Volunteers in citizen science (CS) have different kinds of motivations for participation, ranging from e.g. topic interest, supporting science to personal recognition. Information regarding the existence and characteristics of motivation profile groups of volunteers remains unclear.

Continue reading Do volunteers in citizen science have different motivation profiles? at Citizen Science | CS Track Project.

We analysed 17,122 Citizen Science tweets filtered with Health keywords in order to answer the following questions: What are the most used hashtags in the e-Health discussion? Are hashtags normally used alone or alongside others on the same theme?

Continue reading How does the Citizen Science community use hashtags when discussing e-Health? at Citizen Science | CS Track Project.

Marketing and motivation studies highlighted the importance of knowing more about participants. Framing and user experience experts showed how to convert knowledge into tailored approaches that enhance engagement and retention. Other fields, including the world of commerce, have potential lessons for citizen science practitioners, especially those involved in top-down, mass participatory projects that require high levels of engagement.

Continue reading Learning from others – marketing the science and engaging the citizens at Citizen Science | CS Track Project.

The term ‘Citizen Science’ has had a remarkable career in terms of scientific publications and funding schemes. Citizen science policies are either already developed or under development in many parts of the world.

Continue reading The use of (not) defining Citizen Science at Citizen Science | CS Track Project.

How has the citizen science community responded to the COVID-19 pandemic? A content analysis-based study examining projects’ characteristics and activities.

Continue reading Investigating the potential of citizen science to respond to COVID-19 challenges at Citizen Science | CS Track Project.

Huma Shah is an Assistant Professor and Researcher in AI at Coventry University in the UK. She is a passionate defender of online privacy. She is currently directing the science on the EU-funded CSI-COP project. This aims to raise awareness of citizens’ right to privacy online, and to mobilise citizen scientists from across Europe and beyond to investigate the different types of trackers in websites and apps.

Continue reading Why is the protection of online privacy important to the Citizen Science community? – an interview with Huma Shah from CSI-COP at Citizen Science | CS Track Project.

Citizen science has expanded rapidly over the past decade. As a result defining citizen science and its boundaries remains a challenge, and this is reflected in the literature—for example in the proliferation of typologies and definitions. There is a need for identifying areas of agreement and disagreement within the citizen science practitioners community on what should be considered citizen science. 

Continue reading What are the boundaries of citizen science? Learning from a vignette study at Citizen Science | CS Track Project.

Through a case law analysis of the Formosa ruling, we explore how citizen-collected evidence influenced the judge’s ruling. Although the case has unique features, we identify lessons learned for other citizen-run monitoring initiatives, to strengthen their voice within environmental litigation. We close by suggesting future research avenues, especially in Europe, where the discussion is still in its infancy.

Continue reading The Formosa Case: A Step Forward on the Acceptance of Citizen-Collected Evidence in Environmental Litigation? at Citizen Science | CS Track Project.

Can knowledge foster positive attitudes toward science in CS projects? Research on the public understanding of science has found that the relationship between attitudes toward science and general knowledge of scientific content is only small. We investigated whether this relationship and its direction is stronger in CS projects because these projects address specific knowledge such as wildlife ecology. Our findings indicated that citizens’ knowledge about wildlife improved their attitudes toward science later on.

Continue reading Increased knowledge generates more positive attitudes to science by citizen science participation at Citizen Science | CS Track Project.

Professor Romain Julliard is director of MOSAIC, a scientific unit located in the Museum of National History and Sorbonne University in France which was set up in 2020 with the specific aim of assisting researchers in developing citizen science projects.

Continue reading Citizen Science: Bridging the gap between Formal and Informal Science? – an interview with Romain Julliard from MOSAIC, France at Citizen Science | CS Track Project.