify your search" to "Advanced search" for this mode.
Use the provided filtering options included in the "Advanced search" menu on the left-side margin to narrow down the results list form the full catalog.
In related Oxford databases, such as Oxford Reference Premium, item availability is indicated to the right of the result with a green open lock 
, the word Free in a green oval 
, or a red closed lock 
. NSU provides full access to the entire Grove Music Online / Oxford Music Online platform and you should only see the green open lock 
on records in this database.
For a list of abbreviations used within Grove Music Online, visit the "Tools and Resources" section that is linked at the top of any page and then select "Abbreviations and Library Sigla". This page provides detailed information on the abbreviations used for general terms, periodical titles, standard reference books and series, libraries and institutions, and instrument collections.
Grove Music Online/Oxford Music Online has a robust collection of additional resources compiled by Grove Music Online editors that can help with discovery and understanding the materials on the platform. To access this area, click the "Tools and Resources" link at the top of any page and then select "Subject Guides and Research Resources".
- Grove Opera Indexes:
- Grove Opera Indexes includes three indexes (opera incipits, opera roles, and operas under composers) that are intended to help the user locate an opera when they may be starting with limited information, such as a character name or the first line of an aria.
- Grove Opera Indexes includes three indexes (opera incipits, opera roles, and operas under composers) that are intended to help the user locate an opera when they may be starting with limited information, such as a character name or the first line of an aria.
- Timelines:
- Grove Music Online timelines are currently compiled for 100 Operatic Premières, Contemporary Music, and Women in Music. These timelines can be an excellent starting point for an overview of the topic area, a way to visualize the topics, and a convenient access point to the full-length articles in Grove Music Online.
- Grove Music Online timelines are currently compiled for 100 Operatic Premières, Contemporary Music, and Women in Music. These timelines can be an excellent starting point for an overview of the topic area, a way to visualize the topics, and a convenient access point to the full-length articles in Grove Music Online.
- Topical Guides to Grove Music:
- The Topical Guides section provides lists of Grove Music Online content collected by time period or genre in addition to a list of suggested 20th-Century reading with related Grove Music Online content links and two collections of resources on women composers.
Grove Music Online / Oxford Music Online includes two help resources: a general help page for using the database platform and a specific Grove Music Online User's Manual that provides specific details on the structure of Grove Music Online and its content.
- General Help for the Grove Music Online / Oxford Music Online Platform:
- This Help page provides video tutorials, site navigation instructions, and search assistance.
- This Help page provides video tutorials, site navigation instructions, and search assistance.
- Grove Music Online User's Manual:
- The Grove Music Online User's Manual goes beyond the platform help guide to explain the specific composition and style characteristics of Grove Music Online content.
RILM Abstracts of Music Literature with Full Text (EBSCOhost)
- RILM Abstracts of Music Literature with Full Text (EBSCOhost)
A comprehensive bibliography of writings about music featuring citations, abstracts, and indexes. It covers over one million publications from the early 19th century to the present on traditional music, popular music, classical music, and related subjects, enhanced with the full text of more than 200 periodicals.
RILM Abstracts of Music Literature with Full Text is part of the EBSCOhost platform. By default this platform will open on the Advanced Search screen. You can enter general keywords and phrases in the top search box or switch to Basic Search by clicking the "Basic Search" link below the search boxes. Either way, MLA International Bibliography with Full Text will return results across its full collection that include some or all of your keywords.
Many of the EBSCOhost databases available at Norfolk State University search huge volumes of resources and using the Advanced Search to narrow your results is often advised. See the Advanced Search tab of this block for more information.
The "Advanced Search" option is the default and preferred method of using the EBSCOhost platform search.
Use the provided Advanced Search boxes to build your search and refine it by assigning values to the "Select a field" dropdown menu at the end of each search box.
Below the search boxes, there are a variety of Search options that can be used to narrow results by language, publication date, and many more.
RILM Abstracts of Music Literature with Full Text includes many items in languages other than English and many abstract only results that will not provide full text. If you would like to limit your results to full text documents in English, it can be helpful to use the Search Options checkboxes on the Advanced Search screen. This section is also where you will find the "Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) Journals" checkbox to limit your results to only scholarly resources.
For detailed explanations of every field in the Advanced Search feature, review the instructions in the user manual that can be accessed from the "Help" link in the upper-right corner of any page.
RILM Abstracts of Music Literature with Full Text and other EBSCOhost databases offer several specific filtering and time-saving features.
- Dynamic filtering:
- In the search results page, the "Refine Results" tools on the left side menu will adapt and changed based on the database being accessed and the type of materials in the results list.
