Overview of Data Management and Policies
The Archaeometry Laboratory at the University of Missouri Research Reactor maintains data from its research activities and makes these data accessible pursuant to its mission statement, which is to further the knowledge of the human past through the application of scientific techniques to archaeological materials, and to promote awareness, training, and innovation in these techniques. As a laboratory supported by NSF, the Archaeometry Laboratory recognizes an obligation to share and to maintain a formal data management plan in accordance with NSF requirements for dissemination and sharing of results (AAG VI.D.4) and data management plans (GPG II.C.2.j). A long-term goal of the Archaeometry Laboratory is to make its entire dataset available in compliance with the FAIR Guiding Principles for data management. This data management plan is a living document, with current and previous versions made available via open source (10.5281/zenodo.12986929).
Types of Data
Data produced from analyses undertaken by the Archaeometry Laboratory include spectral data files and tabulated chemical data specific to the methods used in the laboratory, as well as technical reports and documents, correspondence, and publications related to specific projects. Additional archaeological and contextual data for each sample are provided by collaborators and by principal investigators in the Archaeometry Laboratory. In addition to these data, the Archaeometry Laboratory also maintains a collection of geological source material, including obsidian samples from sources, pre-assembled sets of source material designed for the calibration of scientific instruments that measure materials commonly studied in the Archaeometry Lab, and custom Raman/IR reference libraries for archaeologically relevant materials.
Sharing and Access of Data
Findability
Data produced by the Archaeometry Laboratory are uploaded to three locations: on its website, in the institutional repository of the University of Missouri System (MOspace), and in the open repository Zenodo. MOspace and Zenodo assign a persistent identifier to these datasets, enabling academic citation with attribution to the Lab and collaborator or principal investigator. Datasets are uploaded by project, and include documentation about appropriate use and citation, the citations of published works and technical reports related to the dataset, and copies of any technical reports interpreting the data. Each uploaded dataset is assigned keywords that correspond to the method used, type of material, and geographic information including site name, state-level administrative division, and country. At the time of submission the Archaeometry Laboratory has published approximately 40% of the data it has produced in at least one of these locations. An active and long-term goal of the Archaeometry Laboratory is to make its entire dataset available. Resources and efforts committed toward realizing that goal include working with the archaeological data publishing service Open Context for the creation of an interactive index and geospatial visualization of available datasets and source materials.
Accessibility
Data produced by the Archaeometry Laboratory are made available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial 4.0 International license. Tabulated chemical data are published as RFC 4180 .csv files, and additional data including technical reports are published as RFC 7995 .pdf files. In addition to making data available, the Archaeometry Laboratory has also shared the Gauss Run-Time Module 8.0 software and MURRAP statistical routines and instructions for downloading and using the software in English and Spanish on its website and on Zenodo. Data from projects supported by our NSF-
subsidy program are made available after academic publication or two years from the date of collection,"
"whichever comes first. At the end of this two-year period, collaborators who have not yet published their results may request an extension before data are shared. In addition to uploading the data to multiple repositories, collaborators are encouraged to include data as supplementary information accompanying published manuscripts. Any project supported through our NSF-subsidy program involves a mutual agreement that data be shared in accordance with the Lab’s data management policy. Collaborators not participating in the NSF-subsidy program have the option to opt into an agreement to share their data in accordance with our data management policy.
Interoperability
Data produced by the Archaeometry Laboratory at MURR has used the same NIST Standard Reference Materials and quality controls throughout its entire history, and any data produced is interoperable with the Laboratory’s extensive databases, and interoperability with data from other reactors is usually achievable through intercalibration.
Reusability
Senior staff and faculty of the Archaeometry Laboratory dedicate a portion of their time to advancing in- house methodological procedures. These efforts are driven by the motivation to create and promote new benchmarks for disciplinary standards and to enable scholarly reuse of data. We develop new or optimize existing analytical protocols, implement new reference libraries and source databases, and pursue the acquisition of research materials to build out existing databases where relevant. This includes routine maintenance of existing databases as well as developing, delivering, and sharing teaching resources. This also includes creating, evaluating, and maintaining open-source calibration materials, examples of which include obsidian and clay calibrations for pXRF, and custom Raman/IR reference libraries for archaeologically-relevant materials including pigments, glazes, clays, and lithics.
The Archaeometry Laboratory’s physical collections, including obsidian calibration sets and source samples, are managed under the Lab’s Object Loan Policy (10.5281/zenodo.13380664) pursuant to its mission statement and are made available to researchers upon request. Information about the objects that are available to borrow, including a list of source samples, is available on the Lab’s website.
Preservation of Data
The Archaeometry Lab retains all tabulated geochemical data generated at our laboratory, as well as any archaeological and contextual data provided by collaborators. Qualitative and quantitative data derived from elemental, isotopic, and molecular analyses are stored in spreadsheet and/or database formats along with digital archaeological/contextual data for each specimen. In addition to uploading data to multiple repositories, these data are archived on a locally maintained server, with nightly differential backups on a tandem server. All data stored on the server are backed up and stored off-site on a weekly basis. The costs associated with data storage and back-up are covered by general MURR operating funds and are not requested in this proposal.
Ethical Considerations for Culturally Sensitive Information
The Archaeometry Laboratory works with external collaborators to protect culturally sensitive metadata, including geospatial data on site locations. Prior to the initiation of a project, collaborators must attest that they have obtained all necessary permissions to conduct analysis, and that their project adheres to CARE Principles for Indigenous Data governance. The Laboratory works with researchers in situations where destructive analysis is not possible to develop non-destructive alternatives. Sensitive cultural or spatial information not generally intended for public knowledge is redacted from datasets and technical reports prior to their publication. The Laboratory works collaboratively with museums, state agencies, and tribal entities to comply with NAGPRA regulations regarding its physical archive collections.