Open Research in Academic Archaeology: Understanding the Gap between Attitudes and Actions

Abstract Although the benefits of open research are widely recognized by archaeologists, the field lags behind existing guidelines in its adoption of open data, methods, and outputs. We investigate this disciplinary paradox through semi-structured interviews with 28 archaeologists in academic roles. Our interviews examined the impact of definitions and attitudes, perceived costs and risks of open data, data diversity, and research evaluations and resources. Our findings show that even though archaeologists acknowledge the benefits of openness for scholarship, they are also aware of the time, money, and labor costs incurred by making data and outputs open and are concerned about the risks of data scooping and research misinterpretation. The diversity of archaeological data—particularly the absence of widely adopted standardization systems—was likewise perceived as an impediment to openness. Finally, archaeologists highlighted research evaluation systems, job security, and resource variability as affecting their ability to engage in open research practices.