Determining quality criteria for writing music research articles in Türkiye and suggested ımprovements

Abstract

The field of music research in Türkiye differs from other academic disciplines due to the limited number of scholarly journals and publications. One possible reason is that music researchers are often simultaneously performers, which makes it challenging to maintain excellence both in artistic performance and in producing high-quality academic writing. For this reason, establishing and improving quality standards for writing music research articles is of great importance. This study examines music-related articles published in Türkiye in light of specific criteria and explains why such criteria are necessary for scholarly writing in the field of music. The research is designed as a case study. The documents consist of seventeen music-related articles published in 2023 in the Journal for the Interdisciplinary Art and Education and Türk Müziği Dergisi. Both journals prioritize improving the quality of article writing within their editorial processes. In addition to identifying the current situation, the study proposes an ideal framework for writing music research articles. Seventeen criteria were developed to evaluate the articles; these criteria were derived from the writing guidelines of the journals and from standards presented in the educational program titled “Türk Müziği Akademisi.”The findings show that most of the examined articles met only a small portion of the criteria, and for several criteria, none of the articles met the expected standards. The study concludes by explaining, with examples, why these criteria should be incorporated into the writing of music research articles in order to enhance academic quality in the field.