9th November 2005, 10:09 AM
If you are communicating the same information then the results section of your report will be similar to all previous ones. I am thinking, for example, more about the site reports where you get endless descriptions of contexts and strat in the main body of the text, much of which does not actually add to the value of the report and could therefore be restricted to the context list in the appendix, thus ensuring that only the salient points are mentioned in the main text. This approach would emphasise the important aspects of the site rather than leaving them to be lost amidst the dross. It would also make for a more readable report that actually communicated the important information. Another bugbear of mine is lack of interpretation. All too often I read that a particular fill contained pottery from a particular period, but there is no mention of whether it is residual, intrusive or can actually be used to date the fill, unless I trawl through the finds reports and interpret the site myself on the basis of the information given therein. Essentially, if the text leaves me asking questions about the site and its interpretation, then it has failed in its objective. And I believe that I see more reports that fail in this regard than succeed. More thought needs to go into the structure of the report and its content. Essentially, I believe that reports should be more synthetic. The basic evidence is contained in the catalogues and context lists, so I do not need to read it all in the main body of the text. Instead, the main body of the text should synthesise that information and emphasise the important aspects of the site, drawing out the site "story". If there is little evidence, then this "story" should be short and not padded out with descriptive material that is in the appendices. Is this asking too much?
Cheers,
Eggbasket
Gentleman Adventurer and Antique
"Ask not for whom the bell tolls, the ringing's in your head"
Cheers,
Eggbasket
Gentleman Adventurer and Antique
"Ask not for whom the bell tolls, the ringing's in your head"