Topic: Citizen Science

Citizen Science

Citizen science is the inclusion of the public, or non-experts, in the collection of scientific information to support research. A citizen scientist is any person providing data, knowledge or observations that support scientific inquiry.

Scientific data collection and research may seem daunting or exclusive to only those with specific expertise in science. Citizen science recognizes the value and contribution of participation by the public in scientific research. When the general population contributes to the research process alongside scientists, it benefits not only the researcher in data collection but also the public in increased knowledge of scientific topics as well as increased awareness of the scientific process.

This term emerged in the 1990s with two prominent academics, Alan Irwin and Rick Bonney. Irwin provided an overarching concept of what citizen science encompasses while Bonney provided a practical example.

Irwin recognized not only the ability of citizens in providing reliable scientific knowledge to academics, but also a window for scientists to understand first-hand the interests and needs of communities. He introduced the concept of “citizen science” as a recognition of the value of a new relationship between the public and the scientific community, each providing important contributions.

Bonney, as an ornithologist, introduced the term to describe contributions of data by laypersons to scientific projects, such as birdwatchers that volunteer their collected information. The emergence of publicly available apps, such Stanford’s Merlin Bird ID, provide further opportunities for the general public to not only learn and identify birds by sharing their observations and recordings but also contribute to the collection of mass quantities of data to support scientific research on birds. This data provided by the general public is used by scientists to track bird populations, migration patterns, and even the impact of climate change on bird populations. The sound features in these apps help researchers monitor hard-to-track species, data that can support conservation efforts.

CitizenScience.gov is an example of far-reaching collaborations between the general population and scientific communities. The Federal Community of Practice for Crowdsourcing and Citizen Science provides extensive resources for scientists to develop and implement citizen science projects.  The Association for Advancing Participatory Sciences is a resource for academics, educators and policy makers to engage with each other around citizen science. They provide platforms for hosting citizen-science projects (https://participatorysciences.org/resources/).

Citizen science is an important component of collective climate action, which recognizes that climate change happens at the community level. Budburst’s Phenology and Climate project is one example where scientists look to citizens to provide data on how plants react to seasonal change and contribute to greater scientific understandings on long term climate impacts upon plants that affect food production and human health. Citizen science is a recognition that scientific inquiry needs the general community. By including any person willing to participate in the sharing of real-time information to the scientific process, citizen science is bridging a gap between academic theory and practice and the people.

©2025 ClimateLit (Cheryl Hunter)

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