Publishing archaeological excavations at the digital turn

Opitz, R. (2018) Publishing archaeological excavations at the digital turn. Journal of Field Archaeology, 43(sup1), S68-S82. (doi: 10.1080/00934690.2018.1505409)

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Abstract

This paper engages with repeated calls within archaeology for a re-envisioning of the excavation report, contextualized by the transformation of scholarly communication taking place across the humanities and social sciences. This widespread transformation is rooted in a growing interest in showing data together with synthesis and argument, the importance afforded to public engagement, and the proliferation of digital platforms that enable creative presentations of scholarly work. In this context, we discuss our experience producing an excavation report that attempts to integrate several forms of scholarly and public-facing communication on a digital platform, and aims engage audiences at multiple levels, while simultaneously facilitating data reuse and laying out the authors’ current interpretations. We consider the benefits and challenges of producing work in this way through the example of the process of producing the Gabii Project’s first volume, A Mid-Republican House from Gabii, developed through a collaboration between the Gabii Project team and the University of Michigan Press. This experience is contextualised within the broader discourse surrounding changing expectations about open access, authorship and credit, and sustainability of digital scholarship in academic publishing.

Item Type:Articles
Additional Information:This work was supported by Andrew W. Mellon Foundation [Building a Hosted Platform for Managing Monographic Source Materials]; National Endowment for the Humanities [HD 51753].
Keywords:Archaeology, digital publishing, 3D modelling, user experience, excavation.
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Opitz, Dr Rachel
Authors: Opitz, R.
College/School:College of Arts & Humanities > School of Humanities > Archaeology
Journal Name:Journal of Field Archaeology
Publisher:Taylor & Francis
ISSN:0093-4690
ISSN (Online):2042-4582
Published Online:08 November 2018
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2018 The Authors
First Published:First published in Journal of Field Archaeology 43(sup1): S68-S82
Publisher Policy:Reproduced under a Creative Commons License

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