Filter by keyword: Citizen science

Jun 21, 2017 Commentary

Making citizen science newsworthy in the era of big data

This article examines certain guiding tenets of science journalism in the era of big data by focusing on its engagement with citizen science. Having placed citizen science in historical context, it highlights early interventions intended to help establish the basis for an alternative epistemological ethos recognising the scientist as citizen and the citizen as scientist. Next, the article assesses further implications for science journalism by examining the challenges posed by big data in the realm of citizen science. Pertinent issues include potential risks associated with data quality, access dynamics, the difficulty investigating algorithms, and concerns about certain constraints impacting on transparency and accountability.

Volume 16Issue 022017

Jan 11, 2017 Article

Volunteer recruitment and retention in online citizen science projects using marketing strategies: lessons from Season Spotter

by Alycia Crall , Margaret Kosmala , Rebecca Cheng , Jonathan Brier , Darlene Cavalier , Sandra Henderson , Andrew Richardson

Citizen science continues to grow, potentially increasing competition among projects to recruit and retain volunteers interested in participating. Using web analytics, we examined the ability of a marketing campaign to broaden project awareness, while driving engagement and retention in an online, crowdsourced project. The campaign challenged audiences to support the classification of >9,000 pairs of images. The campaign was successful due to increased engagement, but it did not increase the time participants spent classifying images. Engagement over multiple days was significantly shorter during the campaign. We provide lessons learned to improve targeted recruitment and retention of participants in online projects.

Volume 16Issue 012017

Jan 11, 2017 Article

Deliberating science in Italian high school. The case of the Scienza Attiva project

by Federica Cornali , Gianfranco Pomatto , Selena Agnella

This paper provides an analysis of the implementation and the outcomes of Scienza Attiva, an Italian national project for secondary school students, that makes use of deliberative democracy tools to address socio-scientific issues of great impact. The analysis has required a mixed method including surveys of students' pre- and post-project opinions, focus groups and interviews with students and teachers. The results from this evaluation study provide evidence that the project improves students' understanding of socio-scientific issues, strengthens their awareness of the importance of discussion and positively influences interactions in the classroom.

Volume 16Issue 012017

Dec 16, 2016 Commentary

Science communication and Responsible Research and Innovation. How can they complement each other?

by Victor Scholten , Jeroen van den Hoven , Eefje Cuppen , Steven Flipse

In today's society a variety of challenges need attention because they are considered to affect our well-being. Many of these challenges can be addressed with new innovations, yet they may also introduce new challenges. Communication of these new innovations is vital. This importance is also addressed by the concept of Responsible Research and Innovation. In the present commentary we draw on a dataset of 196 research projects and discuss the two research streams of Science Communication and Responsible Research and Innovation and how they are complements to each other. We conclude with suggestions for practitioners and scientists.

Volume 15Issue 062016

Apr 20, 2016 Editorial

From planning to motivations: citizen science comes to life

by Emma Weitkamp

This issue forms Part II of JCOM's collection of articles and essays exploring the field of citizen science. Here I introduce the articles in Part II, outlining how they contribute to our understanding of the ways that volunteers participate in citizen science projects, what motivates this participation and what learning arises as a result of participation.

Volume 15Issue 032016Special Issue: Citizen Science, Part II, 2016 (PCST Stories / 2)

Also a part of:

Collection: Volume 15Issue 012016Special Issue: Citizen Science, Part I, 2016 (PCST Stories / 1)

Apr 20, 2016 Article

Aligning community-based water monitoring program designs with goals for enhanced environmental management

by Amy Buckland-Nicks , Heather Castleden , Cathy Conrad

Community-based water monitoring (CBWM) provides essential baseline information on watershed health and engages the public in science, but those involved often encounter barriers to informing environmental management. We conducted qualitative interviews with watershed group coordinators and government counterparts from four CBWM organizations to explore instances where CBWM successfully influenced governmental decision-making. Our findings show that the level of rigor for quality standards, inclusion of volunteers, available resources, and desired goals are important considerations when designing community-based monitoring programs. Integrated program designs that include adequate quality standards and engage volunteers are more apt to maximize resources and realize both scientific and educational goals.

