Introduction (1 minute)

In this section, you can learn about common issues that are likely to come up when you are reporting or researching citizen science. These are common issues that people ask themselves when they learn about citizen science for the first time - and sometimes well beyond the first time! The questions don’t only come from members of the public, but also professionals such as scientists, public health officials, and people in politics and government. By introducing you to these concepts and the existing discussion points about them, you can be better prepared to ask questions in interviews or find additional material in academic publications and other sources. 

In this section, we will cover five points. We start with data quality and the ability of people who are not professional scientists to participate in scientific research. Next, we will discuss the issue of engagement with volunteers and how is citizen science is different and similar to other cases of volunteering. The issue of motivations and especially the link to activism come up as a way to question the validity of the research; issues of the type of participants and the dimensions of equity diversity and inclusion (EDI); and finally, the claims and evidence for benefits such as science literacy, awareness to issues, improvement in skills. 

We will provide a short introduction to each of these topics through a short interactive presentation, and then provide you with additional information that explores it in more detail

Image by Pete Linforth from Pixabay