RESEARCH FOUNDATIONS
4 Preparing to Search
Kathleen DeLaurenti and Andrea I. Copland
Getting Ready to Search
It is important to understand the information life cycle and the kinds of resources available to you as a musician-scholar before you get started with your research-creation project. It is often tempting to open your favorite search engine and ask it questions the moment you have a research idea. While that works well when you want to know movie times, which musical performances are happening this weekend, or find a recipe, it can be frustrating when you take that same approach for your research-creation projects. In this chapter, we will focus on the search process and how to successfully plan a search strategy for a formal research-creation project.
The increasingly inclusive and interdisciplinary nature of music research means that in addition to collections of music sources such as scores, letters, and concert reviews, we must navigate multiple information systems across disciplines. It can seem intimidating and you might feel like you need to be an expert in disciplines outside of music. But you can develop flexible workflows and searching methods that allow you to bring expertise from multiple academic disciplines into your work.
To streamline your search process, begin by clearly identifying your information need. While a Google search might seem straightforward, fully understanding the questions you aim to explore often requires deeper reflection. Articulating your information need requires more than just posing a question to a search engine. You must thoroughly examine the need you identified; discern any underlying aspects; clearly define it in comprehensible terms; and then effectively translate this need for an information system.[1]
To gain a better understanding of your information need, ask yourself: What kind of information answers your questions? How will it serve as evidence in your argument or offer examples of what you want to understand? Then revisit the information life cycle to find where the resources that contain this information exists.
The development of your central research question is itself a significant information need. Yet, segmenting this central question into smaller, more manageable inquiries can enhance the efficiency of the research process. Consider the analogy of constructing a house: Trying to build without knowing how to frame a wall would be daunting. Similarly, tackling a complex research question without breaking it down into manageable tasks and questions can feel overwhelming. By addressing each component of your research question step by step, the process becomes more approachable and systematic, akin to building a house from the ground up with a clear blueprint.
In this process, it’s crucial to remain vigilant about potential biases in scholarship. Reflect on whose voices and narratives have been included and whose have been marginalized or excluded. Segmenting your approach to your researc