Holes in the Archaeological Record: investigating unpublished sites from modern excavations in England and identifying the factors that contribute to the potential loss of archaeological knowledge

Since the birth of rescue archaeology in the wake of the Second World War through to the embedding of archaeological consideration in the planning process, the number of investigations being undertaken each year in England has increased. With this increase has been a high profile crisis in ensuring that information from excavations is adequately published. In addition, the archaeological discipline has often struggled to collate information on the number of excavations taking place and their associated outputs.

This research provides an insight into the nature of modern archaeological publication never before attempted in England, presenting quantitative evidence from an assessment of excavations and their sources from Staffordshire and North Yorkshire 1938-2007. This data presents detailed insight into familiar problems affecting publication such as time and money, but also the unexpected pitfalls and human factors that can affect the post-excavation process. It also highlights the large levels of significant sites either unpublished, or restricted to so-called grey literature.

Through data gathering, and attempts to compile an accurate list of excavations for England and the study areas, the research also highlights the extent to which historic and modern recording systems have led to disparity in the databases and inventories of various organisations. However, when collated this data has the capacity to provide country and regional analyses of excavation and publication trends that facilitate the analysis of long-held, but seldom quantified, biases in the excavated record.