It has long been recognized that research information does not always translate directly into policy (Gluckman, et al., 2021). Linking research and policy making is an essential step in ensuring effective, evidence-informed policy outcomes. One of the ways this can be achieved is by encouraging stakeholders who are involved in the process of knowledge generation […]
Scientific Communication
The Relationship between Science Literacy and Information Media
The concept of science literacy is traditionally framed as a knowledge-deficit model. This model theorizes that the reason science is not trusted for decision-making is because people have not received enough information or they do not understand how science works. The model assumes that if people were more informed about science, they would more likely […]
The Transparency and Trust Paradox: More Accessible Knowledge and Weaker Accountability
As scientific evidence has become increasingly more accessible and automated than ever previously, why is it harder to trust the authenticity of research work? Emerging tools in artificial intelligence (AI), open data portals, open science, and preprints have enabled faster, more efficient knowledge access and sharing. At the same time, these advances have created new […]
Open in Form, Opaque in Practice: Analysis of Evidence Transparency in Green Hydrogen Environmental Assessments in Atlantic Canada
In Canada, environmental assessments (EAs) are completed on the promise that the decisions they generate will be grounded in findable and accessible evidence that anyone can scrutinize. Both federal and provincial governments have formally committed to open government and open science initiatives, and environmental assessment legislation emphasizes public access, transparency, and evidence-informed decision-making as core […]
“It’s Alive!”: Reflections from the Living Data Conference
What is living data? That question seemed fitting to explore while nestled high in the Andes Mountains in a city rich with culture that deeply connects its people to the extensive biodiversity that surrounds them. In the last days of October 2025, I anticipated the wonderful opportunity to present my Master’s research at the Living […]
Building Capacity for Decision Making Where Information Matters
How can critically important issues be addressed if evidence to inform decisions fails to reach decision-makers in time or not at all? With overwhelming quantities of information today, coupled with the growing scourge of misinformation and questions about trust in evidence and its sources, many may easily understand that information pathways in decision processes are […]
Reflections from the One Ocean Science Congress, Nice, France, 3-6 June 2025
My first glimpse of the Mediterranean was caught from the tram window as I arrived in the Old Port of Nice. A graduate of Dalhousie University’s Master of Marine Management program, I was on my way to present my master’s research at the One Ocean Science Congress (OOSC)—an event that felt dynamic and expansive like […]
Advocacy and Political Action at the Information-Policy Interface
In a time when humanity faces existential threats from climate change and ecosystem collapse, the need for transformative change has never been more urgent. Now, more than ever, academics need to move beyond their traditional role as knowledge generators to become knowledge brokers and public activists to facilitate stronger evidence-informed decision making (Gardner et al., […]
Can Schoolchildren Contribute to Research and Policy-making Through Citizen Science?
Science education is an integral part of the curriculum of many schools, yet how science actually works and how new knowledge is produced is rarely covered in their courses. School books and experiments with a pre-determined outcome and defined solution do not reflect the actual work of researchers, which involves trial and error, dealing with […]
Dynamics of Information Flow at the Science-Policy Interface for Endangered Inner Bay of Fundy Atlantic Salmon
Once an aquatic species is added to Canada’s list of endangered flora and fauna under the federal Species at Risk Act (SARA), does the best available information make its way into decision-making to promote the recovery of the species? Resource management, including the management of endangered species, can be challenging due to the involvement of […]