Open Science and Ethics

The FIRS project is fully committed to the principles of Open Science promoted by the European Commission. Publications, datasets, presentations, and other research outputs produced within the project are deposited in trusted repositories and made openly available whenever possible, in accordance with FAIR principles and international standards of research integrity.

Open Science Commitment

To ensure compliance with mandatory and recommended Open Science practices, we commit to:

  1. Writing, updating, and depositing a living Data Management Plan .
  2. Depositing datasets in the trusted repository NAKALA , ensuring their compliance with the FAIR principles: Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, and Reuse.
  3. Depositing research outputs in the HAL Open Science repository and on the OSF platform , making them freely accessible to the research community.
  4. Disseminating research outputs preferentially through open-access publication venues and, whenever possible, applying appropriate Creative Commons licences.

Peer-reviewed Publications

  • Ducati, F. and Wilson, R.J.A. (forthcoming), "Fifth-century destruction deposits of predominantly African material at Campanaio, Agrigento province, Sicily", Antiquités africaines, 62.
  • Ducati, F. and Wilson, R.J.A. (2026), "Ceramic Assemblages from Late Antique Destruction Deposits at Campanaio (Sicily)", Open Research Europe. DOI: 10.12688/openreseurope.22676.1 .

Book Chapters

  • Ducati, F., Capelli, C. and Mukai, T. (forthcoming), "Exchange Networks in Roman and Late Roman Sicily: What Pottery Can Tell Us?", in F. De Angelis, A. Molinari and N. Nichols (eds), Sicily Handbook, Oxford University Press, Oxford.

Conference Papers and Proceedings

  • Pezzini, E., Aleo, C., Ducati, F. and Sacco, V. (2024), "Le case romane di Piazza della Vittoria a Palermo tra Tardoantico e alto Medioevo: nuovi dati dall'archivio e dai magazzini del Museo Salinas", in M.C. Parello (ed.), L'Isola dei Tesori: Ricerca Archeologica e nuove acquisizioni. Atti del Convegno internazionale, Agrigento, Museo Archeologico Regionale "Pietro Griffo", 14–17 December 2023, Agrigento, pp. 49–56. HAL Open Access .

Conference Presentations and Workshops

  • Ducati, F., "FIRS Project: Frontiers Inside Roman Sicily", Meet & Greet, Department of Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Studies, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada. HAL Open Access .
  • Ducati, F., "FIRS Project: Frontiers Inside Roman Sicily", invited lecture for the online workshop La ricerca archeologica nel contesto delle Marie SkÅ‚odowska-Curie Actions: Progetti, esperienze, networks.
  • Ducati, F. and Wilson, R.J.A., "Campanaio: The Rise and Fall of a Late Antique Rural Settlement in South-Central Sicily: First Results of the 2024 Study Season", paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America, Philadelphia, PA, Session 1K: Late Antique Field Report. HAL Open Access .
  • Ducati, F. and Wilson, R.J.A., "Rural Life in Roman Sicily: The Campanaio Project", joint lecture, The Roman Discussion Forum, Trinity Term 2025, Institute of Archaeology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
  • Ducati, F., Mukai, T. and Rizzo, M.S., "Rediscovering a Forgotten Byzantine Coastal Settlement at Durrueli: A Case Study from the Southern Coast of Sicily", paper presented at the 31st EAA Annual Meeting: Intertwined Pasts, Session 3: Archaeology of the Forgotten: Recovering Erased Pasts. HAL Open Access .
  • Ducati, F., Shaping Archaeological Knowledge: Practical Guide to Semantic and Ontological Modelling in Archaeology with Protégé 5.6.4. Doctoral resource, University of Bologna, Italy. HAL Open Access .
  • Ducati, F., "Semantic Web, Ontologies and FAIR Principles: Perspectives for an Integrated Ecosystem of Archaeological Knowledge", paper presented at V Conferenza Una Quantum: Tecnologie Open Source per i Beni, le Attività Culturali e il Turismo, Bologna, Italy. HAL Open Access .
  • Ducati, F., Mukai, T. and Rizzo, M.S., "A Byzantine Settlement at Durrueli (Southern Sicily, Agrigento)", paper presented at LRCW 8: Late Roman Coarse Ware and Amphorae. King Theoderic and the Transformations of the Mediterranean Sea. Production and Trade in the Late Roman World, Ravenna, Italy. HAL Open Access .

Datasets and Research Data

  • Ducati, F., Data Management Plan for the FIRS Project: Frontiers Inside Roman Sicily (Grant Agreement No. 101106142). Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, Centre Camille Jullian, UMR 7299. HAL Open Access .
  • Ducati, F. and Wilson, R.J.A. (2026), Campanaio Destruction Deposits, Version 2 [Dataset]. NAKALA Repository, Huma-Num/CNRS. DOI: 10.34847/NKL.E9DA2OP3 .
  • Ducati, F. and Mukai, T. (2026), The Japanese Excavations at Durrueli (Sicily, 1979–1985), Version 1 [Dataset]. NAKALA Repository, Huma-Num/CNRS. DOI: 10.34847/NKL.6BB040L0 .

Additional Open Access Outputs

  • Ducati, F. and Cucco, R.M. (2024), "North African Pottery in Palermo: Preliminary Findings from the Montevergini Excavations", Cartagine. Studi e Ricerche, 9. Open Access Article .
  • Ducati, F. (2024), "Simon Keay Award in Mediterranean Archaeology: Pottery in Rural Roman Sicily: Imported and Locally Produced Wares at Campanaio (AG)", Papers of the British School at Rome, 92, pp. 362–363. DOI: 10.1017/S0068246224000308 . HAL Open Access .

Research Ethics and Integrity

In accordance with the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity and the Singapore Statement on Research Integrity, the FIRS project is committed to practising honest, transparent and responsible research. The project excludes Fabrication, Falsification and Plagiarism (FFP), as well as all other Questionable Research Practices (QRPs).

The principles guiding the project are:

  1. Reliability in ensuring the quality of research, reflected in the design, methodology, analysis and use of resources.
  2. Honesty in developing, undertaking, reviewing, reporting and communicating research in a transparent, fair, full and unbiased way.
  3. Respect for colleagues, research participants, society, ecosystems, cultural heritage and the environment.
  4. Accountability for the research from idea to publication, management, training, supervision and wider impacts.

Environmental Sustainability

In accordance with the European Green Deal, the FIRS project seeks to minimise its environmental impact by limiting unnecessary travel, particularly air travel. The project also limits paper use by prioritising PDFs and other digital formats whenever possible.

Nagoya Protocol

Should issues concerning access to and utilisation of animal or plant genetic resources arise during the project, they will be addressed in accordance with the Nagoya Protocol.

Bibliography