Doing Research - MUS 300 – Beethoven and Revolution - SCSU Hilton C. Buley Library at Southern Connecticut State University

Search Strategy Builder

The Search Strategy Builder is a tool designed to teach you how to create a search string using Boolean logic. While it is not a database and is not designed to input a search, you should be able to cut and paste the results into most databases’ search boxes.

Concept 1

AND

Concept 2

AND

Concept 3

Name your concepts here (Keywords)

Search terms

List alternate terms for each concept.

These can be synonyms, or they can be specific examples of the concept.

Use single words or short phrases. Surrounding the phrases with quotation marks will give better results in some databases and search engines, like Google Scholar. Example: "global warming"

or

or

or

or

Now copy and paste the above Search String into a search box; try SouthernSearch or choose another Database.

The Search Strategy Builder was developed by the University of Arizona Libraries and is used under a Creative Commons License, via Mandy Swygart-Hobaugh at Georgia State.

MLA Format

It's important to keep track of where your information comes from so you can accurately cite it. You can take a look at our Citation Help guide for pointers and various online citation management tools, or go straight to our MLA Style Guide for examples.

Remember, SouthernSearch and other library databases can get you started so all you have to do is check for completeness and accuracy!

Writing about Music

Writing about Music: A Style Sheet by D. Kern Holoman
Call Number: Main Circulating Stacks / Call Number: ML3797 .W75 2014
Publication Date: 2014-09-05
*Both digital and hard copies available*
Where do you place the hyphen in "Beethoven" if it breaks between two lines? How do you cite John Coltrane's album A Love Supreme? Is it "premiere" or "première"? The answers and much more can be found in this definitive resource for authors, students, editors, concert producers--anyone who deals with music in print. Extending the principles devised for the classical repertoires, this revised and expanded edition now includes examples from world music, rock, jazz, popular music, and cinema. This essential volume 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. One section discusses program notes, while others explain the requirements for submitting manuscripts and electronic files, and outline best practices for student writers. An appendix lists common problem words. Updates include greatly simplified citations of Internet locators, the recognition of multiple platforms, and the expectation of paperless transmission and storage of work. Cited as the authority by The Chicago Manual of Style, this classic handbook is the go-to source for anyone writing about music.