CLOSE
Advanced searchCitation search
Suggested Terms:
Skip main navigation

Search Result

1 - 4of4
per page:
Relevance
Filters

You do not have any saved searches

  • OPEN ACCESS
    What is happening where? An evaluation of social sciences research trends in Nunavut (2004–2019)
    FACETS • Vol. 9 • pp. 1 - 20
    Research licensing administered by the Nunavut Research Institute (NRI) affords Nunavummiut (people of Nunavut) an opportunity to engage in research. The NRI partnered with researchers at McMaster and Carleton Universities to investigate social sciences research licensed between 2004 and 2019. This partnership aimed to understand the scope of research trends in Nunavut. Thematic content analysis was used to (i) identify research topics in social sciences and Inuit knowledge projects; (ii) determine frequency and diversity of topics according to leadership, location, and timeframe; (iii) develop metrics to improve tracking of research; and (iv) contribute to the development of a Nunavut research portal making NRI research applications and reports public. Social sciences research increased during the 16-year study period. Projects were predominantly led by Canadian academics. The highest intensity of research occurred in Iqaluit, and the lowest intensity in Grise Fiord. Social sciences research was mainly focused on topics related to Inuit culture and knowledge. Social scientists most often conducted research using interviews and shared their work via peer-reviewed journal articles. This project is a starting point in raising awareness about research trends for Nunavummiut. This work aims to contribute to broader efforts in developing Nunavut-specific approaches to achieving Inuit self-determination in research.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    Still using genetic data? A comparative review of Canadian life insurance application forms before and after the GNDA
    FACETS • Vol. 9 • pp. 1 - 10
    Genetic testing's increased availability has raised concerns about “genetic discrimination” (GD), where individuals may face unfair treatment, particularly when purchasing personal insurance, because of their genetic characteristics. In 2017, Canada passed the Genetic Non-Discrimination Act (GNDA) to prevent GD. This manuscript reviews post-GNDA life insurance application forms and compares them with pre-2014 application forms to assess the impact of the GNDA on insurance practices in Canada. Based on our comparative assessment, we found that the GNDA has had a modest impact on the practice of life insurers in Canada. Our study also confirms that questions about family history of disease and broadly formulated inquiries are still used on life insurance application forms. Both can, in the absence of clear instructions, lead applicants to disclose protected genetic information.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    Understanding the challenges associated with finding and accessing restricted data in Canada: a mixed methods study
    FACETS • Vol. 9 • pp. 1 - 9
    Data that are restricted are historically challenging for researchers to find and even more difficult to access. While efforts to support open data have expanded in Canada, the same cannot be said for restricted data. To better understand the landscape of restricted data in Canada, this study aimed to accomplish two primary goals: (1) identify data sources where data were restricted and (2) assess a subset of health sciences data sources to determine how well they make their data discoverable and accessible. Our study identified 137 Canadian data sources, where 48 health sciences sources were evaluated for discoverability/accessibility. Data sources received poor grades with respect to data discovery due to a lack of metadata standards (38/48, 79%), an inability to find datasets through searching and browsing (32/46, 70%), and a lack of data documentation to support reuse (27/48, 56%). The absence of pricing information (31/48, 65%) and opaque dataset restrictions (25/48, 52%) were identified as key barriers to the data access request process. This study highlights significant room for improvement with respect to improving the discovery of and access to restricted data in Canada and makes recommendations for how to better support restricted data sources on a national scale.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    Taking care of knowledge, taking care of salmon: towards Indigenous data sovereignty in an era of climate change and cumulative effects
    FACETS • Vol. 9 • pp. 1 - 21
    In this paper, we argue that Indigenous data sovereignty (IDS) is vital for addressing threats to ecosystems, as well as for Indigenous Peoples re-establishing and maintaining sovereignty over their territories. Indigenous knowledge-holders face pressure from non-Indigenous scientists to collaborate to address environmental problems, while the open data movement is pressuring them to make their data public. We examine the role of IDS in the context of cumulative effects and climate change that threaten salmon-bearing ecosystems in British Columbia, guided by content from an online workshop in June 2022 and attended exclusively by a Tier-1 audience (First Nations knowledge-holders and/or technical staff working for Nations). Attention to data is required for fruitful collaborations between Indigenous communities and non-Indigenous researchers to address the impacts of climate change and the cumulative effects affecting salmon-bearing watersheds in BC. In addition, we provide steps that Indigenous governments can take to assert sovereignty over data, recommendations that external researchers can use to ensure they respect IDS, and questions that external researchers and Indigenous partners can discuss to guide decision-making about data management. Finally, we reflect on what we learned during the process of co-creating materials.