Digital Applications in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage (DAACH) is an on-line, peer-reviewed journal which publishes innovative research, applications and projects related to digital technologies in archaeology and cultural heritage. Scholars can publish 3D digital models of the world's cultural heritage sites, monuments, and palaeoanthropological remains, accompanied by associated academic articles.

The journal aims both to preserve digital cultural heritage models and to provide access to them for the scholarly community to facilitate the academic debate. DAACH offers scholars the opportunity of publishing their models online with full interactivity so that users can explore them at will. It is unique in that its focus is on the application of 3D modeling to cultural heritage. DAACH will provide full peer-review for all 3D models, not just the text, 2D renderings or video fly-throughs, and requires all models to be accompanied by metadata, documentation, and a related article, explaining the history of the subject and its state of preservation, as well as an account of the modeling project itself. The journal focuses on scholarship that either promotes the application of 3D technologies to the fields of archaeology, art and architectural history, and palaeoanthropology or uses 3D technology to make a significant contribution to the study of built structures, works of art or palaeoanthropological remains.

The provision of a 3D model is not compulsory for an article to be published in this journal.

Special Issue on Innovative digital methodologies to enhance documentation, knowledge and accessibility to manuscripts
Submission Date: 2024-12-31

This open issue delves into the use of innovative methodologies and digital technologies applied to the study and valorisation of handwritten text and illuminated manuscripts, codices, inscriptions, epigraphs.

The articles will focus on the challenges and opportunities associated with digitisation, interpretation, and dissemination of these cultural artifacts.

Guest editors:

Dr. Eva Pietroni
CNR, ISPC
Eva.pietroni@cnr.it 

Dr. Noemi Orazi
Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Rome Tor Vergata
noemi.orazi@uniroma2.it 

Dr. Alessandra Chirivì
ISPC-CNR
alessandra.chirivi@cnr.it 

Special issue information:

Contributions are encouraged on the following topics:

    interdisciplinary study of the manuscript, from the art historical and diagnostic point of view, considering its tangible and intangible values;
    advanced approaches to documentation, beyond the traditional 2D digitisation, including 3D and stratigraphic representation;
    investigation of stone inscriptions within their environmental and spatial contexts;
    integration and visualization of research data, semantic characterisation, within advanced digital and virtual environments;
    digital/virtual services and tools to expand accessibility and sharing of research data, their improvement and reuse;
    hand written text recognition and neural networks, text to speech services;
    artificial intelligence algorithms applied to data analysis, enhancement of readability or integration of lacunar text, study of palimpsests, and semantic characterisation of manuscripts;
    creation of virtual and mixed reality environments and multimedia capable of engaging different types of audiences(expert and non-expert) in cognitively and emotionally motivating experiences, to be used within laboratories, museums and libraries;
    Preservation strategies for text supports, addressing issues of sustainability, accessibility, and long-term storage.

Furthermore, the focus encompasses the practical application of these technologies, with an emphasis on submitting case studies that illustrate how they contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the texts, illuminations and artifacts.

We invite researchers and scholars to contribute to our upcoming special issue, “Innovative digital methodologies to enhance documentation, knowledge and accessibility to manuscripts. Submissions are encouraged that showcase innovative methodologies and technologies for the documentation, analysis, accessibility and valorisation of handwritten text and illuminated manuscripts, codices, illuminations, inscriptions, epigraphs.

The articles will focus on the challenges and opportunities associated with digitisation, interpretation, and dissemination of these cultural artifacts.

Contributions are encouraged on the following topics:

    interdisciplinary study of the manuscript, from the art historical and diagnostic point of view, considering its tangible and intangible values;
    advanced approaches to documentation, beyond the traditional 2D digitisation, including 3D and stratigraphic representation;
    investigation of stone inscriptions within their environmental and spatial contexts;
    integration and visualization of research data, semantic characterisation, within advanced digital and virtual environments;
    digital/virtual services and tools to expand accessibility and sharing of research data, their improvement and reuse;
    hand written text recognition and neural networks, text to speech services;
    artificial intelligence algorithms applied to data analysis, enhancement of readability or integration of lacunar text, study of palimpsests, and semantic characterisation of manuscripts;
    creation of virtual and mixed reality environments and multimedia capable of engaging different types of audiences(expert and non-expert) in cognitively and emotionally motivating experiences, to be used within laboratories, museums and libraries;
    Preservation strategies for text supports, addressing issues of sustainability, accessibility, and long-term storage.

Manuscript submission information:

Submission instructions

The Journal’s submission system is open for submissions to our Special Issue. When submitting your manuscript please select the article type “VSI:Innovative digital methodologies” so that the article will be considered for the special issue. Please submit your manuscript by 31st December 2024.

The submission link is: https://www.editorialmanager.com/DAACH/default.aspx

All submissions deemed suitable to be sent for peer review will be reviewed by at least two independent reviewers. Once your manuscript is accepted, it will go into production, and will be simultaneously published in the current regular issue and pulled into the online Special Issue. Articles from this Special Issue will appear in different regular issues of the journal, though they will be clearly marked and branded as Special Issue articles.

Please see an example here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/digital-applications-in-archaeology-and-cultural-heritage

Please ensure you read the Guide for Authors before writing your manuscript. The Guide for Authors and link to submit your manuscript is available on the Journal’s homepage at Guide for authors - Digital Applications in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage - ISSN 2212-0548 | ScienceDirect.com by Elsevier

Inquiries, including questions about appropriate topics, may be sent electronically to the Guest Editors.

Keywords:

    Digital Heritage
    Manuscript Documentation
    Handwritten texts and illuminations Analysis
    Epigraphical Research
    Diagnostics
    Annotations
    Virtual representation Applications
    Comparative Script Analysis
    Archival Documentation