What is it about?
Citizen science refers to scientific projects that involve members of the general public in doing the science. It is sometimes referred to a public participation in science. Examining 29 citizen science projects, we identified five types. Action projects employ volunteer-initiated participatory action research to encourage participant intervention in local concerns. Conservation projects address natural resource management goals, involving citizens in stewardship for outreach and increased scope. Investigation projects focus on scientific research goals in a physical setting, while Virtual projects have goals similar to Investigation projects, but are entirely technology-mediated and differ in a number of other characteristics. Finally, Education projects make education and outreach primary goals.
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Why is it important?
The term citizen science covers a wide range of projects with very different characteristics. Research about one kind of project does not necessarily apply to others and volunteers who are interested in one kind might not be interested in others. It is important therefore to distinguish different types. This paper offers a starting point for dividing up projects.
Perspectives
This paper was an important starting point in studying citizen science. It was interesting to realize just how different projects could be. Having this typology provided a focus for our further studies.
Kevin Crowston
Syracuse University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: From Conservation to Crowdsourcing: A Typology of Citizen Science, January 2011, Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers (IEEE),
DOI: 10.1109/hicss.2011.207.
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