citizen science

noun

1. scientific research, data collection, etc., that involves the participation of nonscientists (often used attributively):

   Bird watchers report their bird observations to citizen-science projects.

Other Words From

• citizen scientist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of citizen science¹

First recorded in 1985–90

Example Sentences

While there have been photographs of Steve for decades, it only got the name Steve in 2016, following a US citizen science project funded by Nasa and the National Science Foundation.

From BBC

With just one day left to go in the annual Butterfly Conservation’s Big Butterfly Count, participants have so far recorded the lowest number ever in the 14-year history of the biggest citizen science project in the UK.

From BBC

Importantly "citizen science has a role to play in this as well. Because early detection is an important threshold in the response process, if people see an invasive species, reporting it is incredibly helpful. There are apps like EDDMaps that allow people to upload or record sightings of invasive species. These type of data can then be used by researchers to model invasive species spread."

From Salon

Celebrate Pollinator Week on a community level and participate in citizen science projects that track and monitor pollinator populations.

From Seattle Times

Over time, people appear to recognize more insects — a key goal of the citizen science project, which doesn’t aim to deliver precise scientific monitoring but can give researchers information on trends and unexpected insights.

From Seattle Times