Journal policies

Editorial policy

UCL (University College London) and UCL Press regard it as fundamental that research should be conducted and published according to ethical guidelines. Users will find further information about the journal’s editorial policies online at https://journals.uclpress.co.uk/site/editorial_policy.


Reproducibility policy

In addition to the above UCL Press Journal’s Editorial Policies, the following additional reproducibility policies are relevant to Archaeology International and aim to improve reporting standards in archaeological research.


Open data

The journal strongly encourages authors to make all data associated with their submission openly available, according to the FAIR Data Principles (https://www.force11.org/group/fairgroup/fairprinciples: Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable). This should be linked to from a Data Accessibility Statement within the submitted paper (see the author guidelines here https://journals.uclpress.co.uk/ai/site/author-guidelines) which will be made public upon publication. If data is not being made available with the journal publication then a statement from the author should be provided within the submission to explain why. Data obtained from other sources must be appropriately credited.


Data repositories

The preferred mechanism for sharing research data is via data repositories. For help finding relevant research data repositories please see https://repositoryfinder.datacite.org.


Citing data

For support on best practice and how to cite to data already deposited elsewhere, authors are advised to use a free citation generator now available online at https://citation.crosscite.org. Prior to submission, all authors should ensure that their data are either deposited in publicly available repositories whenever possible, or have included in the main text for open peer review if appropriate. 

UCL authors are encouraged to use the UCL Research Data Repository (please see https://www.ucl.ac.uk/library/research-support/research-data-management/ucl-research-data-repository.) For further information including about FAIR data sharing, all authors can find some useful information about when, where, and how to share data as openly as possible, here https://www.ucl.ac.uk/library/research-support/research-data-management/best-practices/how-guides/sharing-data.


Structured methods

As the traditional Methods and Materials section often includes insufficient detail for readers to wholly assess the research process, the journal encourages authors to publish detailed descriptions of their structured methods in open, online platforms (for example, such as protocols.io). By providing a step-by-step description of the methods used in the study, the chance of reproducibility and usability increases, whilst also allowing authors to build on their own works and gain additional credit and citations.


Open code

If research includes the use of software code, statistical analysis or algorithms then we also recommend that authors upload the code into Code Ocean, where it will be hosted on an open, cloud-based computational reproducibility platform, providing researchers and developers with an easy way to share, validate and discover code published in academic journals.


Preprint policy

Archaeology International allows authors to deposit draft versions of their paper into a suitable preprint server, on condition that the author agrees to the below:

  • The author retains copyright to the preprint and developed works from it, and is permitted to submit it to the journal.
  • The author declares that a preprint is available within the cover letter presented during submission. This must include a link to the location of the preprint.
  • The author acknowledges that having a preprint publicly available means that the journal cannot guarantee the anonymity of the author during the review process, even if they anonymise the submitted files.


Should the submission be published, the authors are expected to update the information associated with the preprint version to show that a final version has been published in the journal, including the DOI linking directly to the publication.


Equality, diversity and inclusion

As a part of UCL, UCL Press and its journals are committed to UCL’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy as outlined online at https://www.ucl.ac.uk/human-resources/equality-diversity-inclusion/equalityucl/equality-diversity-inclusion-strategy-2015-2020.

In particular:

UCL defines “equality” as the absence of unjust social hierarchy such as those based on age, disability, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation and religion, and “diversity” as the presence of different cultural traditions and identities.

We wish to foster a positive cultural climate where all staff and students can flourish, where no-one will feel compelled to conceal or play down elements of their identity for fear of stigma. UCL will be a place where people can be authentic and their unique perspective, experiences and skills seen as a valuable asset to the institution.


UCL Press and the Editorial Board Members of Archaeology International aim to foster this positive cultural climate for all authors, reviewers, users and staff of the publication, to discuss, debate and encourage critical thinking on real world problems with the aim of benefitting humanity.