ECSA's Characteristics of Citizen Science. Version 1.

Abstract

This document attempts to represent a wide range of opinions in an inclusive way, to allow for different types of projects and programmes, where context-specific criteria can be set.The characteristics outlined below are based on views expressed by researchers, practitioners, public officials and the wider public. Our aim is to identify the characteristics that should be considered when setting such criteria (e.g. a funding scheme), and we call upon readers to determine which subset of these characteristics is relevant to their own specific context and aims. These characteristics build on (and refer to) the ECSA 10 principles of citizen science as a summary of best practie – and projects are expected to engage meaningfully with them. Where it is especially pertinent, we refer to them in the characteristics below. The rest of the document covers the characteristics of citizen science under five sections:

(1) core concepts;

(2) disciplinary aspects;

(3) leadership and participation;

(4) financial aspects; and

(5) data and knowledge.

Further explanation and background are provided in the ‘ECSA’s characteristics of citizen science: explanation notes’ document.

The research article describing this work 'Contours of citizen science: a vignette study' can be found in the Royal Society Open Science journal at https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.202108.