The Master Field Report Template
Every excavation must produce a report containing these eight sections:
1. Discovery
What did you find? Where? (URL, file path, physical description).
2. Forensic Analysis
Technical specifications (file format, encoding, metadata). What does the format reveal about the philosophy of the platform?
3. Custodial Clearance
The Custodial Filter results. Privacy assessment, copyright analysis, and ethical clearance decision.
4. Triage Classification
Is it a Vivibyte, Umbrabyte, or Petribyte? Why?
5. Preservation Strategy
Method chosen: Emulation, Migration, or Hybrid? Where is it stored?
6. Close Reading (The Anvil)
Wisdom extraction. What does this artifact prove, warn, or remember?
7. Anvil Output
Publication plan. Monument, Landmark, or Synthesis creation.
8. Conclusion
Summary of findings and broader significance to the field.
Field Notes
Documentation vs. Collecting: Collecting without documentation is hoarding. Documentation is the difference between a pile of hard drives and an archive. The Field Report is the scholarship.