citizen science

American  

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.

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Other Word Forms

• citizen scientist
  noun

Etymology

Origin of citizen science

First recorded in 1985–90

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

citizen science

By eliminating many of the costs associated with museum visits and extensive fieldwork, citizen science platforms are making large scale biological research more accessible, particularly for scientists working in the Global South.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026

Morgan said sightings submitted by the public were "a really valuable, wide-scale and cost-effective form of citizen science".

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026

The story began with a post on the citizen science platform iNaturalist.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 17, 2026

To help locate and protect similar nesting sites, Danforth and his colleagues have launched a global citizen science initiative encouraging people to report ground nesting bee aggregations they encounter.

From Science Daily ● May 28, 2026

The survey is part of a citizen science project which aims to better understand the role played by rainforests in supporting biodiversity.

From BBC ● May 21, 2026