Interview Draft

OMB Control Number: 1028-NEW

Expiration: XX/XX/XXXX

Interview Guide

Introduction:

Hello. Firstly, thank you for taking the time to meet with me today. My name is Lindsey Ellett, and I’m an ORISE fellow working with the Pacific Islands Climate Adaptation Science Center (PI-CASC) to better understand how the projects we support are engaging in collaboration and making broader impacts. Discussions like these are very important to understanding how effective our work is and how we can better assist projects like yours, so I really appreciate being able to get your perspective.

We will use information from these interviews, in combination with survey data (which you may have completed earlier), and project reports and other products to assess the scientific and social impacts of CASC-funded projects and the state of co-production, which we define as, “an interactive, participatory process that brings together diverse actors such as scientists, practitioners, and community members to collectively generate, integrate, and apply knowledge to address complex challenges” (based on Satterthwaite et al., 2024). Response details will be kept anonymous and compiled into broader findings that may be communicated to our team and various partners through reports, presentations, and publications.

Purpose:

While some of the earlier survey questions also addressed project goals, composition, and outputs, this interview serves as an opportunity for us to converse more freely and deeply about these topics to fill in some important gaps. During this interview I will be asking about the status of project products, the state of collaborative relationships with partners and the community over time, how this experience may have influenced your other work, and what you see as the achievements and impacts of this project. This is not intended to be an assessment of your work. The insights we gain from this interview will be invaluable to our continuous support and improvement of research initiatives.

Logistics:

[Verify which project is of interest for discussion in this interview. Emphasize this clarification for interviewees that have been involved in multiple projects]

Please note that this interview is expected to take approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour. Your participation is completely voluntary, and you are free to refrain from answering any question or withdraw at any time.

In order to better review our discussion and compile results later, it would be helpful if I could record the audio from this meeting. Is that okay with you? Do you have any other questions or concerns before we begin?

I. Inputs: Team and Role

1. What were your motivations for starting/participating in this project?

   • Probe: What do you perceive as the main need for this research?

2. [Project Leads]: Can you describe the process and experience of identifying and reaching out to people for your project team? For collaborators/resource managers?

[Collaborators & Community/End Users] Can you describe your experience connecting with the project team and joining this project?

II. Process: Co-Production and Collaborative Relationships

1. Before beginning this project, how were research needs, gaps, or questions identified?

   • Probe: Who was involved in the framing and development of this project?

2. Can you describe in more detail the collaborative process between the research team and project collaborators?

   • Probe: What were the project’s collaboration strengths? Weaknesses?

III. Outputs & Outcomes

1. Which products/activities has this project completed so far? (validate against pre-established list)

   • Probe: Which products and/or activities does this project plan to complete in the future?

2. [Project Leads] How have you gone about disseminating your research findings and products in order to be accessible and understandable? Do you have future plans for further dissemination?

[Community/End Users] How have results and/or products been made accessible to you and other users? Are there ways this accessibility and understandability could be improved?

IV. Impacts

1. [Project Leads] How will/do you determine whether your research has had an impact?

   • Probes: Scientific impacts? Societal impacts?

2. Can you describe an example of how this research has been/will be applied by policymakers, practitioners, or other end users?

3. How has this research influenced your approach to other projects/work?

4. [Completed Projects] Are you still in touch with other collaborators and community members related to this project?

5. [Completed Projects] What do you see as the possible next steps/future research that may come out of your project?

VI. Wrap Up

1. Is there anything else about this project, its impacts, and its collaborative process that you would like to discuss?

2. Do you have any questions for me?

Thank you!

Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: We are collecting this information subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). Your response is voluntary, and we will not share your response publicly. We may not conduct, or sponsor and you are not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB Control Number. OMB has reviewed and approved this poll and assigned OMB Control Number 1028-NEW. 

Estimated Burden Statement: We estimate responses will average 60 minutes per response, including time to read instructions and gather information. You may submit comments on any aspect of this information collection to the Bureau Information Collection Clearance Officer, US Geological Survey, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive MS 159, Reston, VA 20192, or via email at [email protected].