Field NotesBy Hannah Bradley | Jan 2026

Next Practices for Collaborative Research

For the NNA Utqiaġvik Sensor Array project, Co-PI Caitlin Wylie and postdoc Hannah Bradley have focused their social science research on observing and analyzing the developing collaboration between our academic colleagues and our community partners, asking “How can scientists and communities best work toward common goals?” We naturally want our continued work in Alaska be both effective and ethical. That means understanding how we can work together effectively in future research in ways that benefit both science and communities. This focus contributes to ongoing discussions across the Arctic on how the “co-production” of research can contribute to regional resilience. Co-production is an approach that aims to bring together diverse groups to collaborate as equals, sharing power, knowledge, and resources, to create outcomes (in this case, science) for collective benefit. Co-production is hard to analyze from a point of view inside a single project. Interactions and relationship building with community collaborators likely extend beyond the timeframe of one project. They may take place in the course of other work and during downtimes. However, after observing meetings, fieldwork, and presentations over three years, we have identified several key themes essential to successful collaboration:
  • Don’t be afraid to be uncomfortable! Being uncomfortable often means we’re working through something important as a team.
  • Remain clear about goals but flexible about outcomes. It helps to be adaptive, but we need to communicate clearly to work effectively with our partners.
  • When we don’t agree on standards of evidence, what data are necessary or when they are needed, we are not pulling together toward integrated goals, just working in our own lanes.
To do research that is grounded in community, our recommendations for science teams fall into three categories: Be Vulnerable
  • Be invited.
  • Ask—assume nothing!
  • Share early.
  • Embrace flexibility.
  • Be open to redefining co-production.
  • Officially share decision-making power and funds with community partners—ideally from the start in the funding proposal.
  • Network with similar projects and be honest about fieldwork challenges and solutions. Sharing this experiential knowledge early saves time and effort. It builds knowledge, while sparing communities research fatigue and potential environmental harms from poorly designed research.
Center relationships
  • Do ongoing cultural pre/re-education.
  • Learn about the land (Nuna). 
  • Time visits and meetings to promote participation and limit disruption. 
  • Spend money locally. 
  • Center relationships beyond the bounds of the project. Visit outside of structured meetings. Attend local social and community events.
  • Consider relationships to be valuable outcomes of a project, in addition to papers, datasets, and students.
Share
  • Make a Communication Plan and follow through.
  • Provide regular updates to community groups.  
  • Agree on a co-working digital infrastructure.
  • Agree on a space for chatter.
  • Define “outreach” and set a policy.
  • Provide continuous access to data and meetings.
  • Synthesize results into “Key Takeaways.” People appreciate them.
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