Announcing the Relaunch of the Journal "Tennessee Archaeology"

Announcing the Relaunch of the Journal Tennessee Archaeology

On behalf of the Tennessee Division of Archaeology, I am pleased to announce the relaunch of the online journal Tennessee Archaeology. In 2004, the late Dr. Kevin E. Smith, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at Middle Tennessee State University, and retired State Archaeologist Michael C. Moore founded Tennessee Archaeology with the goal of providing a state-level publication outlet for professionals, students, and avocational archaeologists. Between 2004 and 2020, Smith and Moore oversaw ten volumes of Tennessee Archaeology, publishing a wide range of articles and reports, many of which continue to inform new research today.

Our desire to relaunch the journal is rooted first in the TDOA’s mandate under the Tennessee Antiquities Act to maintain a statewide program in archaeology, including publishing the results of our studies and stimulating archaeological research throughout the state. Within the archaeological community in the state, there is also interest in having an in-state, peer-reviewed publication outlet. We believe that reviving Tennessee Archaeology is one of the best ways to meet this demand, especially when coupled with the TDOA’s long-standing Current Research in Tennessee Archaeology (CRITA) conference. 

In their introduction to the first issue of Tennessee Archaeology, Smith and Moore (2004:1) described it as a "…printed journal in electronic format…," with each issue published as a static PDF hosted on the TDOA’s website and presented in a conventional issue/volume format. Over the last twenty years, however, expectations surrounding access and transparency, digital innovations, and renewed emphasis on ethical practices have transformed scholarly publishing. As we considered relaunching the journal, we took the opportunity to reimagine it as an open access, fully web-based online publication, which we are recasting as Tennessee Archaeology (New Series). We believe this approach acknowledges Smith and Moore’s original vision while marking a transition and leveraging new publication practices to meet the expectations of a new generation of scholars. 

The aims and scope of the New Series will include the full range of archaeological research conducted in Tennessee. We welcome original contributions on all time periods and encourage research that situates Tennessee sites, materials, and datasets within wider cultural, chronological, and geographical contexts. Submissions may include, for example, site reports, excavation or survey results, geospatial analyses, experimental archaeology, research on curated collections, museum and collections care, remote sensing and technology, site protection and stewardship, and related topics. While papers presented at CRITA are welcome and encouraged, prior presentation is not required.

The New Series will operate on a rolling publication model, with articles published online as soon as they are finalized rather than waiting for the completion of an entire issue or volume before publication. All content will be freely available under a Creative Commons License, ensuring broad access for researchers, descendant communities, students, and the interested public. While it’s not yet possible for us to assign Digital Object Identifiers (DOI) to each article, we are working to make that possible and will assign them retroactively once available.

To support transparency and consistency in publishing across the discipline, the New Series will utilize the editorial standards and guidelines of the Society for American Archaeology (SAA). The New Series’ editorial structure will consist of an Editor, which will always be the State Archaeologist, and two Associate Editors from among TDOA staff who will manage submissions and publication, including solicitation of peer reviews. Drs. Sierra Bow and Aaron Deter-Wolf will serve as the inaugural Associate Editors and, as State Archaeologist, I will serve as Editor. Submitted manuscripts will undergo peer review by the Associate Editors and external reviewers, with final publication decisions resting with the Editor. Our publishing process, editorial guidelines, and organizational structures are intended to ensure the quality and timely publication of each individual submission. 

All submissions to the New Series are expected to meet the ethical standards established by the SAA and, where appropriate, to reflect best practices in consultation with descendant communities, respectful terminology, and the treatment of sensitive materials. The journal’s image guidelines formalize a commitment to avoiding the publication of photographs of human remains and funerary objects without documented consent from descendant communities, which will be the responsibility of the author to obtain. Photographs of other objects may be subject to these requirements at the discretion of editorial team. Line drawings and derivative graphics will be considered on a case-by-case basis but must be of extraordinary importance to the submission and may require additional scholarly justification or consultation to be included. 

The TDOA dedicates our effort to reestablish the journal to the memory of Dr. Smith, whose vision, innovation, and commitment to accessible, rigorous scholarship laid the foundation for the New Series and will guide its renewal. We also acknowledge State Archaeologist Mike Moore, whose leadership and career-long collaboration with Dr. Smith was instrumental in establishing Tennessee Archaeology and publishing its first ten volumes. 

As we look ahead, I encourage you to consider Tennessee Archaeology (New Series) as a home for your work and to also volunteer to serve as a peer reviewer. In reestablishing a state-level archaeological journal, we reaffirm a simple but enduring principle: Tennessee’s irreplaceable archaeological record matters and responsibly sharing the results of our research with the many publics we serve remain among our most important responsibilities as professional archaeologists.  

Phillip R. Hodge
State Archaeologist 
Editor, Tennessee Archaeology (New Series)