Research that is confined to a limited area should yield data, theory, or methodology, which can be applied on a broad base. The nominee's methodology should adhere to professional standards. If the nominee is being judged for methodological considerations, their methodology should include new techniques, which have improved data collection. Professional publications will be judged based on the amount of publication in sources other than the grey literature. The nominee has made their data available to other scholars and researchers, regardless of whether the data and associated collections are in museums, other institutions or in private hands.
Artifacts gathered by the nominee during research are properly provenience and stored.
The nominee has served as a mentor to students of archaeology and has provided a positive experience through this mentorship. The nominee has participated in an archaeological organization, for example serving as a board member or officer. The nominee has lobbied for historic preservation. The committee has incorporated some of the standards from the SAA Ethics within this section.