TRACK 3: RESEARCH

National Stakeholders – Nexus Reports

Focus: Ideal for participants engaged in academic or policy research tied to the Nexus Reports structure (Sections I, II, or III). Emphasizes authorship of articles, reports, or policy briefs.

Week 1: Orientation & Program Launch

• Objective: Familiarize yourself with GCRI’s mission, NWG roles, the Nexus Reports structure, and overarching RTD theme.
• Activities:
  • Learn about NWGs’ function in bridging global and national contexts.
  • Learn about our three tracks (Media, Development, Research) and how they intersect.
  • Slack & Zenodo setup, review of open science and just transition principles.
• Deliverables:
  • Personal development plans: Select your track (Media, Development, or Research).
  • NWG collaboration plan for cross-track synergy.

Resources

1. Actor Mapping Guide
   • Usage for Research: Identify potential collaborators, data providers, peer reviewers, and local informants. This clarifies which entities (government agencies, NGOs, academic institutions, private data holders) could feed into or benefit from your research.
   • Outcome: A stakeholder map specifying each actor’s interest and role in your prospective study.
2. System Mapping Overview
   • Usage for Research: Create a preliminary map of how your chosen research topic (e.g., baseline conditions or scenario modeling) intersects with local–regional–national ecosystems.
   • Outcome: A high-level diagram outlining the major system components (e.g., resource flows, policy nodes, community user groups).

Week 2: Scoping Literature & Data

• Objective: Establish research questions tied to #ClimateJustice, #Sustainability, or #RightToDevelopment.
• Activities:
  • Conduct literature review on relevant Nexus Reports chapters (water, energy, health, etc.).
  • Identify data sets or local studies to anchor your piece.
• Deliverables:
  • Draft outline or concept note posted on Slack for NWG feedback.

Resources

1. Systems Thinking Guide
   • Usage for Research: Structure your research design to recognize interdependencies—if you’re examining baseline water data, consider how it links to energy, health, and climate.
   • Outcome: A refined conceptual framework or outline that explicitly states your cross-sector assumptions.
2. Complexity Theory Guide
   • Usage for Research: Embrace the non-linear, adaptive nature of socio-ecological systems, shaping your hypotheses or modeling approach to account for emergent behaviors.
   • Outcome: Preliminary notes on how you will address and interpret complex feedback loops or tipping points in your data analysis.

Week 3: Methodology & Ethical Approval

• Objective: Finalize your research design and comply with IRB or local ethics guidelines.
• Activities:
  • Present methodology (qualitative interviews, quantitative modeling, etc.) to NWG for input.
  • Submit IRB forms or disclaimers if needed.
• Deliverables:
  • Approved methodology checklist and IRB (where applicable).

Resources

1. Complex Adaptive Systems Guide
   • Usage for Research: Plan how to detect self-organization, adaptation, or feedback loops—especially if you’re studying resource management, climate readiness, or health services.
   • Outcome: A short methodology addendum ensuring your data collection or analysis can spot adaptive behaviors in the system (such as communities shifting water usage in heat crises).
2. Systems Awareness Guide
   • Usage for Research: Conduct a personal or team reflection on potential blind spots—cultural biases, unverified assumptions, or overlooked stakeholders.
   • Outcome: A self-assessment matrix, clarifying where additional data or cross-checks are needed to produce an inclusive and ethical research outcome.

Week 4: Data Collection & Fieldwork

• Objective: Gather relevant data (baseline, vulnerability, innovation success rates, etc.).
• Activities:
  • Conduct interviews with local communities or gather official data.
  • Collaborate with NWG’s media or dev tracks to share resources.
• Deliverables:
  • Preliminary data sets, transcripts, or observational logs.

Resources

1. Systems Inquiry Guide
   • Usage for Research: Develop open-ended questions that probe deeper into root causes or latent patterns within your chosen domain (urban water usage, farmland sustainability, etc.).
   • Outcome: A robust “inquiry plan” articulating which aspects of the system you will investigate qualitatively (interviews, focus groups) or quantitatively (survey data).
2. Systems Theory Guide
   • Usage for Research: Align your research methods (surveys, time-series analysis) with system theoretic constructs (stocks, flows, feedback loops).
   • Outcome: A theoretical framework linking resource inputs, state changes, and outputs that you’ll measure or model.

Week 5: Drafting & Analysis

• Objective: Begin drafting your research article or policy brief, analyzing initial results.
• Activities:
  • Use open review channels for early critique.
  • Cross-check findings with Earth system or just transition frameworks.
• Deliverables:
  • Draft manuscript, recognized data citations, partial figure sets.

Resources

1. Guides Overview
   • Usage for Research: Skim each guide’s core principles and confirm how they might shape your methodology or help interpret results.
   • Outcome: A short matrix or checklist ensuring that your design, data analysis, and final paper are using the relevant systems tools effectively.
2. Horizon Scanning Guide
   • Usage for Research: Look ahead—anticipate new climate regulations, technology breakthroughs, or socio-political shifts that may influence your domain.
   • Outcome: A forecast or scenario-based chapter in your draft, analyzing how future uncertainties might alter your baseline or scenario findings.

Week 6: Peer Exchange & Review

• Objective: Share mid-stage draft with NWG peers or domain experts for feedback.
• Activities:
  • Organized feedback sessions (Slack, short Zoom calls).
  • Incorporate suggestions, refine data visualization.
• Deliverables:
  • Updated manuscript or policy brief with integrated review points.

