Document and Entity Information - shares	6 Months Ended
	May. 31, 2015	Jun. 30, 2015
Document And Entity Information
Entity Registrant Name	NOVAGOLD RESOURCES INC
Entity Central Index Key	0001173420
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	May 31, 2015
Amendment Flag	false
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--11-30
Is Entity a Well-known Seasoned Issuer?	No
Is Entity a Voluntary Filer?	No
Is Entity's Reporting Status Current?	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		317,861,632
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q2
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2015