What IS citizen science?

By Darlene Cavalier, Jul 30, 2013

SciStarter contributors, Lily Bui, Caren Cooper, and Darlene Cavalier, developed this citizen science primer page on SciStarter. Please feel free to suggest additions and edits.
We hope this serves as a starting point for anyone thinking about dipping their toes into this exciting and emerging field!

The Citizen Science page on SciStarter addresses the following questions and provides links to related resources:

What is citizen science?

What is a citizen scientist?

How can I get involved in citizen science projects?

How will citizen science affect the future of scientific research?

How is the field of citizen science being formalized?

Links to professional associations, graduate courses, research papers, and additional resources about citizen science.

Formal, Recent Reports on Trends in Citizen Science

A Sampling of 2013 Citizen Science Research Papers

Thought Leaders and Other Resources

Platforms to Create Your Own Citizen Science Project

See Citizen Science on SciStarter for details.

Categories: Citizen Science

About the Author

Darlene Cavalier

Darlene Cavalier

Darlene Cavalier is a professor of practice at Arizona State University's School for the Future of Innovation in Society and a Senior Global Futures Scientist, Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory at ASU. Professor Cavalier is the founder of SciStarter (a popular citizen science portal and research platform connecting millions of people to real science they can do), founder of Science Cheerleaders (a non profit organization comprised of current and former NFL, NBA and college cheerleaders pursuing STEM careers), cofounder of ECAST: Expert and Citizen Assessment of Science and Technology and cofounder of ScienceNearMe.org. She is a founding board member of the Citizen Science Association, an advisor and Fellow at National Geographic, a member of the EPA's National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology, appointed to the National Academy of Sciences "Designing Citizen Science to Support Science Learning" committee and named cochair of America 250's Innovation, Science, and Entrepreneurism Advisory Council. She is the co-editor of "The Rightful Place of Science: Citizen Science," author of "The Science of Cheerleading," and co-author of the Field Guide to Citizen Science (Timber Press). Recently, ASU President Michael Crow awarded Cavalier and her team the prestigious Medal for Social Embeddedness.