Engaging the Public: Citizen Science

Abstract

In this chapter, you will learn more about citizen science and related methods which aim to involve the public in scientific research. We define citizen science as a collaborative approach to research involving the public, not just as subjects of the research or advisors to the research but as direct collaborators and partners in all aspects the research process itself. Citizen science is a complex set of methods that includes an ever-expanding lexicon of related terms which are constantly evolving (e.g., participatory action research, public participation in scientific research, etc.). A particular emphasis will be given to community-based participatory research (CBPR) and community-engaged research (CEnR) in Chap. 9. Here, we will focus primarily on the usefulness of citizen science methods in scientific research and how it has become the ultimate team science.