It is managed and published on a non-profit, voluntary basis by postgraduate researchers in the Department of Archaeology at the University of Cambridge.

Following a brief hiatus, the journal returned to regular production in the spring of 1983, and has since been continually published twice a year.

ARC aims to provide a platform for the discussion of current archaeological research, welcoming relevant contributions from archaeologists of any temporal, geographic or theoretical standpoint.

A statement of editorial intent was outlined in Volume 2.1 (Spring 1983), expressing that ARC was established in order to bridge the gap between the formal publication of major research projects in leading journals, and the more informal discussions which take place at seminars and conferences.

A number of notable archaeologists have contributed to the journal since its founding, including: Graeme Barker, Dilip Kumar Chakrabarti, Christopher Chippindale, Ian Hodder, Lynn Meskell, Colin Renfrew, Chris Scarre, Charles Thurstan Shaw, Laurajane Smith, Peter Stone, Christopher Tilley, and John Bennet, amongst others.