II Guide to Preparing the NSTP Report Package

University Information Sheet

IIt is important that the NSTP Secretariat has up to date information with respect to:

the proper title of the university's Northern Studies Committee (NSC);
the current Chairperson's name and mailing address;
telephone and fax number as well as e-mail address if available; and,
the current university President's name.

This type of information ensures effective and efficient lines of communication between the universities and the NSTP Secretariat.

Northern Studies Committee Information Sheet

The Northern Studies Committee Information Sheet is designed to capture detailed information about the university's northern studies committee. In particular, the NSTP Committee would like information about members of the university's northern studies committee; the procedure used when reviewing, accepting, and ranking applications for funds; the direction that the university is taking toward northern studies; and any supplemental information about the research projects.

The information outlined in this document shows how active and effective the Northern Studies Committee is at the University and is used by the NSTP Committee in its evaluation of each university submission. Failure to complete the sheet could result in a reduction to a university’s allocation. Please ensure to take the time necessary to capture all pertinent information in the overall submission.

Applications from a Community College must incorporate additional information with their submission. In order to ensure the student is working on an ongoing research project, Section 7. Other Information of the NSC Information Sheet should include background information demonstrating the ongoing research record by the supervisor.

If an institution is putting forward a “To Be Announced” (TBA) application, details should be outlined in the NSC information sheet. The reasoning behind the TBA being submitted should be clearly explained. TBA applications should be used sparingly as there are many actual applicants being put forward for NSTP funding. Also, if the institution is not successful in filling this spot, the NSTP Committee will not consider a “TBA” from the institution the following year.

The Northern Studies Committee Information Sheet replaces the need for a covering letter, although universities are free to provide the same detailed information in a covering letter rather than use the form.

Research Reports: General Overview

This form is the university's financial statement with respect to the NSTP. The NSC Chairperson is required to ensure that the previous year's balance is correct, since the NSC is accountable for the money allocated to the students.

If assistance is required, the Chairperson should contact the NSTP Secretariat.

Research Reports Spreadsheet

The spreadsheet has been designed to act as a checklist for the Chairperson. This form is being provided in hard copy, on CD and can also be automatically generated online. Completion of this spreadsheet will assist the Chairperson when checking the individual students' report for completeness and accuracy, and will assist the NSTP Secretariat in its amalgamation of all student information into its database. It is important that per diems be calculated and included on the form.

Instructions for Completion of the Research Reports Spreadsheet

Completion of the spreadsheet form should be as simple as directly transcribing information from the students' research reports to the spreadsheet. All cells should be completed for each student. Below are details of the information required for each column. The spreadsheet is also available online. All sections will be automatically filled in according to the online reports.

At the top of the form, enter the total funds allocated last year. Also, enter the total funds spent/committed which is the sum of the total column.

Notes for Verifying Research Reports

The Chairperson is ultimately responsible for the submission of complete and accurate student research report forms. It is expected that the aforementioned spreadsheet will be a useful tool in ensuring that all the pertinent information has been provided by the student. However, the Chairperson should review and verify each student research report form in its entirety and ensure the form is duly signed. For reference purposes, instructions for the completion of a student's research report can be found in Appendix B. Instructions for completion of the web-based form are available via the NSTP web site.

The Chairperson should ensure that all forms have been typed using only the space provided, and that all the requisite sections have been completed. Both the student's and supervisor's signatures must be present, along with the supervisor's name typed where indicated. In the event that a supervisor is unavailable to sign the report form, the Chairperson of the Northern Studies Committee may sign on the supervisor’s behalf. However, upon return, the supervisor should submit a signed statement to be forwarded to the NSTP Secretariat. The Chairperson should also ensure that the student has submitted the original form. In order to facilitate the follow-up process with the NSTP Secretariat, it is suggested that the Chairperson keep photocopies of the report package on hand. All original forms, and not photocopies, must accompany the submission package.

The Chairperson should pay particular attention to the following:

General Comments

For your information, when the NSTP Committee convenes, the following items are take into consideration when assessing the submission:

- the cost effectiveness of the proposals

- the quality of the Northern Studies Committee Information Sheet or cover letter (including an outline of the ranking system, does it explain anomalies within the overall submission eg. high freight costs, change in students, etc.).

Winter Projects

If winter projects were supported, a final report must be forwarded to the NSTP Committee by April 30^th. However, at the time of the December 1^st submission, universities are requested to provide as much detail as possible with regard to winter projects. A preliminary report along with estimated costs and days in the field, as well as any other pertinent information must be included in the Research Report portion of the package submitted in December. If a preliminary report is not submitted, the secretariat will view the funds as not being spent/committed and will include the dollars as a university balance.

Publications

Information about all publications resulting from NSTP-supported research should be referenced in Section F of the report form and provided in the form of photocopies (see Appendix A, pages A-3 and A-4 for details). Citations and abstracts of reported publications will be made available for online CD-ROM searching in the database of the Arctic Science and Technology Information System (ASTIS) at the Arctic Institute of North America, University of Calgary.

It is part of the Chairperson's duties to maintain contact with students until all publications from their NSTP-supported research have appeared, and to ensure that all such publications are reported to the NSTP Secretariat. Publications should not be reported until they have actually been published. Publications should not be reported as "In Press".

Information should only be provided about publications that have either been formally published (books, theses, journal papers, magazine and newsletter articles, papers in published conference proceedings, abstracts in published conference abstracts, reports in established university or government report series, etc.) or have been deposited with a library that has agreed to provide interlibrary loan access to them.

All publications that have appeared during the past year should be reported with this NSTP application package. This includes not only publications by students who received NSTP support during the past year, but also publications that have appeared during the past year by NSTP-supported students of previous years. Publications that appeared during previous years, but which have not yet been reported, should also be reported now.

Permits/Licences

The student (not the supervisor) must indicate whether the applicable territorial, provincial, federal or other research permit(s)/licence(s) was obtained. Obtaining a research licence/permit to conduct research in the North is a legal obligation punishable by fines. Understanding of this licencing process constitutes an important component of the student's training experience in the North. Moreover, it helps in ensuring the research is conducted ethically and respects the cultural aspects of northern communities (see: Ethical Principles for the Conduct of Research in the North). This requirement also ensures the student's safety in the field, and promotes the exchange of information on northern projects among scientists and residents of the North.