Seaton, Kristy-Lee
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3749-9194
(2025)
Hiding in plain sight: The fragmented landscape of archaeological data reuse at the Archaeology Data Service.
PhD thesis, University of York.
Abstract
Current funding agendas promote the open sharing of data, allowing it to be accessed and reused by others for further research. Volumes of digital archaeological data are being created and archived, yet there is little evidence that this data is being reused. This research aims to determine the extent and nature of archaeological data reuse by examining the types of data being reused, how they are being reused, and for what purposes. It also examines how existing definitions of reuse shape our expectations and practice. Using an empirical mixed-methods approach, the Archaeology Data Service is employed as a case study, with data collected through citation analysis, a survey, and interviews. Combining qualitative data with quantitative data bridges the gap between numerical data and the lived experiences of diverse stakeholders. This thesis adopts a novel approach to examining data reuse by questioning existing assumptions to illustrate the extent of data reuse. Applications of data reuse align with research in archaeology, with the focus being on time, space and material culture. Ultimately, this thesis demonstrates that data are being reused, but perhaps not in the way we want them to be. The Archaeology Data Service currently has over 4000 datasets, yet only 4.1\% of those have been cited, and 1.5\% of available datasets have been reused. It is inconceivable that those figures should be so low. However, this thesis presents evidence that the gap is largely due to the ineffective tools we have for tracing reuse, rather than poor practice. The fragmented landscape in which data exists further compounds issues of visibility and obscures our understanding of reuse.
Metadata
| Supervisors: | Taylor, James S. and Wright, Holly and Richards, Julian D. |
|---|---|
| Keywords: | digital archaeology; data reuse; digital data reuse; digital archives; archaeological data; citation analysis; archaeology data service; mixed-methods research; open data |
| Awarding institution: | University of York |
| Academic Units: | The University of York > Archaeology (York) |
| Date Deposited: | 23 Mar 2026 15:57 |
| Last Modified: | 23 Mar 2026 15:57 |
| Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:etheses.whiterose.ac.uk:38295 |
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Filename: seaton_kristylee_file-documentation.pdf
Description: This file consists of PDF documentation that accompanies the database documentation above and lists the information about each file contained herein
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Filename: seaton_kristylee_database-documentation.pdf
Description: This file contains PDF documentation that accompanies the database created during the course of this research
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Supplementary Material
Filename: seaton_kristylee_relationships.pdf
Description: This file consists of a PDF outlining relationships between tables in the database
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Supplementary Material
Filename: seaton_kristylee_typeofuse.csv
Description: This file provides reference lists used throughout the database to define fields
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Supplementary Material
Filename: seaton_kristylee_citationsearchtable.csv
Description: This file contains a list of publications discovered that cite the ADS in some way
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Supplementary Material
Filename: seaton_kristylee_datasetinformationtable.csv
Description: The file contains the ADS datasets and grey literature examined in the second stage of data collection for this project
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Supplementary Material
Filename: seaton_kristylee_publicationrecordtable.csv
Description: This file contains a list of the publications examined for evidence of secondary use
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Supplementary Material
Filename: seaton_kristylee_pageviewstatistics.csv
Description: This file contains statistics for ADS datasets. The fields captured include page views, downloads and page visits
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Supplementary Material
Filename: seaton_kristylee_citationpurposequery.csv
Description: This file contains a list of publications that reference ADS datasets or Grey Literature reports discovered during the initial data collection phase
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Supplementary Material
Filename: seaton_kristylee_citationlistwithcounts.csv
Description: This file includes the aggregated citation counts for each publication
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Supplementary Material
Filename: seaton_kristylee_publicationswithevidencereusequery.csv
Description: This file lists all publications found to have used or reused a dataset(s)
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Supplementary Material
Filename: seaton_kristylee_datasetsecondaryuse.csv
Description: This file identifies datasets that have evidence of reuse
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Supplementary Material
Filename: seaton_kristylee_greylitreusequery.csv
Description: This file records instances where grey literature reports have evidence of reuse
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Supplementary Material
Filename: seaton_kristylee_yearstoreusequery.csv
Description: This file contains the data required to estimate the average time it takes for an ADS dataset to be reused
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Supplementary Material
Filename: seaton_kristylee_rsrb-query.csv
Description: This file contains a list of publications that cite the Rural Settlements of Roman Britain dataset
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