Since November 2019 the international research project CS Track has been combining traditional social-science methods with web-based and computational analytics in order to systematically survey the field of Citizen Science. Based on our findings, we have now developed a set of 10 policy recommendations which identify key issues to be addressed if we want to further support and promote participatory research in Europe. The goal of these recommendations is to suggest ways in which CS stakeholders (such as project initiators, platform managers or funding agencies) can help maximise the benefit of Citizen Science activities for individual citizens, the scientific community, and society at large.

Continue reading CS Track publishes policy recommendations based on project results at Citizen Science | CS Track Project.

Online Seminar on Wednesday, 25 January 2023, 14:00 – 15:00 CET

The main mission of the CS Track project has been to observe and analyse the phenomena of citizen science using empirical and theoretical studies. Based on these studies, the team have constructed a set of policy recommendations. Further specific policy recommendations have also been prepared with the stated purpose of directing attention to questions related to Citizen Science that need attention.

Continue reading Recommendations for policy-makers arising from CS Track investigations into Citizen Science, online seminar, 25 January at Citizen Science | CS Track Project.

Main aim of the study

This work presents opportunities, achievements, and future challenges in using computational analytics to better understand the connection between CS and the SDGs. The work in its status does not fully cover SDGs in CS, but it evaluates and shows the potential of the text-classification techniques for identifying SDGs in CS project descriptions and for assessing trends in connection of CS and SDGs based on available data.  

This study analyses different automatic classifiers by comparing the results obtained from their application in a sample of 208 CS project descriptions.

Continue reading <strong>Mapping Sustainable Development Goals to Citizen Science projects</strong> at Citizen Science | CS Track Project.

Online Workshop on Thursday, 8 December 2022, 14:00 – 15:00 CET

Explanation of the grid. How it was developed and why., e. g. voluntary work versus influencing policies versus education versus making. How to place a CS activity. Obvious differences in potential (ethical) guidelines depending on where activity is placed. 

„Look & feel“ of the Grid. Learning how to apply it to become aware of potential caveats and ethical issues will help to organise citizen science activities in a way that creates a better cost-benefit-ratio and that systematically takes ethical issues and other challenges into account.

Continue reading Coming to terms with the multiple possible meanings of the term CS. The Activities-Dimensions-Grid of Citizen Science, online seminar, 8 December at Citizen Science | CS Track Project.

CS Track and ECSA teams are organising a half-day symposium under the theme “Understanding the nature of Citizen Science in a rapidly changing world” on 8 October, 9:00-13:00 CET in Berlin. This symposium aims at sharing these results and findings and discussing their implications with the citizen science community. Of course, other researchers and community members are invited to share their results and approaches as well. We are particularly interested in computational tools and analysis as well as other innovative empirical approaches in order to understand the essence of CS projects, their activities and the motivations that drive people to participate in CS.

Continue reading Understanding the nature of Citizen Science in a rapidly changing world, half-day symposium, 8 October, Berlin at Citizen Science | CS Track Project.

In this article, we analysed linkages between tweets and SDGs in our dataset by means of classification algorithms. In addition, the network of retweets for each SDG is provided.

Continue reading How are tweets distributed for each Sustainable Development Goal within the Citizen Science Twitter community? at Citizen Science | CS Track Project.

Online Workshop on Thursday, 7 July 2022, 14:00 – 15:30 CET

In this installment of our webinar series, CS Track researchers will share tips and tricks for writing informative and engaging project descriptions and analyse concrete examples (both positive and negative) together with the participants. Moreover, participants will have the chance to draft their own descriptions and receive feedback from the presenters.

Following a round of introductions and presentation of our research, the participants will analyse examples (good and bad), discuss good practices for writing project descriptions, and then draft their own project descriptions (for real or fantasy projects).

Continue reading Describing your citizen science project – How to present your project and recruit volunteers, online workshop, 7 July at Citizen Science | CS Track Project.

Online Workshop on Tuesday, 14 June 2022, 14:00 – 15:30 CET

Social media and online platforms are used by citizen science projects to share information about their work, how to participate, and motivate citizens to join them but also as a research tool. CS Track is exploring how communication is done and what type of information is shared. In this workshop, we want to share our insights on this and also explain how this data can be used in other contexts such as formal education.

Continue reading Citizen science to inspire educators – The importance of metadata and open data, online workshop, 14 June at Citizen Science | CS Track Project.

CS Track coordinator, Raul Drachman, recently contributed to an article about measuring the impact of citizen science published in a special Horizon Magazine issue. In this article, he shared his observations that are based on CS Track project findings including an observation as to the importance of environmental subjects (especially, but not only, climate change) in the citizen science context. Read the full article here.

Continue reading CS Track contributes to a special Horizon Magazine issue on citizen science at Citizen Science | CS Track Project.

Online Workshop on Tuesday, 3 May 2022 14:00 – 15:30 CET

During this interactive webinar, members of the CS Track team will share strategies for science communication in citizen science projects, provide an overview of relevant software and resources, and help participants explore an easy-to-use free data visualization tool.

Who is it aimed at?

Researchers, Institutions, Project initiators/coordinators

What will you learn?

Participants will learn more about the dos and don’ts of science communication in a CS context, get an overview of free online resources and tools, and find out how they can use Flourish to easily visualize their projects’ research data.

Continue reading Science communication in CS projects – strategies and tools, online workshop, 3 May 2022 at Citizen Science | CS Track Project.