4.1. Definition and scope of Citizen
Science
The term Citizen Science has been used
to define a series of activities that link the general public with
scientific research. Volunteers and non-professionals contribute
collectively in a diverse rangeof scientific projects to answer
real-world questions. Both citizens’ contributions and researchers’
attitudes encompass a wide set of activities at multiple scales. We
find massive occasional interactions at global scale virtually but
also regular proactive involvement in local environments identifying
new research questions.
Different definitions can be found for
Citizen Science, where some take up more traditional aspects,
understanding Citizen Science as an approach, which involves
volunteers from the general public in scientific investigations
during data collection and analysis. Others define it more broadly,
as the public participating in scientific research, which includes
also scientific activities like the asking of questions, formulation
of hypotheses, interpretation of results. Current discussions around
the definition of citizen science not only focus on the scope of
activities but also what to understand under “volunteers” and how
to composite citizen science teams. What we cannot find is one
generally accepted definition of citizen science yet.