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Abstract

Digital scanning technology offers many benefits to archaeology and curation in its ability to preserve virtual representations of artifacts in databases without harming the object. However, various selective pressures may limit which artifacts are digitally curated. The material of an artifact or details on an object’s surface may prevent it from scanning properly. Scans which inaccurately portray the surface detail of an artifact may be ignored by those who edit and process the files in favor of a more attractive scan. Scanning efforts designed for public outreach may favor certain artifacts over others. These selective pressures may produce unintentional bias in the digital artifact databases, which could potentially limit the applicability to certain scopes of archaeological research.

Publication Date

2013

Subject Major(s)

Anthropology

Current Academic Year

Senior

Faculty Advisor/Mentor

Bernard Means

Sponsorship

Virginia Commonwealth University. Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program

Is Part Of

VCU Undergraduate Research Posters

Rights

© The Author(s)

Incomplete Reflections: Addressing Potential Bias in Digital Curation

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