- If available, the "Refine Results" list will include the "Full Text" and "Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) Journals" check boxes as well as a publication date range covering the available dates in the results list.
- Some databases will introduce additional filtering facets such as the research methods used to conduct a study or the inclusion of images. When you land on the results page, take note of all of the available filters to help you find the best items from your search.
- Easy Sign In:
- When you access EBSCOhost platform databases through OpenAthens, you only need to click the "Sign In" link at the top of any page to enter your personalized workspace where you can save your resources to Folders and even share folders with a group.
- If you want to save documents to your folder, make sure that you click "Sign In" first. This will make sure that your items are saved and will be accessible the next time that you access and EBSCOhost database.
- Because your EBSCOhost account works across the full platform, your folders are available any EBSCOhost database so that your research is always available.
- Mix-and-Match:
- The EBSCOhost platform includes many databases and you can search across any or all of them simultaneously by selecting the databases that you want to search from the full database list.
- From the top of the search page, click the "Choose Databases" link and a pop-up will the full database list will appear. Check or un-check the boxes for databases that you want to search and click OK. Now when you search, you will be searching all of your selected databases at once.
- For more information about each database, click the ">" next to the database name to open a full description.
- Note that when you mix databases, you may lose some of the filtering options that you are used to seeing in an individual search on the results page. If necessary, rerun your search in single databases as needed.
- From the top of the search page, click the "Choose Databases" link and a pop-up will the full database list will appear. Check or un-check the boxes for databases that you want to search and click OK. Now when you search, you will be searching all of your selected databases at once.
- The EBSCOhost platform includes many databases and you can search across any or all of them simultaneously by selecting the databases that you want to search from the full database list.
EBSCOhost offers a full user manual that can be accessed through the "Help" button in the upper right corner of any page. Additionally, anywhere that you see a "?" symbol at the end of a line, you can click that button for support on that specific topic.
Oxford Reference Premium
- Oxford Reference PremiumThis reference database includes access to almost 400 dictionaries and encyclopedias of fully-indexed, cross-searchable works published by Oxford University Press with detailed information across a broad subject range of topics.
Running a basic search in Oxford Reference Premium is similar to searching in Wikipedia. You can use general keywords and phrases in your search and Britannica Academic will return results that include some or all of your keywords.
On the search results page, Oxford Reference Premium offers a series of post-search filtering options on the left side of the page under the heading "Narrow Your Choices":
By default, Oxford Reference Premium shows all content in the results, which includes articles that are not available in full-text. Item availability is indicated to the right of the result with a green open lock , the word Free in a green oval , or a red closed lock .
To limit the results list to items that are available in full-text, check the "Unlocked" and "Free" boxes under the heading "By Availability" in the left side menu and click submit:
Oxford Reference Premium has a help page with additional tips for searching and making the most of the database. To access the help page, click "Help" at the bottom of any page in the database:
Credo Reference
- Credo Reference
Credo Reference provides full-text online access to hundreds of multidisciplinary reference book collections, including art, history, law, medicine, psychology, technology, bilingual dictionaries, and encyclopedias through a one-stop search platform. Search results often include articles from a wide array of publications and frequently present subject coverage from multiple perspectives. Using Credo Reference to approach a topic from different viewpoints can be a great way to expand your familiarity with the topic and it can help you develop new arguments and observations for your research.
Running a basic search in Credo Reference is similar to searching in Wikipedia. You can use general keywords and phrases in your search and Credo Reference will return results that include some or all of your keywords.
Clicking the "Advanced Search" button below the search box opens up additional options to control what kinds of results your search returns.
Use the provided Advanced Search boxes to refine your search based on the prompts.
In addition, the Advanced Search box includes drop-down menus that will allow you to limit Subjects, Titles, Publication Dates, and Features by checking the appropriate box.
Credo Reference supplies a visual related topics map that can be a great way to explore your topic and see connections that can further your research. Click the links in the map to jump to articles on that topic and generate a new visual topic map.
Click the Hugo Award and a new series of search results will load:
Credo Reference is equipped with a Research Quick Tips tool for help with research, searching, and topic selection to help you make the most of the database. To access the Research Quick Tips area, click on the three-lined "hamburger" menu in the upper-left corner of the screen and choose "Research Quick Tips":
The Research Quick Tips menu has several helpful guides:
Musicmap
- Musicmap is a visual resource that seeks to chart the genealogy of musical genres. Included in this non-scholarly, but heavily researched resource are descriptions of methodology, definitions of terms, and linked sample playlists to help the user explore the vast array of musical genres. To learn more about the platform and the purpose of this project, visit the introduction
, abstract 
, and methodology 
tabs of the left-side menu.
Source: https://musicmap.info/