Maney Publishing, one of the world’s most prominent publishers of archaeology journals, is delighted to announce the launch of Science and Technology of Archaeological Research (STAR), a new journal to be published in association with the Society for Archaeological Sciences.
In response to the changing needs of archaeology and heritage researchers and practitioners, STAR seeks to provide a dynamic, international and high-quality open access forum. Rapid publication of the latest archaeological research resulting from the application of scientific and computational methods is at the core ofSTAR’s remit.
The new electronic journal will demonstrate how the results and relevance of scientific methods aid the understanding of the past. Application of tools and techniques for analysing data will be presented to the broader archaeological community. The editorial team will commission reviews which synthesise the contribution that scientific discoveries and approaches are making to a particular topic. ‘Focus issues’ will highlight areas of current archaeological debate. A ‘Short Reports’ section will provide particularly rapid publication of important methodological advances. The full potential of the online format will be used to showcase current methods, with source data accessible as supplementary data or with links to relevant data archives.
As publisher of a significant list of archaeology journals, Maney will work with STAR authors to maximise the discoverability of their work and provide them with the tools and resources required to promote their articles to peers. Rachel Young, Maney’s Executive Publisher (Archaeology & Heritage) is thrilled with the new launch: “Competition for funding and evaluation of academics according to their citation record is a reality in many countries. While the academic discipline is under pressure, the volunteer sector in archaeology is growing in importance and in numbers. STAR has the opportunity to make first class archaeological science available and understandable to the widest audience. The tools we provide to our authors though Maney Online, and our involvement with article promotion services like Kudos, mean that STAR authors will be exceptionally placed to promote their articles.”
Professor Alan Outram, one of the journal’s editors and based at the University of Exeter, comments: “Over the last few decades, scientific approaches and new technologies have revolutionised archaeological research and opened up many new avenues of enquiry. In this new environment, archaeological science needs more venues for rapid publication of peer-reviewed research. STAR provides just this, and its open access model will facilitate enhanced readership and impact around the world.”
Professor Robert Tykot, also editor of STAR and President of the Society for Archaeological Sciences, says of the new partnership: “The Society for Archaeological Sciences is pleased to be affiliated with Maney Publishing through this new, open access journal, which aims for publications by a multi-disciplinary range of archaeologists, archaeometrists, and scientists, and at an even broader audience of both professionals and the wider public.”
