- Brandel Library
- Research Guides
- MUS 3010: Music History and Literature I
- Research Questions
MUS 3010: Music History and Literature I
These pages provide resources and tips for completing your research assignment for Music 3010. Feel free to contact me for help with this assignment using the information on the bottom of this page.
Research Questions
Good Research Starts with Good Questions
A good research question is:
- Interesting to you. You will do better research and write a more engaging paper if you choose a topic that you find significant.
- Supportable with research (not just personal opinion).
- Precise. Defines the boundaries and direction of your research.
- Appropriately scoped for the length of the assignment (neither too broad nor too narrow).
Descriptive and Interpretive Research Question
Descriptive Research Questions | Interpretive Research Questions |
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The research/writing challenge:
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The research/writing challenge:
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Picking Your Topic IS Research
Preliminary Research
You'll typically need to do some preliminary research to help you wrap your head around a topic before you can come up with a good question. Good starting places:
- your own interests or knowledge
- your textbook
- New Grove Encyclopedia of Music
- Google/Wikipedia (good for preliminary research only)
- your professor