New toolkit opens up citizen science for researchers
9th November 2020
The Citizen Science Toolkit for Biodiversity Scientists demonstrates the potential benefits, a summary of the rationale to develop citizen science, current best practices and further useful resources.
As more and more researchers see the potential of citizen science, it has become clear that it is not an easy field to get started in. In order to use citizen science well, a researcher needs knowledge about field research, education, human behaviour and communication. Coupled with citizen sciences rapid development over the last few years, it can be difficult to know where to start.
Toos explains: It can be daunting to find your way amongst the myriad of (partly outdated) publications on the topic. This report changes that. It has pulled together the basics and the latest insights, summarising the essence and providing pointers for further reading. Im really excited about its potential to function as a springboard that will make it much easier for researchers from all disciplines to get involved and join the citizen science community.
During its rapid development, the practice of citizen science has seen improvements in its access, appeal and impact; as well as standards and solutions related to data quality, data interoperability and ethics. This toolkit presents all aspects of citizen science in its current form in an accessible, straightforward way, empowering researchers to harness the power of citizen science.