Trends in digital methods in the Humanities and Social Sciences in Greece

The Greek Infrastructure for Digital Arts, Humanities and Language Research and Innovation "APOLLONIS" has the mission to create and operate an environment of resources, services, tools, training and support, which enables integrated access and exploitation of collections of digital resources and services.

This research was conducted in the context of the project “The emerging landscape of digital work practices in the Humanities in the context of the European projects DARIAH and CLARIN”, implemented by the Infrastructure's supporting organisations, namely ATHENA Research Center and Academy of Athens. The research documents the current trends in digital research practices in the Humanities and Social Sciences (SSH), as well as the changes brought about by the pandemic in the implementation of digitally oriented workflows and the use of applications; in addition, it captures the needs of the research community regarding the availability of digital resources and services.

The data presented in the individual sections of the paper are derived from the analysis of responses to an online survey conducted between October 2022 and January 2023, as well as from the findings of six focus group meetings of equal numbers of SSH research communities. Some key conclusions drawn from the survey:

• Confirmation of the shortages in available digital content underscores the imperative to enhance access to data by expanding the digital repository and fostering a culture of sharing.

• Confirmation of the limited utilization of standards and digital tools, alongside the fragmented implementation of standardized digital workflows.

• Identification of the need for training and ongoing education regarding new digital tools and methodologies.

• Recognition of the pandemic's role in accelerating the digital transformation of research, resulting in a positive shift in the utilization of digital tools and methods, as well as the community's attitude towards them.

These findings, which shed light on the current needs and requirements of the SSH community while also highlighting certain deficiencies, advocate for the further development of research infrastructure and the formulation of a comprehensive strategy to support research practices in the digital realm. Based on the above, areas of focus are recommended for the continued enhancement of the DARIAH-GR and CLARIN:EL infrastructures.