Finding UK archaeological reports and heritage records
A useful research trail connects a place, its records and the underlying archive. Begin by separating a national heritage listing from a local record and from a project’s research data.
Updated 31 October 2026 · archaeology.pro editorial
Start with the appropriate nation
Use Historic England, Historic Environment Scotland, Cadw or Northern Ireland’s Department for Communities as the appropriate national starting point. Their systems and responsibilities are not interchangeable. In England, Historic Environment Records are another route to local information; Historic England’s HIAS programme describes work to improve access across heritage datasets.
Search reports and data separately
The Archaeology Data Service provides access to archaeological collections, reports and metadata. Try a project name, place name, report author or known identifier. Note variant spellings and the date range you searched. If a search returns nothing, that does not establish that no investigation occurred: ask the relevant record office where unpublished or older records may be held.
Make the result reusable
For each useful record, keep its title, author, year, stable link and repository identifier. Distinguish a summary from the underlying report. Check the stated licence before reproducing text or images, and ask the custodian about missing files. Use our research library to practice comparing sources and our data guide to keep documented evidence separate from interpretation.