Thank you for taking part in this survey on standards and guidance for archaeology in the UK. The survey is part of the Phase 2 research project
Enhancing and promoting CIfA Standards and guidance on archaeological practice (HE9408), funded by Historic England and led by the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CIfA).
One of the aims of this project is to clarify what we mean by 'Standards and guidance' in archaeology. For the purposes of this survey, please interpret the term broadly — it includes formal Standards, technical guidance, advice notes, professional guidance, sector toolkits and guides, and your own organisation's internal templates, manuals and standard operating processes. Don't worry if you're unsure whether something 'counts' — please include it.
This short survey is for anyone who works with / in archaeology in the United Kingdom — whether full time, occasionally, as a volunteer or student. The survey will take about 20 minutes. There are
40 questions; most are short, and a handful invite a longer written response if you would like to share more. If you would like to see a copy of all questions in advance, you can access a copy of the survey script from the
CIfA project page.
Your responses will be analysed anonymously and used to:
• identify which standards and guidance the sector uses, finds helpful, and finds problematic;
• prioritise areas for development and revision;
• understand the barriers practitioners experience when accessing and using guidance.
This project (HE9408) is funded by Historic England as part of the 21st Century Challenges for Archaeology Programme with oversight of the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists. Project research is being delivered by Dr Manda Forster and Dr Sam Paul, with oversight from CIfA. The survey is anonymous and any data gathered will be stored and used in accordance with CIfA's
GDPR policy: submitting the form is taken as agreement to participate, but any data or responses gathered via this consultation will not be attributed to named individuals without explicit agreement. All diversity questions include a prefer not to say option.
If you have any questions, please contact Head of Professional Standards and Project Lead, Jen Parker Wooding (jen.parkerwooding@archaeologists.net).
To find out more about the project, and to find a downloadable PDF of the survey questions, visit the project page
here.
