Quantifying measurement error

This is the author's PDF version of an book chapter published in Current and Recent Research in Osteoarchaeology 2 ©1999. The paper was originally delivered at the sixth meeting of the Osteoarchaeological Research Group at the Institute of Archaeology, University of Durham on 7 June 1997.It is important for workers to have some estimate of the degree of error evident when measuring objects. Although many use their own "rule-of-thumb" to give them the personal satisfaction that they are working accurately, measures of error, or conversely reliability, are rarely given in the lierature. Some simple, useful equations are given that may be used privately or when reporting metrical work