Citizen Science, simply put, is the involvement of the public in scientific research. This approach to science has transformed how data is collected and by whom, vastly expanded the breadth of research questions that can be asked and answered, and contributed to a democratization of knowledge production. Here we reference both Community Science and Citizen Science to reflect the current debate about the inclusivity of this approach. These terms will be updated as this discussion evolves.
Community or citizen science research projects are typically those that engage community members to help collect scientific data. These projects provide opportunities for community members to learn STEM skills through the data collection process and contribute to the discovery of findings and outcomes that could benefit their community. While often citizen science projects try to enlist the help of underrepresented populations in STEM, volunteers do tend to be white, highly educated, and already working or connected to STEM fields. This disconnect from the goal of engaging nonscientists and underrepresented groups means that being intentional about representation and recruitment is crucial to the successful execution of a citizen science project. As citizen science opportunities are developed, thought and care should be invested in accounting for differences in access to the internet, transportation, and childcare challenges, as well as the imagery used to advertise a study (i.e., making sure people can see themselves in the project).
Citizen science projects are numerous and now span a vast range of topics from astronomy to zoology, and from anthropology to public health (see websites like SciStarter or CitizenScience.gov for examples). We note, however, that there has been recent scholarship and debate interrogating the use of the term ‘citizen science’; community science, participatory science, and public science have been suggested as alternatives. Regardless of the term used, there is increased interest in using citizen science to address questions that are of interest to communities, and to involve community members beyond data collection (e.g., similar to co-production and CBPR approaches). Overall, this debate reflects an interest in increasing the accessibility and inclusivity of citizen science efforts; Cooper et al., (2021) write:
Sources: Allf et al., 2022; Cooper et al., 2021; Heigl et al., 2019; Irwin, 2018; Lin Hunter et al., 2023; National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2018
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