Abstract
Academic research plays a key role in developing understanding of sustainability issues in the Canadian Arctic, yet northern organizations and governments struggle to find research that is relevant, respectful of local interests, and that builds local capacity. Northern science and research policies communicate expectations for how research should be prioritized, planned, conducted, and disseminated. They discuss northern leadership of research and outline the diverse roles that northerners and northern organizations could fill in research programs and projects. Many of these documents are founded on the need for research to improve environmental, economic, and social sustainability in the Canadian North and provide insight into how academia can support a northern-led Arctic sustainability research agenda. The goal of this study is to examine northern research-policy documents to identify commonalities amongst the goals and priorities of northern organizations and their shared expectations for research in northern Canada. The objectives are to understand how organizations expect researchers to engage in and conduct research, how research programs can align with northern science policy objectives, and how academic research can support policy and decision-making related to sustainability. Through a quantitative content analysis combined with a qualitative thematic analysis, this comprehensive review examines research policy, strategy, guidance, and program documents produced by northern and northern-focused governments and Indigenous organizations. Relationships, partnership, and communication are the foundations of relevant and applicable research, requiring both resources and time for local and partner participation. Our analysis shows that researchers should consider potential policy applications for sustainability research early on in the development of research projects, ensuring that relevant local and policy partners are involved in designing the project and communicating results.
Highlights
Northern governments and organizations have identified the need for relevant research, accessible results, and engagement with northern communities as they increasingly focus on integrating evidence into decision-making [1,2,3,4]
The coding process and thematic analysis identified key themes discussed throughout the documents, diverse lenses were applied to these concepts
Several codes are related to the impact that research has or the context in which research is conducted, while others focus on approaches to research
Summary
Northern governments and organizations have identified the need for relevant research, accessible results, and engagement with northern communities as they increasingly focus on integrating evidence into decision-making [1,2,3,4]. Systematic and realist reviews mainly capture themes and trends from available scientific literature based on literaturedatabase search protocols This policy review seeks to contribute to a better understanding of northern Indigenous, organization, and government perspectives on research policy through a unique systematic approach to grey literature review. Serious gaps in Canadian Arctic research were identified in the 1990s [20], and from that realization, investments were made, including the International Polar Year and a northern research chair program. These were opportunities to build up northern research, invest in students, and develop robust research programs in the North.
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