LibGuides: Writing & Citing Music: Writing

Popular versus Scholarly Sources

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Eastman Writing Center
The Eastman Writing Center offers individual consultation and workshops to help students develop as writers during their time at Eastman. Experienced writing consultants are available to help students develop strategies for writing that will help them with academic coursework as well as other types of writing that musicians may experience. Consultants can work with students on any kind of writing, from academic writing, public speaking and lecture-recitals, to graduate school applications, resumes and cover letters, grant applications, biographies, proposals and personal statements. During the Fall semester, the Eastman Writing Center also works closely with the First-Year Writing Seminar to support students in their writing for the course. However, the Center is open all students of Eastman, undergraduate and graduate

Annotated Bibliographies

Annotated bibliographies differ from abstracts or summaries of articles. Annotated bibliographies are a list of sources (journal or news articles, books, websites, datasets, etc.) on a particular topic. The list is usually in alphabetical order by author and always employs a single citation style. The propose of an annotated bibliography is:

To prove you have done some valid research to back up your argument and claims
To explain the content of your sources, assess their usefulness, and share this information with others who may be less familiar with them

Some questions to help with your analysis of a source might include:

What’s the main point or thesis of this source?
Does the author seem to have particular biases or are they trying to reach a particular audience?
How does this source relate to your own research and ideas?
How does this source relate to other sources you have read? Do they have aspects of the same argument or opposing views?

Below are a few links to help you better understand and construct an annotated bibliography.

How to Prepare an Annotated Bibliography (Cornell)
Annotated Bibliography with examples (UW-Madison)
Examples of Annotated Bibliography entries in APA citation style (UNC Chapel Hill)
Annotated Bibliography Note-taking Worksheet
This worksheet can be used as you complete your research locating scholarly sources within library databases.
Making Connections - Web Organizer
Web organizer with prompts for making connections between scholarly articles on a topic.

Primary vs. Secondary Sources

Academic Honesty

Academic Honesty and Plagiarism (UR)
Proper Citation: Avoiding Plagiarism by Rachel Remmel at the University of Rochester.
What is Academic Honesty?
Short document outlining what academic honesty is written by the All-Campus Judicial Council, the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, the River Campus Libraries, and the Writing, Speaking & Argument Program.
What Constitutes Plagiarism (Harvard)
A short guide on what constitutes plagiarism including; verbatim plagiarism, mosaic plagiarism, inadequate paraphrase, uncited paraphrase, uncited quotation, and using material from another student's work.
Avoiding Plagiarism - Paraphrasing (MIT)
Guidelines on how to avoid plagiarism when paraphrasing from MIT's Student Handbook.

University of Rochester Academic Honesty Policies of all the divisions:

Ask the Academic Honesty Liaison questions at honestyliaison@ur.rochester.edu or 6-8334