Can You Trust the Source?

Does Marine Environmental Information Influence Public Policy Decision Making?

What is the fate of information published in digital format? Do readers view the large quantities of scientific and technical findings published as 'grey literature' differently than research reports in peer-reviewed journals and books? Do scientific reports on serious environmental subjects reach decision-makers when and where it matters? To what degree does this published information influence public policy decisions? Ultimately, can the critical conditions of marine environments be alleviated not only by more information but by better understanding of its diffusion and use among researchers, policy makers, and other stakeholders? Such vital questions are motivating a major research initiative undertaken by Bertrum MacDonald, of Dalhousie's School of Information Management, and Peter Wells, of Dalhousie's School for Resource and Environmental Studies and the Marine Affairs Program and Senior Research Fellow at the International Oceans Institute. They are supported by a $137,000 research grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada as well as funding from other agencies.

Building on findings from two pilot projects, MacDonald and Wells are continuing their studies to track the diffusion, use, and influence of publications on three governmental organizations focussed on the aquatic environment. To their initial investigation of a UN advisory body, the Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection and the Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment, they have added Environment Canada to their analysis. These organizations represent global, regional, and national settings where reliance on grey literature as the prominent form for releasing information is common.

Grey literature was defined in 1999 by the Fourth International Conference on Grey Literature as that “produced in all levels of government, academics, business and industry in print and electronic formats, but which is not controlled by commercial publishers.” Besides significant technical reports, a wide array of other publications make up grey literature including: environmental assessments, technical notes and specifications, conference proceedings and preprints, working papers from research groups or committees, consultant reports, data compilations, and trade literature. The label grey literature is often used in science, due in part to the high proportion of global scientific and technical documentation that exists in this genre. Publishing new information as grey literature is central to many organizations, costing in some instances upwards of $1 million per study and title. While commercial firms very actively promote their publications, organizations producing their own publications frequently give little attention to marketing even when the publications contain major findings and recommendations. Annually, tens of thousands of such publications are generated worldwide, now primarily via the internet. However, access to these publications is frequently problematic even in the presence of increasing open access systems, the Internet, and powerful search engines. It is suspected that much of this information is undetected by potential users, hence losing much of its value.

Using a suite of methodologies (citation analysis, content analysis of public policy documents, surveys, and interviews of key informants in public sector management), MacDonald and Wells along with their interdisciplinary team of research students are developing an understanding of scientific information and knowledge diffusion and use in public sector settings. Their findings have already been reported in various meetings in Canada, the United States, and Europe, and their recommendations have assisted two of the organizations being studied. MacDonald and Wells expect that their research will advance understanding of how scientific communication contributes to public policy decision-making where the dynamics of information retrieval and use are different than in wholly research environments. Their research may also provide important insights relating to digital publication design, diffusion mechanisms, and knowledge management for publishing bodies, information systems designers,  research scientists within either wholly research settings or public policy areas, public sector managers, governmental bodies, and research funders. Since marine environmental matters have reached critical significance in Canada and around the world, despite a wealth of data and information, MacDonald and Wells believe their research will contribute to improved policies and decisions affecting the health of the oceans.