From the existing literature on music therapy in hospice and palliative care, guidelines for future studies can be established. Because several investigators acknowledged the small sample size and lack of participant randomization as limitations in their studies, it is important to conduct future research with larger sample sizes and to assign participants randomly to conditions to allow for more rigorous statistical analyses and generalization of results. Psychometric tests with established reliability and validity in hospice and palliative care research have been emerging, and they offer music therapists the opportunity to use measurement tools that are designed specifically for the dying. Using measurement tools designed specifically for the population being studied (i.e. the terminally ill) will assist in strengthening the body of research. Because death trajectories can vary widely depending on diagnosis, it may be important for researchers to control for diagnosis in future research. These suggested guidelines may help future researchers in designing studies that allow for the generalization of results.