citizen science

American

noun

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 Word Forms

citizen scientist noun

Etymology

Origin of citizen science

First recorded in 1985–90

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

To explore this mystery, researchers reviewed more than twelve years of observations gathered through citizen science programs across France.

From Science Daily • Feb. 14, 2026

We didn’t analyze whether these metrics explain attention to species among citizen science efforts, so I can’t make any definitive statements about that.

From Salon • Apr. 23, 2025

Data given to BBC Weather by Nature's Calendar, external - a citizen science project by the Woodland Trust - demonstrates how climate change is triggering natural events.

From BBC • Mar. 3, 2025

On that note, I invite you to take a brief survey in the spirit of citizen science.

From Slate • Feb. 26, 2025

However, one scientist was so astounded to see pictures on social media of gulls eating "weird and wonderful things" that she launched a citizen science project to study their shifting diets.

From BBC • Feb. 21, 2025

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023