Beyond the Pale: grey literature as a method of publication
Channel: Recording Archaeology
Date: 2017-01-03

Since the beginnings of Rescue archaeology, the successful publication of archaeological projects has been a contentious issue. The switch from preservation solely by publication, to one of preservation by record, has placed increasing emphasis on archive and a descriptive written output via a journal or monograph. Somewhere between the two lies the corpus of written material sometimes known as grey literature: the ostensibly unpublished outputs often created to inform or satisfy a particular condition required by the curatorial sector. The opinions and perceptions surrounding this corpus are varied, albeit with a long-held belief that it is of poor quality and often inaccessible; a weakness of a discipline which is by its very nature cyclical.
This paper presents the findings of recent research on the nature of publication and archive in England, based on regional case studies it presents evidence for the nature of the divide between published and non-published interventions. In many cases, either by accident or design, so-called grey literature is the only written output produced by excavation, including nationally or regionally significant findings. Furthermore, the amount of grey literature often matches or surpasses what may be considered the traditional published record.
Although recent projects have done much to highlight the potential of this corpus, and initiatives such as OASIS and the ADS’ Library of Unpublished Fieldwork Reports have made significant strides in publishing fieldwork reports online, the extent of the significance of our grey literature may still be understated. Although the lack of traditional publication may be decried by some, in contrast to pay-on-access journals and monographs it represents an online and free corpus of information to fieldworkers, researchers and the wider community. It is argued that grey literature is not simply a failure, or a cause for concern, but an opportunity to reverse the traditional crises in publication and to use online systems as part of an evolution in publication strategies of archaeological projects.

Author - Dr. Evans, Tim, Archaeology Data Service, York, United Kingdom (Presenting author)