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Music Research Tools

A guide to various tools and resources for studying music

Finding Scholarly Articles: Why Articles?

Much new research in music and music history is published in peer-reviewed journals (and in books from academic presses). Peer-review is a process where articles are vetted by experts in the field, so they generally carry more academic weight than newspaper reviews, blog posts, and trade magazines.

Music Databases

Databases often contain full-text access to scholarly content, while indexes point to the existence of scholarly content and may not provide full-text access. 

If you don't see a Full Text link below the article citation, look for a button labeled "Get it!" This application will check for access to the full text of the article within the library's subscriptions.

If a message is displayed indicating that we don't have access, choose the Campbell Library Interlibrary Loan Request link to order the article through our Illiad online system.

Dissertations and Theses

Dissertations and theses are scholarly research projects that students complete to finish advanced degrees. They are evaluated by professors, but do not go through the same level of peer review as scholastic journals or books published by university presses. However, they contain a vast amount of original research that may not be available elsewhere, particularly on new or obscure topics.