Resources

1. Impact Guide
   • Usage for Research: Define success indicators (e.g., data usage in policymaking, reference by local authorities) and track them within your NWG.
   • Outcome: A short “impact strategy” explaining how your article or dataset will be shared, implemented, or cited for real-world improvements.
2. Leverage Points Guide
   • Usage for Research: Zero in on critical junctures in the system—like local councils or budget committees—where your data or findings could catalyze disproportionate positive change.
   • Outcome: Targeted recommendations to direct your final results to the most influential local or national stakeholder bodies.

Week 7: Synthesizing Key Insights

• Objective: Emphasize how your research supports integrated governance or just transition.
• Activities:
  • Summarize major findings in an internal NWG meeting or local workshop.
  • Highlight cross-chapter synergy if relevant (innovation or finance aspects).
• Deliverables:
  • “Key Insights” slides or summary doc, ready for broader nexus publications.

Resources

1. Multi-Level Mapping
   • Usage for Research: Construct a layered approach to data interpretation—local micro-level, regional meso-level, and national/global macro-level.
   • Outcome: A “multi-level analysis” section in your manuscript highlighting how local phenomenon scale upward to national or global frameworks.
2. Value Networks Guide
   • Usage for Research: Identify the economic, social, or knowledge exchanges that add or extract value in your system (e.g., donors funding climate adaptation, local farmers contributing data).
   • Outcome: A conceptual “value chain” or “value network” diagram clarifying the cost-benefit relationships behind your research problem.

Week 8: Draft Finalization

• Objective: Polish your article, ensuring it meets open science standards and includes necessary disclaimers or ethical notes.
• Activities:
  • Final text revisions, figure enhancements, robust referencing (Zenodo DOIs).
  • Prepare supplementary materials (data sets, code, appendices).
• Deliverables:
  • Near-complete manuscript or policy note ready for Nexus Reports submission.

Resources

1. Narratives Guide
   • Usage for Research: Structure your final paper or presentations with an engaging “narrative arc,” weaving in lived experiences, data-driven insights, and policy angles.
   • Outcome: Draft sections that marry data with personal or community stories—ensuring readability and resonance with a broad audience.
2. Network Organizations Guide
   • Usage for Research: Determine which collaborative groups (public-private partnerships, academic alliances, NGOs) might adopt or endorse your findings.
   • Outcome: A short “collaboration plan” detailing how local, national, or global networks can scale or replicate your research outcomes.

Weeks 9–10: Open Review & Nexus Reports Submission

• Objective: Officially post your draft on Zenodo under Nexus Reports, inviting open review.
• Activities:
  • Tag the relevant section and chapter.
  • Collect final commentary from NWG members or external referees.
• Deliverables:
  • Final or near-final version addressing reviewer remarks, set for editorial acceptance.

Resources

1. Scaling Change Guide
   • Usage for Research: Outline how your results can inform expansions—like turning your baseline indicators into a standardized national database or inspiring new legislation.
   • Outcome: A “scaling strategy” appended to your manuscript or final dataset, referencing potential expansions.
2. Systems Building Overview
   • Usage for Research: Understand the institutional or governance frameworks required to sustain your research findings (e.g., new data maintenance policies, budget lines, or committees).
   • Outcome: A concluding chapter or annex in your final paper describing the system building required for lasting impact.

Weeks 11–12: Publication & Future Research Agenda

• Objective: Conclude the 12-week program with your article’s acceptance, plan follow-up research or expansions.
• Activities:
  • Confirm editorial decisions, DOIs, and any concluding NWG recommendations.
  • Outline next-phase projects or advanced research questions.
• Deliverables:
  • Published output or acceptance letter from Nexus Reports 2025.
  • One-page strategy for continuing or scaling up your research.

Resource

1. Two Loops Guide
   • Usage for Research: Identify what “old loop” (e.g., short-sighted policies or unsustainable practices) your research challenges, and what “new loop” (holistic, just transition-based system) your data points to.
   • Outcome: A concluding argument or discussion section in your paper explaining how your results support structural transformation at local/national levels.
2. Systems Modeling Guide
   • Usage for Research: Integrate or refine advanced modeling (e.g., stock-flow diagrams, agent-based modeling, scenario planning) to confirm or forecast system dynamics.
   • Outcome: A polished “Methods” section detailing your modeling approach, plus any relevant figures or code for open review on Zenodo.

Program Workflow

1. Weekly Check-Ins: Each participant shares progress via Slack or a short Zoom call, referencing the guide(s) of the week.
2. Open Review & Iteration: Use Zenodo’s versioning for early uploads, gather peer feedback.
3. NWG Collaboration: Collaborate with Media (Track 1) or Development (Track 2) teams for complementary story coverage, data synergy, or policy alignment if relevant.

Choosing Your Track & Next Steps

1. Select the track (Media, Development, or Research) that best aligns with your skills and goals.
2. Follow the weekly guidelines but remain flexible—collaboration across tracks is encouraged!
3. Engage with NWG leadership, Slack channels, and Zenodo submissions for feedback and synergy.
4. Aim to have final outputs ready for submission, supporting the global theme: Climate Justice, Sustainability, and the Right to Development.

By the end of 12 weeks, you’ll have tangible contributions—media outreach materials, AI solutions, or a published research piece—firmly anchored in open science, just transition, and Earth system stewardship.

We look forward to your active participation and pioneering achievements within your chosen track!