ECSA (European Citizen Science Association). 2015. Ten Principles of Citizen Science. Berlin. http://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/XPR2N
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Ten principles of citizen science
Citizen science is a flexible concept which can be adapted and applied within diverse situations and
disciplines. The statements below were developed by the ‘Sharing best practice and building capacity’
working group of the European Citizen Science Association, led by the Natural History Museum
London with input from many members of the Association, to set out some of the key principles
which as a community we believe underlie good practice in citizen science. -
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Knowledge and strengths bundled - Citizen Science in the Netherlands
There are many definitions and manifestations of citizen science. In addition, many innovations are currently taking place in this domain. For these reasons, the working group interprets the concept of citizen science as broadly as possible. Citizen science is scientific practice by people who do not (per se) work as professional scientists. In doing so, they often – and ideally – work together with professional scientists. The research questions can be put forward by citizen scientists or social organizations as well as by the scientists. Citizen science promotes the quality of research, contributes to the solution of complex issues, can provide new policy insights and instruments and has the potential to increase citizen scientists' involvement in and insight into scientific research.
With the present plan, the Citizen Science working group aims to give direction to the Dutch ambitions by stimulating mutual learning and by providing tools to policymakers, initiators and financiers8. The members of the working group are familiar with the way in which other countries organize and stimulate citizen science, and believe that the Netherlands can (and must want to) be a pioneer country in the next phase as well. The members of the working group propose an innovative course based on two core themes: network development and quality promotion.Source: Nationaal Programma Open Science
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Citizen Science Starters Kit
The starters kit exists of different modules:
• Module I – Start to learn about citizen science. This first module reflects upon the different terms and characteristics used to describe citizen science. The benefits of citizen science research are listed, and the diversity of the field is illustrated with case studies in all scientific branches and disciplines.
• Module II – Determine if citizen science is right for your research. Before you initiate a citizen science project, you should reflect whether it is suitable for your research. This module provides some reflective questions as well as decisions frameworks to figure out the suitability of a citizen science approach.
• Module III – Crucial design factors for successful citizen science: This last module presents crucial design factors for planning and developing your citizen science research (project).Reference: Veeckman, C., Keersmaekers, F., Verbrugge, K. & Livemont, E. (2022). The citizen science starters kit. Getting started with citizen science. Published by the Vrije Universiteit Brussel.
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6701888 -
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Citizen Science handbook for the water sector
This handbook offers a new approach to Citizen Science (CS) projects, specifically developed for the
Dutch water sector. It describes five steps – Strive, Weigh, Mark, Explicate and
Put down – which are the result of thorough literature research and practical experience. The first step of 'striving' consists of clearly defining the impact that the project envisages at various levels. The next step consists of 'weighing up' the most suitable target group, the research strategy and the desired involvement of the participating citizen scientists in the research project. The choices made in the previous steps lead to the 'marking' of the geographical scale and duration of the project. In the fourth step, the focus shifts to practical matters and a number of protocols are elaborated by means of 'explicating'. In the fifth and final step, 'set up', it is all about making preparations so that the project can start. For example, the necessary training for the participating citizen scientists must be considered and a manual and logistical planning are required.
This manual is explicitly aimed at professionals in the water sector and has a result-oriented approach to Citizen Science projects. Illustrated with numerous examples and with insights from science and practice, the user can immediately get started.
The Handbook is written in Dutch.Authors: Stijn Brouwer, Nicolien van Aalderen.
This article is published on openresearch.amsterdam with permission from KWR Water.
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Citizen Science for nature in the Netherlands
Nature and biodiversity are under pressure worldwide as a result of climate change, overexploitation, urban development and agriculture, among other things. The situation in the Netherlands is no exception. Partly for this reason, it is very important to carefully investigate and monitor the impact of the various developments on nature and biodiversity, in order to be able to adjust developments in a timely manner where necessary.
