Archaeological research in the Netherlands is organised by the research school ARCHON. The domain of Archaeology is divided into multiple interdisciplinary subdomains. They are largely regional in nature because each region has its own specific traditions in terms of how it deals with data, cultural heritage and fieldwork. The subdomains are highly diverse. The research setups and methods vary and are, almost by definition, multidisciplinary in nature. That is true not only of the research instruments and techniques used but also of the diverging interpretations and research traditions. Archaeology also has interdisciplinary links with other domains, for example history, cultural history, philosophy, sociology, anthropology and science, and with domains that are themselves interdisciplinary in orientation, such as cultural studies. Archaeology actively maintains links with these domains. The research culture therefore displays both domain-specific features and strong ties with other domains.
Target groups
Dutch archaeology is international in orientation. That is true for the domain as a whole and for alliances with peers in similar subdomains. Professionals and interested members of the public are kept informed through specialist journals and more popular publications.
Products and communication
- Publications appear in both national and international journals and, in many cases, in books and edited volumes. Whether journals or books are preferred depends on the research tradition.
- Other products include reports, exhibitions and contributions to websites and blogs.
- English is the most common language of communication, but publications also appear in Dutch, German, French, Spanish and Italian. Reports concerning archaeology in the Netherlands are written in Dutch, in accordance with the commissioning body’s preference.
- Review processes are important for both books and journal publications and often take the form of an anonymous peer review. That is true of articles in journals, essays in edited volumes, and books.
Processes and strategies
- Communication generally takes place by means of the following processes: Conferences and co-authorships in edited volumes, and communication through channels other than journals and conferences (specialist forums and alliances).
- Journal articles often have multiple authors. Books and essays in edited volumes usually have a single author.
Domain-specific aspects of quality and relevance
Reports, exhibitions.
Relevance of quantitative indicators for use and marks of recognition
Bibliometric indicators are discouraged until more research has been carried out on their usefulness in this domain. Web of Science and Scopus will probably not be useful, since much of what is published in the domain takes the form of books and edited volumes. In addition, many of the journals important in this subject area are not covered in WoS or Scopus.