Skip to Main Content

Music

A general guide to music resources available through the Library

Chicago Manual of Style

Scholarly writings about music typically follow the style and citation guidelines of the Chicago Manual of Style, which issued its 18th edition in September 2024. Bear in mind that most automatic citation generators still reflect Chicago 17. Some of the most important differences:

  • Chicago 18 no longer requires a city of publication before the publisher name.
  • Chicago 18 no longer requires a page range for an essay in a collection of essays.
  • Chicago 18 no longer requires a month or season before the year in an entry for a journal article; the year alone is sufficient.
  • For repeated entries with the same author, Chicago 18 suggests typing out the author's name each time rather than using an em-dash.

Modern Language Association

The style and citation guidelines of the Modern Languages Association Handbook, currently in its 9th edition, are sometimes used for music research. These online resources provide explanations and examples of the proper use of MLA 9 style.