Osteoarchaeological identification guides: A new category of manuscript

Abstract

Osteoarchaeological research is underpinned by the development and adoption of robust and replicable methodologies (Driver, 1992; LeFebvre & Sharpe, 2018; Lyman, 2019; Wolverton, 2013). Zooarchaeological identification methodologies make use of physical modern reference collections, digital resources, and published criteria to aid species identification (Driver, 1992). High-quality identification guides and keys are important in a number of ways. They can provide useful support for identification by comparison to physical comparative reference collections, often the gold-standard approach, in particular through the definition of validated criteria for the morphological identification of a taxon across wider sets of samples (Driver, 1992). They also demonstrate the reliability of identified morphological criteria (e.g., Lister, 1996) and can also extend the taxonomic range from what is represented in some individual reference collections (Davis et al., 2024; Yeomans & Beech, 2021). As such, high-quality illustrated guides can broaden the utility of some comparative collections, which due to resource limitations do not have sufficient intra-species variation (Driver, 1992).

Osteoarchaeological research is undertaken in diverse settings, with differential access to resources and facilities. Some specialists may be working in the field without access to physical reference material or the possibility of transporting samples for follow-up study with reference to more comprehensive reference collections. Osteoarchaeologists are working in academic and nonacademic contexts, such as for universities, museums, and commercial archaeological companies and as independent or self-employed specialists (Baker & Worley, 2019; LeFebvre & Sharpe, 2018). High-quality illustrated guides and keys can play important roles in the different settings and stages of analysis, from preliminary sorting of remains to final analyses.

We are excited to announce a new category of manuscript in the journal: “Osteoarchaeological identification guides.” These are papers that will provide advances in diagnostic criteria for osteoarchaeological research, such as zooarchaeological species identification. They will offer major contributions to method and practice. This format offers greater capacity for visually illustrating criteria, which can also be further supported with downloadable supplementary materials.

This format is intended to be flexible and author-friendly, for example whether the study aims to provide comparative criteria for separating between two skeletally similar species (e.g., Lister, 1996), the same element across multiple taxa (e.g., Bochenski et al., 2023), or a more comprehensive photographic atlas approach (e.g., Davis et al., 2024). Authors may wish to include other dimensions, such as testing the criteria on archaeological material, the list(s) of specimens consulted to produce the illustrations (Lyman, 2019), or commentary on identification tools and practice (Yeomans & Beech, 2021), as appropriate, to support the delivery of impactful research that is useful to the zooarchaeological community. Studies should also provide critical understanding for their use, including any limitations of application (Lyman, 2019). In establishing this manuscript type here specifically for identification guides and keys, we hope that this will offer a format and venue conducive for such work.