Citing musical sources : websites and blogs

On this page:

 

1. Websites

(CMOS 15.50)

The in-text citation for websites should include the author or creator of the website and the date of publication or revision. If the date of publication or revision is not available, “n.d.” should appear as the second element, separated from the author by a comma. If the author or creator is an organization, provide the entire name of the organization in the citation. If the author is a person, provide the last name only.

In-text Citation:

Format: 

  • (Author/Creator Year Published if applicable) 

Examples: 

  • (Metropolitan Opera, n.d.)  
  • (Robbins, n.d.) 

Sample Sentence: As stated on the TSYO information page, rehearsals take place in the Edward Johnson Building at the University of Toronto on Saturdays from 2:30-5:30pm (Robbins, n.d.).

Bibliography:

The reference list entry for a website should include as much of the following content as possible: author, date of publication or revision, title or description of the page, sponsor/owner of site, and a URL. If the date of publication or revision is not available, “n.d.” should appear as the second element in the reference list entry. For sources with no date, include an access date before the URL for the website.

Format: 

  • Author/Creator Name. Year Published. “Website Section Title.” Sponsor/Owner of site. Access date. URL. 

Examples: 

  • Metropolitan Opera. n.d. “Educator Guide: Rigoletto.” The Metropolitan Opera. Accessed September 21, 2015. http://www.metopera.org/discover/education/educator-guides-archive/rigoletto/.  
  • Robbins, Rachel. n.d. “About the TSYO.” Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Accessed September 22, 2015. http://www.tso.ca/tsyo/about-program.  

2. Blogs

(CMOS 15.51)

Often, blogs can be cited entirely within the text without an accompanying reference list item. A reference to a blog or blog post should contain the title of the post, the title of the blog, the sponsor or owner of the site and the URL in parentheses. For example:

In their post “So You Need to Teach Online: Music History and Music Theory Edition,” on the American Musicological Society blog Musicology Now (http://www.musicologynow.org/2020/03/so-you-need-to-teach-online-music.html), Emily H. Green and Megan Lavengood discuss strategies for teaching courses online.

If an in-text citation is required, it should contain the last name of the author and the year of publication.

In-text Citation:

Format: 

  • (Author(s)/Creator(s) Last Name Year Published or Revised) 

Example: 

  • (Green and Lavengood 2020) 

Sample Sentence: There are many strategies and resources for teaching online including online textbooks, recorded lectures, and discussion forums (Green and Lavengood 2020).

Bibliography:

If a reference list entry is required, it should include the author of the blog, the year of publication, the title of the blog post in quotation marks, the title of blog in italics, the sponsor or owner of the blog in italics, the specific date of the post, and the URL for the post. If the titles of the blog and blog post do not indicate that the format is a blog, include “(blog)” in parentheses following the title of the blog.

Format: 

  • 1st Author Last Name, First Name and 2nd Author First Name Last Name. Year Published or Revised. “Blog or Post Title.” Blog Title in Italics (blog), Blog Sponsor in Italics. Post Date. URL. 

Example: 

  • Green, Emily H. and Megan Lavengood. 2020. “So You Need to Teach Online: Music History and Music Theory Edition.” Musicology Now (blog), American Musicological Society. March 16, 2020. https://musicologynow.org/so-you-need-to-teach-online-music-history-and-music-theory-edition/.