Citizen science plays a significant role as a bridge-builder between science and society. It helps to make scientific research more democratic, inclusive and accessible.
In today’s digital and interconnected world, millions of people around the globe can contribute to research through mobile apps and websites by producing, analyzing, or reporting data that can be used by scientists and decision-makers. Citizen science enhances participants’ understanding of scientific processes, problem-solving, and the philosophy of science. It helps build broader public trust in science and research findings.
Citizen science enables large-scale data collection by involving a vast number of individuals and a broader geographic coverage which would be challenging or even impossible to achieve by traditional research methods within the same timeframe and resources.
Citizen science projects are a cost-effective way to gather substantial amounts of data, including photographs, samples and observations, for research purposes. Shared datasets produced by citizen science also provide valuable resources for educational purposes, such as allowing students to use real-world data to enhance their analytical and methodological skills.
Citizens may often have more in-depth or practical knowledge on the studied phenomenon than professional researchers, thus enriching the research project. With the help of citizen scientists, researchers can gain a faster, more comprehensive, and up-to-date understanding of the research topic than would be possible with their own resources alone.
Citizen science projects help raise awareness of important issues such as climate change, biodiversity conservation, or the transformation of local urban environments. By involving citizens in activities like monitoring animal and plant populations, these projects foster public engagement in environmental protection.
From the citizens’ perspective, citizen science projects enable a sense of participation in scientific work, while allowing citizens to contribute e.g. to the development of their local environment or to promote their own areas of interest.
Citizen science also provides research-based information to support political or administrative decision-making, particularly concerning the surrounding society and local environment. Citizen science therefore increases participants’ understanding of societal issues and how they can be addressed. Also, researchers have the opportunity to increase scientific impact by producing more popularized information for citizen scientists and the general public.
Engagement, data quality, and ethics
While citizen science offers valuable opportunities for all stakeholders involved, it also raises issues regarding e.g. research ethics and integrity.
Sometimes the unpaid work of citizen scientists may be utilized without proper acknowledgment of their contributions. Therefore, recognizing the contributions of citizen scientists in all phases of research is essential to acknowledge. While traditional academic authorship criteria may not always directly apply to citizen scientists, their valuable inputs may be acknowledged as contributors, with their roles and specific tasks described e.g. in a contributorship statement or acknowledgments.
Citizen science still often struggles to achieve meaningful impact and recognition within scientific and policy-making communities. Although citizen science projects can generate valuable data – sometimes even at scales unattainable by traditional research – these findings may not always be taken seriously by decision-makers or integrated into formal policy processes.
Remember to use clear, accessible language when communicating with non-scientists. Jargon can be a barrier and make it difficult to recruit citizens, keep them engaged and ultimately to achieve your research goals. Break down complex scientific concepts, use visuals, analogies and real-world examples to make communication more effective.
One of the key challenges in citizen science is ensuring the quality and consistency of the data collected by volunteers. Because participants often use a variety of tools and techniques – ranging from smartphones to manual recording methods – the resulting data can be highly variable. Many citizen scientists lack formal training in scientific observation, and research ethics and methodologies, which can lead e.g. to observational errors, such as misidentification of species. These inaccuracies, while often unintentional, can compromise the integrity of datasets and require significant effort to correct. As a result, researchers must dedicate substantial time and resources to verifying, cleaning, and validating the data before it can be used in analysis.
To ensure the quality of data collected by citizen scientists, researchers can provide appropriate training on data collection techniques and emphasize the importance of maintaining good research records. It is crucial to choose technological solutions that are comprehensible and user-friendly, as this can help minimize errors or misunderstandings during data collection and improve the overall quality of the collected data.
Ethical and legal considerations are central to the responsible practice of citizen science. One of the concerns is privacy, especially when projects involve collecting personal or location-based data. Participants may not always be aware of how their data is stored, shared, or used, raising questions about data protection and confidentiality. Informed consent ensures that volunteers fully understand the scope of their participation and the potential uses of the data they provide. This can be particularly complex in citizen science, where participation is often informal and decentralized. Also, data ownership issues arise. It can be unclear whether the data belongs to the participants, the researchers, or the platforms hosting the projects. Establishing clear agreements on ownership and how the data will be used, shared, and accessed ensures transparency and mutual understanding.
Citizen science data and results should principally be made publicly available. Primarily, only anonymous data can be openly shared. Also, publishing information e.g. about the location of threatened animal and plant species might inadvertently enable poaching (=illegal hunting, capturing, or harvesting of wildlife, typically for commercial purposes or personal gain). In such cases, the principle ‘as open as possible, as closed as necessary’ should be followed.
Another question relates to inclusivity and accessibility. While digital platforms have expanded opportunities for public participation in research, not everyone has equal access to the necessary technology. The differences in access to the internet, smartphones, or computers can exclude individuals e.g. from low-income communities, limiting the diversity of participants. Many citizen science projects are designed primarily in English or only in an official language of a certain country, which can create language and cultural barriers for non-English or non-native speakers. Also, projects that require specialized equipment, advanced training, or controlled laboratory conditions are often beyond the capabilities of citizen scientists. As a result, citizen science tends to focus on observational or data collection tasks that may not capture the full complexity of certain scientific inquiries.
Addressing these challenges requires transparency about research goals, openness regarding the roles and interests of all scientists, ethical handling of data, and fostering community engagement. It is crucial to ensure that both researchers and citizen scientists share an understanding of the goals, standards and methods used as well as of significance of the work they are doing.
