For my PhD, completed in 2022, I studied the use and production of Linked Data by Ancient World researchers, with my findings forming the basis of a series of recommendations to promote future usability of Linked Ancient World Data tools and resources.

From my thesis abstract:

Linked Data technologies are used to describe and connect entities, based on features they have in common. Rich semantic descriptions, disambiguation capabilities, and interoperability allow investigation of new research questions and reveal previously undiscovered relationships. However, previous studies have shown that uptake of Linked Data among Humanities researchers has, thus far, been low, partly due to usability issues with the resulting tools and resources. I therefore set out to investigate how their usability might be improved, and how Linked Data technologies might most effectively be integrated with existing research methods. My study focused on the Ancient World, where Linked Data implementation seems to be higher than in other Humanities disciplines, and involved a survey and interviews to elicit user and producer needs from researchers in this subject area.

Topics covered in my thesis include:

  • Research methods already embedded in the practices of Ancient World researchers, where Linked Data could effectively be integrated: Discovering, Gathering, Data Recognition, Annotating, and Visualization
  • Aspects of the broader user experience, such as interface design, reliability, and data quality
  • Areas of the production process that affect Linked Data usability: training, collaboration, user-centred design, documentation, access, and sustainability
  • Recommendations focused on areas including teamwork, openness and transparency, extensibility, user consultation, discoverability, sustainability, and communities

My thesis is openly available via the Open University’s institutional repository ORO at https://doi.org/10.21954/ou.ro.00014b1f.

An anonymised dataset of responses to my survey can be accessed via the Humanities Commons CORE repository at https://doi.org/10.17613/1291-4r33.

I am currently working on how to facilitate access to my interview transcripts. These are not currently freely available due to the possibility of participant identification; however, I am able to provide them on reasonable request. If you wish to use these transcripts for research purposes, please contact me with details of your projects and how the transcripts would be used.