To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment, the Environmental Information: Use and Influence Research team has published Celebrating 25 Years of Knowledge on the Gulf. A Bibliography of Publications of the Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment. This comprehensive bibliography of over […]
Information Use & Influence
Communication of Research Information: Barriers and Enablers
Evidence-based policy making depends on effective communication of scientific and social science research-based information. Several barriers that bear on the ability to effectively communicate information are identified in the literature. Similarly, several enablers are described that can create more effective communication. Ultimately, enablers and barriers are two sides of the same coin. Many of enablers […]
“Does Information Matter?” – Special Session at Coastal Zone Canada 2014 Conference presented by EIUI
The Environmental Information: Use and Influence research initiative (EIUI) will present a special session entitled “Does Information Matter? A Critical Question for the Future of Coastal Zone Management” at the 2014 Coastal Zone Canada conference to be held in Halifax on 15-19 June 2014. This session will offer interdisciplinary perspectives on the challenges of communicating […]
Communication of Research Information: Information Pathways and Models
Research-based information flows from a wide variety of sources, including dissertations, websites, peer-reviewed journals, policy briefings, or conference workshops, (Nutley, Walker & Davies, 2007). The information chain is a conceptual framework that attempts to demonstrate the transfer of this information. This framework models the various pathways information follows as it proceeds from the source to […]
Social Science Information in Policy: Evidence-Based or Evidence-Informed?
The relationship between social science research and policy-making suggests policy may be informed by, rather than based on, evidence. Weiss (1977) supports this statement and claims that government uses social science to enlighten rather than dictate policy. Recently, Reimer & Brett (2013) agreed and believe that municipalities often do not have the expertise to make use […]
Doctoral Student Receives SSHRC Awards for Research Involving Governmental Organizations
Suzuette Soomai, Interdisciplinary PhD student with the EIUI initiative, has been named a recipient of a Michael Smith Foreign Study grant by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). Suzuette currently holds a prestigious three-year Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship (CGS) from SSHRC. The Michael Smith Foreign Study grant will support her […]
Communicating Fisheries Information: Challenges and Opportunities
Fisheries governance and information pathways in fisheries management are exceptionally complex. At the same time, large quantities of fisheries information on numerous subjects are available from a wide range of providers for a diversity of users. These points were emphasized in a public lecture at Dalhousie University on 20 September 2013 by Dr. Richard Grainger, […]
Challenges Facing the Altmetrics Movement
Recently, I have written on this blog about the rise of altmetrics: alternative measures of research influence and impact that have the potential to fundamentally transform the academic promotion process and encourage unprecedented levels of scholarly and scientific communication. However, for all their promise, and for all their proponents’ lofty proclamations that altmetrics will “distill […]
Information of the Marine Stewardship Council Certification Process and Developing Countries
The way fisheries are managed and how participatory mechanisms are rooted in policy and regulatory systems present implications for information providers, users, and decision-makers (FAO, 2009). Research has shown that the use and influence of fisheries scientific information are shaped and defined by the context in which stakeholders (e.g., fishers, mangers, and policy makers) operate, […]
Richard Grainger to Give Public Lecture in Halifax on How Fisheries Information Influences Policy
Dr. Richard Grainger, recently Chief of Statistics and Information in the Fisheries and Aquaculture Department of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN, will give a public lecture at Dalhousie University on Friday, 20 September, entitled “How does information influence policy? The role of fishery organizations in policy-making for fisheries.” Date / Time: […]