Volume 15Issue 032016Special Issue: Citizen Science, Part II, 2016 (PCST Stories / 2)

Also a part of:

Collection: Volume 15Issue 012016Special Issue: Citizen Science, Part I, 2016 (PCST Stories / 1)

Apr 20, 2016 Article

Bringing citizen monitoring into land management: a case study of the Bosque Ecosystem Monitoring Program

by Rowan Converse , Daniel Shaw , Kim Eichhorst , May Leinhart

Despite the rapid expansion of citizen-based monitoring, data from these programs remain underutilized by natural resource managers, perhaps due to quality and comparability issues. We present the Bosque Ecosystem Monitoring Program as a case study of an initiative successfully meeting long-term monitoring needs of federal, state, tribal, and local natural resource managers, and informing public policy. To maximize potential for partnerships with managers, we recommend the creation of a five-year plan including scientific goals and financial solvency strategies prior to establishing a citizen science program, and offering multiple platforms for data-sharing and dialogue.

Volume 15Issue 032016Special Issue: Citizen Science, Part II, 2016 (PCST Stories / 2)

Also a part of:

Collection: Volume 15Issue 012016Special Issue: Citizen Science, Part I, 2016 (PCST Stories / 1)

Apr 20, 2016 Article

Crowdsourcing the Human Gut. Is crowdsourcing also 'citizen science'?

by Lorenzo Del Savio , Barbara Prainsack , Alena Buyx

The participation of non-professionally trained people in so-called citizen science (CS) projects is a much discussed topic at the moment. Frequently, however, the contribution of citizens is limited to only a few narrow tasks. Focusing on an initiative dedicated to the study of the human microbiome, this paper describes such a case where citizen participation is limited to the provision of funding, samples, and personal data. Researchers opted for a crowdsourced approaches because other forms of funding and recruitment did not seem feasible. We argue that despite the narrow understanding of participation in the context of some CS projects, they can address some of the democratic concerns related to scientific knowledge creation. For example, CS and crowdsourcing can help to foster dialogue between researchers and publics, and increase the influence of citizens on research agenda setting.

Volume 15Issue 032016Special Issue: Citizen Science, Part II, 2016 (PCST Stories / 2)

Also a part of:

Collection: Volume 15Issue 012016Special Issue: Citizen Science, Part I, 2016 (PCST Stories / 1)

Apr 20, 2016 Article

Understanding volunteer motivations to participate in citizen science projects: a deeper look at water quality monitoring

by Bethany Alender

Volunteer water quality monitors represent the intersection between citizen science and environmental stewardship. Understanding what motivates participation will enable project managers to improve recruitment and retention. This survey of 271 volunteers from eight water quality monitoring organizations in the U.S. found the strongest motivators to participate are helping the environment or community and contributing to scientific knowledge. No variation by gender was found, but younger volunteers have different motivations and preferences than older volunteers. Volunteers value the communication of tangible results more than recognition or reward.

Volume 15Issue 032016Special Issue: Citizen Science, Part II, 2016 (PCST Stories / 2)

Also a part of:

Collection: Volume 15Issue 012016Special Issue: Citizen Science, Part I, 2016 (PCST Stories / 1)

Apr 20, 2016 Article

Motivations, learning and creativity in online citizen science

by Charlene Jennett , Laure Kloetzer , Daniel Schneider , Ioanna Iacovides , Anna Cox , Margaret Gold , Brian Fuchs , Alexandra Eveleigh , Kathleen Mathieu , Zoya Ajani , Yasmin Talsi

Online citizen science projects have demonstrated their usefulness for research, however little is known about the potential benefits for volunteers. We conducted 39 interviews (28 volunteers, 11 researchers) to gain a greater understanding of volunteers' motivations, learning and creativity (MLC). In our MLC model we explain that participating and progressing in a project community provides volunteers with many indirect opportunities for learning and creativity. The more aspects that volunteers are involved in, the more likely they are to sustain their participation in the project. These results have implications for the design and management of online citizen science projects. It is important to provide users with tools to communicate in order to supporting social learning, community building and sharing.

Volume 15Issue 032016Special Issue: Citizen Science, Part II, 2016 (PCST Stories / 2)

Also a part of:

Collection: Volume 15Issue 012016Special Issue: Citizen Science, Part I, 2016 (PCST Stories / 1)

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