[6] The development of the academic field of musicology also contributed to an interest in more accurate and well-researched editions of musical works.
Editors use their historical knowledge, analytical skills, and musical understanding to choose what one hopes is the most accurate version of the piece.
More recent scholarly editions often include footnotes or critical reports describing discrepancies between differing versions, or explaining appropriate performance practice for the time period.
A few of these include: Many of these early complete works series were edited by music scholars or composers famous in their own right, such as Johannes Brahms, Guido Adler, Julius Rietz, Friedrich Chrysander, and others.
New techniques in photographic and other types of reproduction allowed scholars to consult many more early sources, either in microfilm or facsimile copies.
Monumental Editions have varying organizational schemes, but several of them include numerous sub-series, some of which are devoted to the music of single composers.
For pieces within a composer's complete works set, researchers often consult the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (Second Edition, 2001), either online or in its printed version.
An online database, called the "Index to Printed Music: Collections & Series," is currently underway, but it is accessible by subscription only, and is not yet complete.