Citizen Science Primer
Envision a science classroom. The teacher is at the front, providing instruction to the students. Then, the students work on a lab experiment following the instructions in their physics textbook. After finishing the experiment, the students receive their assignment for the day: answering a set of questions assigned by their instructor.
This style of education helps students—and learners, more generally—get the basics of science down. But what about scientific research in the real world?
What Is Citizen Science?
Citizen science refers broadly to science that is community-driven, i.e. science that amateur scientists—ordinary citizens—play a part in creating. The term science is used very loosely here as citizen science advances a wide range of fields across the physical and social sciences, though it is most commonly used in the earth and space sciences.
Citizen science includes, but is not limited to, the following:
- Helping develop and/or test software to be used in scientific research.
- Assisting with classification and analysis of previously collected data.
- Conducting “garage lab” or “community lab” research using accessible scientific tools.
- Collecting field data in local areas and communities to be used in ecological research.
About the Primer
This primer will provide an overview of citizen science occurring in places around the world and feature interviews with citizen scientists and citizen science project leaders. Citizen science means different things to different people, and it takes different forms in different places. The overall piece is aimed toward 1) providing information about what citizen science is and ways in which it is practiced, and 2) capturing (at least some part of) the spirit of citizen science and its significance.
Structure of the Primer
The primer will be roughly organized as follows:
- Historical and Cultural Context
- Forms of Citizen Science
- Applications of Citizen Science
- Citizen Science for Scientific Advancement
- Citizen Science for Sustainable Development and Policy
- Citizen Science in Education
- The Future of Citizen Science
- Resources