A more portable Chicago style guide!

Chicago Manual of Style purse

Rebound Designs

Inspired by a music citation guide prepared by Prof. Julie Cumming for past Schulich School of Music courses, Music Library staff have produced an updated guide based on the 16th edition of The Chicago Manual of Style. The most commonly consulted rules for bibliography format are summarized and models are provided for all major types of documents, with an emphasis on music resources (e.g. scores, recordings, Grove articles).

Find the guide, “Citing Music Resources Using Chicago Style (Bibliography Format),” on the Library’s website, along with other reference sources for style manuals, writing guides, and citation guides. Of course, the complete Chicago Manual of Style (online and in print) is still the essential guide to issues of complex citation as well as general writing style and manuscript preparation.

For a look at the broader issue of academic integrity, see Brian’s recent blog post on the topic.

Academic integrity in the Music Library

To assist with the  Schulich School of Music’s first-year orientation process, I’ve identified a few resources that deal with academic integrity. Entering a new academic environment with expectations of research can be bewildering for new students, so having a few guidelines can help clarify expectations.

What I really appreciate about the School of Music is its emphasis on academic integrity as a characteristic of good scholarly citizenship. A student, when writing a paper, making a presentation, or giving a lecture-recital, is joining a ongoing scholarly conversation. Acknowledging one’s sources is an act that shows respect for one’s listener/reader and for the experts one has drawn on. It also compels respect for the new author who engages ethically with the conversation.

Here are a few resources we in the Library recommend for starting off on the right foot:

  • Music style guides and citation manuals
    A subject guide compiled by the Music Library staff with lists of resources that deal with the thorny issues of dealing with music in print or in presentations.
  • Charles Lipson’s book Doing Honest Work in College (on reserve in the Music Library)
    An easy-to-read, clear overview of note-taking techniques, paraphrasing, quotation, and bibliographic citation, with a summary of correct citation style for the principal types of sources (books, journal articles, sections of books, etc.) in a variety of styles including Chicago, MLA, and APA.
  • McGill academic integrity: Keeping It Honest
    The scenarios section of this online tutorial brings up issues beyond paper-writing, which might prove eye-opening for students. See how the principle of academic integrity applies in various situations, such as exams, group work, homework, lab reports, etc.

And remember to speak with your profs, TAs, or a library staff member for any clarification.