Reference Materials - IDS 101: Music in the Electronic Age

Related Guides

IDS 101: Getting Down and Dirty with Classical Music

Authoritative Reference Sources vs Wikipedia

Wikipedia is a great resource for getting general info about something, but because anyone can contribute or change its content it is considered unreliable. College faculty typically do not consider Wikipedia a credible information source.

Instead, use the library's print or electronic encyclopedias, dictionaries, or other reference books to backup the basic information of your research paper. These resources have gone through an editorial process to check for accuracy. To the right and below are some resources that may be of use.

Encyclopedias and More

Oxford Music Online
Contains the online version of the classic New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, as well as online versions of the Oxford Dictionary of Music and The Oxford Companion to Music.
Oxford Reference Online
100 well-known and trusted dictionaries and reference books combined into a single cross-searchable web database.
Britannica Online
The electronic version of the Encyclopaedia Britannica. An excellent starting point for almost any topic of research, the Britannica offers both concise descriptions, and longer, more comprehensive articles on a wide variety of topics.

Reference Books

Below are key reference books that provide a general overview of a topic or help identify synonyms, related terms, or basic data. These sources often include references and lists of further readings.