M202 Research Paper Information
A research paper, unlike a thesis or dissertation, is not meant to be an exhaustive study of a given topic. Rather, it should examine a fairly narrow subject that is limited by the constraints of a particular class, availability of resources, and level of the student. Therefore, one should select a topic based upon these criteria.
A reasonable length for your paper should be approximately 10 pages, not including endnotes/footnotes and bibliography. This statement implies that you should choose a topic that can be adequately covered within this framework. The subject should be of an historical, rather than theoretical, nature. Analysis is not inappropriate, but you should not choose a single piece and then attempt to analyze it.
The choice of topic is up to you; here are a few suggestions:
1. The technical improvements on the piano (or French horn, trumpet, etc.) during the nineteenth century
2. The development of a genre, e.g., opera in France
3. The use of program music by a specific composer
4. Specific women in music, such as Clara Schumann or Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel
5. The advent of the conductor
6. The advent of the music conservatory
7. Nationalism in a specific country
These are only general ideas, and therefore, some topics may need to be modified to conform to the constraints of the paper. Please check with me before you make a final decision on your topic. As you decide, bear in mind the amount of time required and your particular level of interest in the topic.
In order to decide upon a topic, you must do some preliminary research. It is important that you choose a topic that interests you. In addition to the IUS library, you will probably need to use the library at the University of Louisville or perhaps at the Southern Baptist Seminary. You may also order books from other universities through interlibrary loan. If you do, please order early enough to allow the library time to process your order. Remember that journal articles are wonderful sources of information—you should use at least one article. A good paper will have a variety of different source materials. We now have Internet access in the library to a number of journal titles. The Internet is an acceptable source, but it is not always accurate, so check your information carefully! Please do not use Wikipedia as a source! New Grove, found on our library’s website, is a very good place to start your research. There are some acceptable academic websites, but please be careful: A paper that includes more than 4 Internet sources will not receive a good grade!
Since the paper is due April 13, please advise me of your topic by February 5. However, in order to give your topic ample consideration, you should decide well before this date. For February 5, you will be required to write a paragraph explaining your topic, methodology, and focus. This brief writing assignment will ensure that you give an appropriate amount of time and thought to your research. You will need to organize your research, and to that end, you should prepare an outline, due March 2 (see the penultimate page of this handout for an example).
Your opening paragraph should provide an introduction and present the topic that you wish to address. The body of the paper should then be your research, followed by an appropriate concluding paragraph. Any quotation of four lines or less, should be placed in quotation marks, and cited in either a footnote or endnote. It does not matter whether you use endnotes or footnotes, but be consistent! Longer quotations should be set apart from the body of the research and be indented (these may be single- or double-spaced). Any information that you did not previously know should be cited appropriately, either by quotation or a paraphrase. The exception to this rule is information of general knowledge, such as birth and death dates. If you do not use citations, you are plagiarizing, which could have very serious implications for your grade! A paper with only a handful of citations and only 2 or 3 books will not receive a good grade! A paper that has only one citation per page leads me to believe that you are plagiarizing.
I will only accept papers that use the Chicago method of footnotes or endnotes (CMS):
1Donald Jay Grout and Claude V. Palisca, A History of Western Music, 5th ed. (New
York: W.W. Norton and Company, 1996), 193.
Subsequent references to this work would be cited as:
3Grout, A History of Western Music, 300.
Note the use of sequential footnote numbering. Your bibliography should include all works consulted and these should be listed in alphabetical order, but not numbered. The above footnote would appear thusly in your bibliography:
Grout, Donald Jay and Claude V. Palisca. A History of Western Music. 5th ed. New York:
W.W. Norton and Company, 1996.
Note the use of periods rather than commas in the bibliography and the indention of the second and subsequent line(s). Number all pages, including the endnotes (if applicable) and bibliography. If you have other questions about endnotes/footnotes and bibliography, please consult me. Your paper should have a title page, a sample of which may be seen at the end of this handout.
It is a good idea to include pictures, tables, or musical examples whenever appropriate. These illustrations may be placed at the appropriate place in the text, or they may be placed at the end, whichever makes more sense, but again, be consistent. Label the illustrations with a caption: Example 1, Figure 1, etc. Please remember to cite these correctly, either as a footnote/endnote, or as a caption (“Taken from. . . “).
Avoid slang terms; academic writing is quite different than spoken language. Underline or italicize the titles or larger works and use quotation marks for shorter ones. A paragraph should contain at least three sentences. This paragraph contains four sentences and yet is not ideal, in that none of the sentences are directly related to each other and therefore, seems disjointed.
Your final draft, which should NOT be your first draft, should be clean and typed. The pages should be stapled or bound together. The paper should be free of typographical and grammatical errors. Please make sure to proofread! If your paper does not make sense to you, it certainly will not make sense to anyone else! Bear in mind that when you are finished, you will be somewhat of an expert on this topic, but your reader may not be. Think of your reader as a general musician. Certain terms and ideas might require some explanation, even if you know what they mean. I will be happy to review a part of a draft for you. The Writing Center, located on the second floor of Knobview Hall, can help you as well. Be sure to tell them that you are using Chicago style. You might also wish to consult A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations by Kate L. Turabian or Writing About Music: A Style Sheet by D. Kern Holomon. These books may be purchased in many bookstores.
Finally, remember that I will only accept late papers in extenuating circumstances! If so, you must let me know in advance and it can only be 1 class period late! I will deduct 10 points from a late paper!
Commonly confused words
it’s and its
your and you’re
e.g. (for example) and i.e. (that is)
accept and except
where and were
there, their, and they’re
affect and effect
dessert and desert
affect and effect
but and however
because of, not due to
Sample Outline:
“A Brief History of Women’s Orchestras in the United States from 1870-1920:
Their Formation and Gradual Acceptance into Society”
I. Introduction
II. Background on women’s orchestras prior to the nineteenth century
III. Why did these orchestras exist?
A. The rise of the middle class
B. Camilla Urso
C. Julius Eichberg
D. Rise of music conservatories
E. Women were not allowed in male orchestras
1. Music as a family legacy
2. Travel was inappropriate for women
3. Men did not like it
IV. General qualities of women’s orchestras
V. The orchestras
A. Wiener Damen-Orchester
B. Ladies Elite Orchestra
C. Boston Lady Fadette Orchestra
D. Los Angeles Women’s Symphony Orchestra
E. Women’s String Orchestra of New York
F. African-American Women’s Orchestras
G. Woman’s Orchestral Club
VI. Conclusion
You might want to explain which areas above will be most important and which will be covered only briefly. Feel free to include any other information you think might be helpful, such as resources you will use.
INDIANA UNIVERSITY SOUTHEAST
TITLE
BY
YOUR NAME
APRIL 13, 2020
M202 ROMANTIC MUSIC