This project demonstrates a strong engagement with best practices in Digital Humanities by critically analyzing ACLED’s use of data, transparency, and ethical methods in documenting political violence and protest movements.
Analysis of Best Practices
1. Transparent Methodology
The ACLED project sets a high standard for data transparency. Our analysis highlights how its open-access model, clear coding protocols, and regional expertise contribute to public trust and scholarly use. This aligns with the DH value of making data accessible, explainable, and reproducible.
2. Interdisciplinary Integration
ACLED effectively combines political science, journalism, data science, and civic technology—an approach we evaluated as a best practice in DH work. Our project shows how this interdisciplinary structure increases the impact and usability of the dataset across multiple fields and audiences.
3. Responsiveness to Urgent Issues
The ACLED model demonstrates how Digital Humanities tools can respond in real-time to urgent global events. Our evaluation shows that its updates on disinformation and protests reflect a commitment to relevance, one of the key principles for maintaining ethical and actionable DH projects.