In this project we have opted for a broad definition of citizen science: research into nature that is wholly or partly carried out by amateurs or non-professional scientists. We prefer to speak of a system of citizen science, in which we distinguish four important components that are closely related: Observing, storing and buying; the analysis & interpretation of observations; using and monetizing the observations and analyses; and the communication of the observations and analyses.View the dynamic infographic on citizensciencevoornatuur.nl.
This research was commissioned by the Ministry of Economic Affairs as part of the policy support study 'Nature in the hands of people' (BO11-013-038).
This report can be downloaded for free from http:/ /dx.doi.org/10.18174/413497. Wageningen environmental research does not provide printed copies of reports.
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Citizen Science Toolkit for Biodiversity Scientists
The objective of this BiodivERsA toolkit is to inform scientists working in the fields of biodiversity and, more generally, in environmental sciences, about the potential benefits of Citizen Science, and to provide a summary of the rationale to develop Citizen Science, current best practices, and useful resources in the field.
It is aimed at researchers and scientists involved in research projects where Citizen Science could be used for data collection or public/stakeholder engagement (or where existing Citizen Science data could be used). It is expected that this could help scientists to better consider the different dimensions and potential of Citizen Science as part of their research projects.
Using examples from a variety of projects, including but not restricted to BiodivERsA-funded projects, this
toolkit aims to improve the understanding of Citizen Science practices and overcome potential barriers in
research projects.Source: Goudeseune, L., Eggermont, H., Groom, Q., Le Roux, X., Paleco, C., Roy, H.E., van Noordwijk,
C.G.E. (2020). BiodivERsA Citizen Science Toolkit For Biodiversity Scientists. BiodivERsA report, 44 pp. -
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Citizen science in the social sciences and humanities: the power of interdisciplinarity
Citizen science evolved through multiple disciplinary manifestations into a new field of study and a participatory method of enquiry. While most citizen science projects take place within problem-focused natural sciences, social sciences and humanities help understanding the human dimension and open a broad methodological spectrum for enriching scientific research with new approaches and for boosting public participation. In this paper, we use a meta-synthesis approach to explore how citizen science is practised in the so far less addressed social sciences and humanities by focusing on the role of the citizens, the goals and approaches of the projects, the tasks in which citizens are engaged and their gains
across projects of diverse disciplinary background. Our findings indicate that social sciences are gaining more acknowledgment within interdisciplinary citizen science projects by addressing ‘wicked’ problems of human behaviour and agency, while humanities are in quest of a better-defined locus in citizen science. We conclude that social sciences and humanities still face considerable barriers to infiltrate citizen science; the payoffs are substantial and already rewarding for several subfields in social sciences and humanities.Authors: Loreta Tauginienė, Eglė Butkevičienė, Katrin Vohland, Barbara Heinisch, Maria Daskolia,
Monika Suškevičs, Manuel Portela, Bálint Balázs & Baiba PrūseSource: Tauginienė, L., Butkevičienė, E., Vohland, K. et al. Citizen science in the social sciences and humanities: the power of interdisciplinarity. Palgrave Commun 6, 89 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-020-0471-y
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Choosing and Using Citizen Science
Citizen science can be a very useful ‘tool’ for undertaking research and monitoring, while also engaging with many people. Citizen science is very diverse; there are many different ways for volunteers to get involved with real science. This diversity can be overwhelming for someone seeking to organize a
citizen science activity and citizen science will not always be the most appropriate or optimal approach for undertaking scientific research or monitoring.Bron: Pocock, M.J.O., Chapman, D.S., Sheppard, L.J. & Roy, H.E. (2014). Choosing and Using Citizen Science: a guide to when and how to use citizen science to monitor biodiversity and the environment. Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
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Science Europe Briefing Paper - on Citizen Science
Citizen science is a growing movement that enlists the public in scientific discovery, monitoring, and experimentation across a wide range of disciplines. This briefing paper looks in detail at the evolution of citizen science and citizen science policy, provides examples of initiatives from around the world, and considers the future of the activity.
Author: Science Europe