Citation
Although the database is still early in its development, the "how do you cite it?" question has already popped up. I did a little poking around online and found a few examples of database citations. None seemed to exactly fit the EWHADP situation, however, as they referred to databases of material (i.e, articles) that already had separate citations. I came up a general format for a "suggested citation" following this example:
White, Andrew A., and Benjamin Steere. EWHADP Database 2014_03_12. Eastern Woodlands Household Archaeology Data Project, 12 March 2014. Web (www.householdarchaeology.org). Accessed [day] [month] [year].
Ben Steere agreed to be co-author because of the volume of previously-compiled data that he contributed to the database.
I may change the format of the suggested citation based on advice I get from others. I like this format, however, because it clearly identifies which "issue" of the database is being cited. This is useful because the database will continue to grow and the information associated with each listing may change from one version to the next. It will be important to (1) be able to specify which version was consulted and (2) keep those older versions available.
"Most Wanted"
I have added a Most Wanted section to list publications that I would like to have a look at because they reportedly contain data on structures that I would like to include in the database. As you might guess, many of these will be contract reports that may be impossible to get through ILL or other conventional means. I'm hoping that those of you interested in this project will check this page from time to time to see if you have any of the "most wanted" publications either on your bookshelf or (better yet) in an electronic format on your computer. Please remember that I'm interested in providing open access to information, not documents, through this site. Many of the "gray literature" publications that contain primary data on structures also contain information (such as precise site locations) that should not be openly distributed. Protecting site locations is my main rationale for using the center of a county as a site's "location" for purposes of plotting in GIS.
FAQ
I have added a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page. Currently, this page contains only two questions:
Although the database is still early in its development, the "how do you cite it?" question has already popped up. I did a little poking around online and found a few examples of database citations. None seemed to exactly fit the EWHADP situation, however, as they referred to databases of material (i.e, articles) that already had separate citations. I came up a general format for a "suggested citation" following this example:
White, Andrew A., and Benjamin Steere. EWHADP Database 2014_03_12. Eastern Woodlands Household Archaeology Data Project, 12 March 2014. Web (www.householdarchaeology.org). Accessed [day] [month] [year].
Ben Steere agreed to be co-author because of the volume of previously-compiled data that he contributed to the database.
I may change the format of the suggested citation based on advice I get from others. I like this format, however, because it clearly identifies which "issue" of the database is being cited. This is useful because the database will continue to grow and the information associated with each listing may change from one version to the next. It will be important to (1) be able to specify which version was consulted and (2) keep those older versions available.
"Most Wanted"
I have added a Most Wanted section to list publications that I would like to have a look at because they reportedly contain data on structures that I would like to include in the database. As you might guess, many of these will be contract reports that may be impossible to get through ILL or other conventional means. I'm hoping that those of you interested in this project will check this page from time to time to see if you have any of the "most wanted" publications either on your bookshelf or (better yet) in an electronic format on your computer. Please remember that I'm interested in providing open access to information, not documents, through this site. Many of the "gray literature" publications that contain primary data on structures also contain information (such as precise site locations) that should not be openly distributed. Protecting site locations is my main rationale for using the center of a county as a site's "location" for purposes of plotting in GIS.
FAQ
I have added a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page. Currently, this page contains only two questions:
- How do I cite the database?
- What if I have information to contribute?