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Music

Music theory, performance, and history.

Topic

If possible, select a topic that interests you. If your instructor assigns a topic, make the most of it by finding something about it that interests you. Narrow the topic as much as possible.

  • Topic too narrow -  limits the amount of resources you are able to find.
  • Topic too broad - requires spending all of your time looking at resources.

Explore your topic using a reference resource like an encyclopedia, found in Credo Reference (see below) to learn more about the topic and find keywords for searching.

Once you have some background information about your topic, creating a research question will help narrow your focus on your topic.  It will also help to determine keywords for searching the library catalog and/or databases.

Think about the questions you want to answer. If you have been given a prompt, this can be very helpful.  If not, think about how to fill in the following sentence.

I want to research ____(what/who)____

and ____(what/who)____

in ____(where)____

during ____(when)____

because ____(why)____.

{Alt Text: Forming a Research Question? Start with a topic, then narrow and focus your topic, then formulate a question you want to ask about your topic, then Narrow the question, if possible}

 

Need an Idea?

A great idea can come from many places. Here are some suggested places to start:

  • Class discussions
  • Assigned readings
  • Topics in the news
  • Browse journals in the field
  • Personal interests
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