Introducing SourceXplorer, an open-source statistical tool for guided lithic sourcing

2023 atomic spectrometry update – a review of advances in X-ray fluorescence spectrometry and its special applications

“…An open-source statistical tool for lithic sourcing , named SourceXplorer, was presented by McMillan et al 82 The application, built in the open-source R programming environment, facilitated holistic and step-wise multivariate investigations of the elemental relationships between archaeological lithics and potential geological sources. The characteristics of unknowns ( e.g.…”

Atomic spectrometry update: review of advances in the analysis of metals, chemicals and materials

“…One such paper was presented by McMillan et al who discussed how the instrumental advances in XRF (both benchtop and portable) have enabled even non-specialists to obtain reliable and accurate data. 312 However, interpretation of the data can be problematic and so non-specialists can quickly run into trouble. They therefore developed an open source interface designed to facilitate reproducible and robust outcomes during lithic sourcing studies .…”

Humanizing Science and Philosophy of Science: George Sarton, Contextualist Philosophies of Science, and the Indigenous/Science Project

“…This shift in aims is the motivation for several follow-on projects in which McMillan is now engaged with the Musqueam and other regional First Nations. Alongside the refinement of geochemical techniques, McMillan and several colleagues have developed an open-source statistical tool designed to support multivariate analysis of the data generated by these methods (McMillan et al 2022). And because fine-grained baseline data are required for geosourcing projects that address questions about social networks and cultural 49 I note that this technique exemplifies the principles of triangulation I describe above in connection with evidential reasoning; in this it is robust in the sense inspired by Wimsatt ([1981] 2012).…”