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Music Research: A Handbook.

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Music Research: A Handbook. By Laurie J. Sampsel. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009. [xxvii, 323 p. ISBN-13: 9780195171198. $39.95.] Illustrations, bibliographic references, discography, index.

Laurie Sampsel's Music Research: A Handbook is unique in that, unlike so many excellent recent bio-bibliographies and "guides to research" that now grace the shelves of music libraries everywhere, her book is designed for practical, in-classroom use. As such, it splendidly fills a gap in the text-book literature for a graduate-level course that many conservatories, universities, and comprehensive music schools require from their students.

The publishers at Oxford University Press have also anticipated the fast-paced world of publishing, creating a companion Web site to support the text (http://www.oup.com/us/musresearch [accessed 20 August 2008]). The site offers lists of links for "Core Music Journals," "Links in Music Research," "Major Professional Music Associations," and "Research Tools by Composer." As of this writing (20 May 2008), the sections "Supplemental Links" and "Updates to Bibliographies and Readings" were unfinished and marked "Coming Soon."

Realizing the broad scope and often confusing array of resources confronting the student researcher, Sampsel has broken down the elements of the music reference section into distinct chapters in the text that correspond with an average sixteen-week college semester. Furthermore, she divides Music Research into two broad sections: "Research Process and Research Tools" and "Writing, Style Manuals and Citation."

Part 1 consists of roughly three-quarters of the book, and while it outlines research...

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