According to people in this career, the main tasks are...
| Task | Importance |
|---|---|
| Collect information and make judgments through observation, interviews, and review of documents. | 94% |
| Research, survey, or assess sites of past societies and cultures in search of answers to specific research questions. | 93% |
| Write about and present research findings for a variety of specialized and general audiences. | 92% |
| Assess archeological sites for resource management, development, or conservation purposes and recommend methods for site protection. | 92% |
| Collect artifacts made of stone, bone, metal, and other materials, placing them in bags and marking them to show where they were found. | 90% |
| Study objects and structures recovered by excavation to identify, date, and authenticate them and to interpret their significance. | 89% |
| Compare findings from one site with archeological data from other sites to find similarities or differences. | 88% |
| Plan and direct research to characterize and compare the economic, demographic, health care, social, political, linguistic, and religious institutions of distinct cultural groups, communities, and organizations. | 87% |
| Gather and analyze artifacts and skeletal remains to increase knowledge of ancient cultures. | 84% |
| Describe artifacts' physical properties or attributes, such as the materials from which artifacts are made and their size, shape, function, and decoration. | 84% |
| Record the exact locations and conditions of artifacts uncovered in diggings or surveys, using drawings and photographs as necessary. | 84% |
| Consult site reports, existing artifacts, and topographic maps to identify archeological sites. | 84% |
| Identify culturally specific beliefs and practices affecting health status and access to services for distinct populations and communities, in collaboration with medical and public health officials. | 82% |
| Train others in the application of ethnographic research methods to solve problems in organizational effectiveness, communications, technology development, policy making, and program planning. | 80% |
| Develop and test theories concerning the origin and development of past cultures. | 80% |
| Create data records for use in describing and analyzing social patterns and processes, using photography, videography, and audio recordings. | 80% |
| Develop intervention procedures, using techniques such as individual and focus group interviews, consultations, and participant observation of social interaction. | 80% |
| Advise government agencies, private organizations, and communities regarding proposed programs, plans, and policies and their potential impacts on cultural institutions, organizations, and communities. | 80% |
| Clean, restore, and preserve artifacts. | 80% |
| Lead field training sites and train field staff, students, and volunteers in excavation methods. | 77% |
| Collaborate with economic development planners to decide on the implementation of proposed development policies, plans, and programs based on culturally institutionalized barriers and facilitating circumstances. | 77% |
| Conduct participatory action research in communities and organizations to assess how work is done and to design work systems, technologies, and environments. | 74% |
| Organize public exhibits and displays to promote public awareness of diverse and distinctive cultural traditions. | 74% |
| Formulate general rules that describe and predict the development and behavior of cultures and social institutions. | 72% |
| Study archival collections of primary historical sources to help explain the origins and development of cultural patterns. | 72% |
| Apply traditional ecological knowledge and assessments of culturally distinctive land and resource management institutions to assist in the resolution of conflicts over habitat protection and resource enhancement. | 71% |
| Enhance the cultural sensitivity of elementary and secondary curricula and classroom interactions in collaboration with educators and teachers. | 70% |
| Participate in forensic activities, such as tooth and bone structure identification, in conjunction with police departments and pathologists. | 70% |
