Abstract

Most North American archaeologists consider American Antiquity as a primary source of information: it is a model for archaeological periodicals. But it is only one source in a sea of publications the inflation of which is considered by many to be out of control. To stay afloat, each of us builds his own list of relevant titles depending on his own research interests and taste. These choices are rarely made with an accurate overview of what is on the market of archaeological publishing. More than 200 periodicals devoted entirely or mostly to prehistoric archaeology are studied in the bibliometric analysis presented here. Despite abundance and variety of forms and contents, it is possible to identify different types of periodicals. Information is accessed through a secondary literature showing similar characteristies of abundance and variability. A quantitative index is used to build core lists of primary and secondary titles. Special attention is given to Canadian production.