Publication details
The IsoArcH initiative: Working towards an open and collaborative isotope data culture in bioarchaeology
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2022 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Data in Brief |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Web | https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352340922008022 |
| Doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2022.108595 |
| Keywords | data; bioarchaeology; IsoArcH |
| Description | From its inception in 2011, the IsoArcH initiative (https://isoarch.eu [1]) has been an altruistic effort to benefit and engage as many people as possible in the field of bioarchaeological science and beyond. The initiative quickly evolved from a small community to a multidimensional one of like-minded individuals promoting, in addition to their common scientific interests, best practices in data accessibility and ethics, collaborative knowledge, open research practices, reproducibility, transparency, scientific innovation, inclusion, and/or public awareness. The cornerstone of the IsoArcH initiative is the IsoArcH database. The IsoArcH database is an isotope bioarchaeology database with samples (human, animal, plant materials) from all archaeological time periods and regions of the world. The isotopic data are complemented by detailed archaeological metadata, whenever available. Because of its collaborative nature and open access model, the IsoArcH database has brought together a variety of stakeholders interested in its services and results. The IsoArcH initiative contribute to a more open and collaborative research culture in isotope bioarchaeology field. In this paper, we present the community structure of the IsoArcH initiative. We also reiterate the CARE (Collective benefit, Authority to control, Responsibility, and Ethics [2,3]) and FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable [4,5]) principles and explain how they impact the IsoArcH community. Lastly, we argue that an open and collaborative culture within the scope of isotopic data in bioarchaeology is possible and that the IsoArcH initiative can help to move towards a more equitable and resilient isotope research culture in bioarchaeology. |