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Retrospect and prospect: the research landscape of archival studies

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Abstract

This paper reports part of the findings of a project conducted to investigate the current research landscape of archival studies in China and internationally. Study results show that there are similarities and differences between the most popularly studied research areas in Chinese and international archival fields and between the key research topics recommended for the next 5 years by Chinese and international scholars. Three research orientations of archival studies—management, technology, and humanities as well as the areas that need to be delved into in the next 5 years for global and Chinese archival community—were identified. The findings of this article contribute more broadly to our understanding of the status quo and trends of archival research, and can provide a reference for archival scholars to set research agendas at the individual, institutional, local, and national level. The research priorities identified for the next 5 years may be potential areas where international and transdisciplinary cooperation can occur.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the 31 Chinese and international archival scholars for their insightful opinions on the priority research fields of archival studies over the next 5 years, and very thankful to the participants of the AERI2020 workshop Explore the unexplored: the research landscape of archival studies in the next 5 years and the peer reviewers for their inspiring comments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Information Resource Management, Renmin University, Beijing, China

    Huiling Feng, Zhiying Lian, Ning Wang & Mengqiu Li

  2. School of Management, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin, China

    Weimei Pan

  3. School of History and Culture, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China

    Chunmei Qu

  4. School of Public Administration, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China

    Wenhong Zhou

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  1. Huiling Feng
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Correspondence to Zhiying Lian.

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Feng, H., Lian, Z., Pan, W. et al. Retrospect and prospect: the research landscape of archival studies. Arch Sci 21, 391–411 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10502-021-09364-1

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