Using collective curation to pay data forward in the life cycle

Area of Science:

• Archaeological research methodologies
• Digital humanities
• Data management in collaborative science

Background:

• Team-based archaeological research often faces challenges with inconsistent data and documentation practices.
• Existing solutions frequently prioritize technological integration over human collaboration.
• Differences in data practices can hinder the creation of integrated, well-documented research outputs.

Discussion:

• This research identifies four collective curation opportunities designed to address data and documentation disparities.
• The proposed opportunities emphasize integrating team members to harmonize practices.
• The focus is on the human actions and workflows involved in data curation throughout its lifecycle.

Key Insights:

• Integrating people is crucial for resolving data and documentation differences in collaborative research.
• Collective curation strategies can lead to more cohesive and well-documented datasets.
• Human-centric approaches are effective in improving data integration in archaeological projects.

Outlook:

• Future research can explore the implementation and impact of these collective curation opportunities in diverse archaeological teams.
• Developing best practices for human-centered data integration can enhance the long-term value of archaeological data.
• This framework offers a scalable model for improving data quality and collaboration in scientific research beyond archaeology.