From The Ground Up

The Publication of Archaeological Projects

a user needs survey

 

Appendices

Appendix 4.3: Questionnaire results (section 3)

Definitions of terms used in the questionnaire

Fieldwork project: any fieldwork (or underwater) project, including watching briefs, evaluations, excavations, and surveys of all kinds (e.g. buildings, earthworks, field walking, geophysics and aerial photography), as well as related artefact and ecofact (environmental) analysis.

Fieldwork publication: any work that serves to record and disseminate information derived from a fieldwork project (as defined above), whether produced in printed or other media. This broad definition includes 'grey literature' as well as 'published works' (see below).

Published work: any publication which is issued for public sale/widespread distribution, and/or has an ISBN/ISSN.

Grey literature: any work which is not issued for public sale/widespread distribution and does not have an ISBN/ISSN, as is often the case, for instance, with reports derived from small-scale developer-funded projects.

Project archive: the primary records (including paper, digital (computerised) and microfiche records, plans, notes, recording sheets, and photographs) and the collected remains (including artefacts and ecofacts) resulting from a fieldwork project. (Although the records and collected remains may be deposited at different locations in some parts of the British Isles, they are here both defined as forming part of the overall project archive.)

'Use' of publications: anything ranging from brief consultation to in-depth study/extensive reading.


3. Specific uses of fieldwork publications

In this section we wish to find out about how you use fieldwork publications and project archives (if at all) and how this relates to your archaeological interests / work / research generally. We also wish to find out whether you are able to obtain the information that you need from these sources.

NB For definitions of 'use', 'fieldwork project', 'fieldwork publication', 'published work', 'grey literature', and 'archive' see front page.

3.1 In the last 12 months, how many fieldwork publications have you used?
(Please tick one box per row)

  0 1-5 6-10 11-25 26-50 51-100 101+
Published works              
Grey literature              

3.2 When you use fieldwork publications, how often do you use the following typical components?
(Please tick one box per row)

Component: always usually, ie most times sometimes rarely never
Introduction / summary          
Conclusion / discussion          
Account of structures / contexts / upstanding features          
Artefact / ecofact reports          
Artefact / ecofact catalogues          
Maps / plans / sections          
Artefact / ecofact illustrations          
Photographs          
Artistic reconstructions          
Bibliography          
Index          
The entire publication          
Other(s) (please specify):

 

          

3.3 When you use fieldwork publications, how often do you use them for each of the following purposes?
(Please tick one box per row)

Purpose of use always usually, ie most times sometimes rarely never
For a general overview of the site          
To seek specific parallels with other sites / materials          
To obtain information about a specific category of data          
For a broader subject / regional / period synthesis          
For an assessment in advance of commercial development          
For partial / wholesale re-interpretation of the site or materials          
To obtain information about method(s)          
To obtain information for teaching others          
Other(s) (please specify):  

3.4 In general, do fieldwork publications provide you with all the information that you need for the above purposes?

() Yes
() No

If 'no', how could they be improved for your purposes? (NB please tell us about any typical shortcomings rather than individual exceptions)

 

3.5a How often do you critically assess the interpretations presented in fieldwork publications through a detailed reading of the account of the structures / contexts / upstanding features, and the specialist artefacts and ecofact reports?
(Please tick one box only)

always usually, ie most times sometimes rarely never
         

3.5b What problems have you encountered in this task, if any?
(Please distinguish between recent (post 1975) and older publications if relevant)

 

3.6a In the last 12 months, how many times have you followed up the use of fieldwork publications by consulting their respective archives?
(Please do not include multiple visits to the same project archive)

  0 1-5 6-10 11-25 26-50 51-100 101+
Paper / digital / film / microfiche records              
Collected remains (artefacts and ecofacts)              

If your answer to both sections was '0', please go to question 3.7.

3.6b Which of the following categories of archive material did you use?
(Please tick one box per row)

  yes no wished to, but it wasn't available
Paper / digital / microfiche / film records:  
Correspondence relating to fieldwork      
Survey reports (inc. geophysical survey / aerial photography interpretation)      
Notebooks / diaries      
Photographs / drawings      
Original records of contexts / finds / samples      
Records of conservation work      
Site matrix      
Archive report      
Summary accounts of artefacts /ecofacts / sample residues      
Other(s) (please specify):

 

      
Collected remains:  
Artefacts      
Ecofacts      
Other(s) (please specify):

 

      

3.6c In general, how easy was it to use the following categories of archive material:
(Please tick one box per row)

  easy to use neither easy nor difficult difficult to use did not use / not available
Paper records        
Computerised records        
Microfiche records        
Collected remains (artefacts and ecofacts)        

3.6d Were you able to obtain the information which you needed from the archives that you used?

() Yes
() No

If 'no', please tell us why:

 

3.7 Have you, at any time, wished to use a project archive (or part of one) and been unable to do so?

() No, I've never wished to do so
() No, I've always been able to do so
() Yes

If 'yes' please give reason(s):

 

3.8 Have you any comments about your own use of fieldwork publications and archives, and your needs, that have not been covered by the questions in this section?

 

PUNS report index page