Great Lakes St. Lawrence Research Inventory

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Great Lakes - St. Lawrence Research Inventory?

The Great Lakes - St. Lawrence Research Inventory is an interactive, Internet-based, searchable database created as a tool to collect and disseminate information about research projects in the Great Lakes - St. Lawrence Region. The International Joint Commission's Council of Great Lakes Research Managers (CGLRM) was created in 1984 to provide guidance and advice on research relevant to the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. Since then it has periodically inventoried Great Lakes research projects. Today's version of the Research Inventory allows projects to be continuously entered, updated, searched and sorted, directly from the Internet, providing a powerful tool for researchers, managers and policy-makers.

Why do we need it?

The Great Lakes basin is home to a diverse, expanding scientific community in both the United States and Canada. This region includes eight states and two provinces, and is home to hundreds of institutions of higher education, government agencies and private research foundations. These public and private organizations conduct research on a huge number of subjects related to the Great Lakes ecosystem. Printed reports and the dissemination of information among the scientific and broader community has at times been unable to keep pace with change. Consequently, researchers and policy makers have sometimes failed to benefit from current research or experience gained outside of their own networks. During these times of intense competition for research funding, the research community also needs to reduce the number of uncoordinated studies and unnecessary duplication of effort. The Research Inventory addresses these problems by providing up-to-date information on research projects relevant to the Great Lakes region. The Research Inventory allows Great Lakes researchers to identify similar studies, network, share experiences and increase efficiency. It enables managers to examine the impact of research, the interrelationships between research disciplines, the adequacy of research related to government agreements and to link research to policy questions.

What are the Objectives of the Research Inventory?

Provide an effective tool for both professionals and the public to learn about contemporary research projects related to the Great Lakes ecosystem
Help locate researchers working on projects related to the Great Lakes region.
Provide managers with key data concerning resources dedicated to research in the Great Lakes - St. Lawrence region.
Provide a central source through which people can access both traditional and nontraditional sources of information about the Great Lakes ecosystem.
Reduce the delay between the production of information and its dissemination to a wide audience.
Facilitate communication between professionals working in related fields, enhance coordination and reduce duplication of effort.

How do I enter data?

Simply select Submit New Project from the menu. First time users must click on the "I have not logged in before" link to establish a user password. The user is then led through a series of input screens, clicking on the "Next" button at the end of each section. Clicking on the "Final Submission" button at the end of the form sends the data directly into the database, where it is immediately available for review. To facilitate completion of the form, project abstracts and other text fields may be cut and pasted from existing documents. New project entries are flagged for review and then validated by the system manager. To reduce duplication of efforts between researchers working on the same project, E-mail notices may be automatically sent to investigators to notify them of entries and updates. Please complete a separate form for each of your research projects.

Why does the Research Inventory send out e-mails?

Often researchers working on the same project are not working in the same location or for the same organization. This has resulted in the same project being entered by two different team members. To avoid this problem and reduce duplication of efforts, e-mail notices may be automatically sent to other investigators to notify them of entries and updates. Only those persons designated to receive e-mails will be notified and recipients may be added or deleted by editing the project.

Can I produce a list of researchers who are involved in similar projects?

Yes, you can produce a list of investigators and their e-mail addresses for any special field of study identified in the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Research Inventory! Simply select "Search Projects" from the drop down menu that appears under "Projects". Select the "advanced search" from the search page (near the top on the right). Select the radio button labeled "Investigators" (email addresses), and then choose the field(s) you want to sort by. When you click on the "Search" button, the database will then produce a list of investigators and their e-mail addresses.

How do I update an existing project?

Mouse over the Projects button and select "Edit a Project"
Enter your email address and password
Select one of the project numbers
Click on the section of the project you wish to update (Dates, Title/Abstract, Investigators, Funding, etc.)
Enter the revised data and click Save
Repeat steps 4&5 or 3-5 (depending on how many projects you need to update)

Why do I need a user name and password?

A user name and password allows you to update details of your project anywhere that you have access to the Internet. Many of the features of the research inventory may be viewed without a password. You only need a user name and password to:

Add a new Project
Edit your Project(s).
Enter the Administration Section

You may choose to have the web site remember your log in information so that you will not be prompted to enter your email address and password by changing your personal preferences; however you must have cookies enabled on your browser for this to work.

Why did the Research Inventory project entry screen disappear?

The Research Inventory has a "time out" feature programmed into it to log out a user after a long period of inactivity. This is to prevent the database from becoming bogged down and slow. To avoid this from happening to you, and to prevent loss of data, simply enter the data you have available and submit the project. Simply log back in and add additional details by editing your project whenever the information becomes available.

How do I search on more than one field at the same time?

Use the advanced search feature and choose more than one selection from the tables. For example, click on "show invasive species projects", "Lake Erie" and "Search" to produce a list of all invasive species projects entered for Lake Erie, or select one particular investigator to see all the projects that investigator is associated with.