Grey Literature

Introduction

In archaeological terms ‘grey literature’ means unpublished archaeological fieldwork reports. These are generally produced as a consequence of fieldwork undertaken as part of the mitigation of commercial or public property or infrastructure development. In most cases they are the only record of the results of such fieldwork, and they have become a substitute for conventional publication. However they are strictly speaking unpublished and generally lodged as a single hard copy in the local museum, archive or planning office, with additional copies provided to the client, and retained by those undertaking the fieldwork. Access presents a significant problem in most European countries, and there is a general view that much of this important new data is not being fed back into the research cycle. In the UK, for example, it has been estimated that academic teaching and research is 10 years out of date. Although most reports are generally generated in a digital format their online distribution is patchy and fragmented at best, with one or two notable exceptions (DANS and ADS).

In the UK, the value of free access to this important resource has been demonstrated recently in an impact assessment carried out at the ADS by a group of external economists. The findings of this assessment showed that not only does it provide significant economic benefit to the commercial sector; reliance on the resource has begun to change the how the sector operates. The ability to see the value of access to grey literature also motivates further deposition, and fuels a cycle of good practice which is also becoming more apparent. Bringing grey literature together with the fruits of academic research in one place also sends a message that this work is important and valued by the sector.

Digital dissemination has the potential to unlock these research resources and to make them far more accessible than the conventional journal literature, particularly to those working outside a university environment. With the introduction of DOIs the grey literature also becomes as citable as conventional publications. Grey literature was specifically mentioned in the ARIADNE proposal as an area of focus.