The Rise of Citizen Science Projects: Real Impact or Just Hype?

Introduction:

Citizen science projects and participation are gaining traction quickly, mostly due to the internet, networking, and a growing interest in contributing to scientific research. This makes such opportunities more widespread and accessible, enabling people to engage with their community and contribute to society as a whole. 

An example of a citizen science project is Project Budburst, which is a community-driven project full of researchers, scientists, and even volunteers, that deals with plant conservation. Brought by the Chicago Botanic Garden, this project offers a variety of opportunities for everyone, regardless of whether they are scientists or not. Such opportunities are monitoring plant life cycles, contributing your data, and much more.

However, citizen science projects have their drawbacks; there can be data quality issues from citizens who may lack the skills to conduct these projects, and potential bias. This brings us back to the question of today’s blog: are citizen science projects having a real impact, or are they just hype?

What is Citizen Science?

Citizen science is the practice of public participation and collaboration in scientific research to increase scientific knowledge. Through citizen science, people share and contribute to data monitoring and collection programs (National Geographic, 2024). It involves the collaboration of both researchers and citizens, with both working in tandem to achieve their research and project goals. Skills such as data collection, analytical abilities, and collaboration are necessary to garner accurate results efficiently.

Citizen science has been around for many years, and the earliest known project is said to date back to 1835. An English historian named William Whewell enlisted thousands of people on both sides of the Atlantic to help better understand and predict tide patterns, leading to the development of co-tidal charts that map tidal behavior (Welcome to Zscaler Directory Authentication, 2025). People from all walks of life were involved in the project, from sailors to ordinary people. This led to Whewell being awarded the Royal Medal from the Royal Society in London in 1837, a highly prestigious award only given to those who have made a significant contribution in the field of STEM.

Since then, the concept of citizen science has spread globally from the 19th century to the 20th century. For example, in 1900, the National Audubon Society, dedicated to the conservation of birds and other wildlife, initiated one of the world's oldest citizen science projects: the Christmas Bird Count. Volunteers counted as many as 90 species during that time. Today, in the 21st century, participants documented 2380 species, plus 407 identifiable forms and hybrids! (Farr, 2024).

Benefits of Citizen Science

Many benefits come with citizen science. One aspect of citizen science is that scientists get to work with more data that volunteers can help provide. More data means more accuracy, which is why citizen science could help with the accuracy and precision of the results. Citizen science is also cost-effective; fewer costs would be required for the collection of data because of the involvement of people from the public in the research process.

Citizen science can also boost collaboration and benefit socially. Involving citizens and scientists to work together on the same project can build relationships and increase public engagement. Increasing public engagement with research and science projects can build trust in science and bring the whole community together. Collaboration is a significant aspect of citizen science, which makes it so engaging and fun for both scientists and citizens alike!

Last but definitely not least, citizen science can benefit citizens educationally. It involves ample amounts of learning, understanding, and analyzing. Scientists can help citizens understand certain scientific concepts that may come with the project. By doing so, citizens are left with even more knowledge. This, as a whole, can increase scientific literacy, which is substantial to today’s world that involves countless advancements in technology, biology, chemistry, physics, and more.

Downsides of Citizen Science

While citizen science may sound like a perfect all-in-one package of education, engagement, and collaboration between scientists and citizens, there are important disadvantages to consider.

Citizen science, while it may bring more data, doesn’t necessarily mean that the data that is given is accurate. In this case, citizen science could actually decrease the accuracy of their results. Some volunteers in the citizen science community may not have the necessary skills to carry out the tasks that are needed for the project, and are at risk of making different errors. Errors with measurement, physical setup, and data collection could very well occur, which can reduce accuracy.

Participant bias can also be a huge risk for the citizen science project. Many of the participants in large-scale citizen science projects, at least in the United States, don’t accurately represent the demographics of the population, according to NC State professor Caren Cooper, who studies participatory science practices (Citizen Science Has a Diversity Problem, Experts Say. Now What?, 2023).

Because of this, citizen science projects may fail to account for data from minority neighborhoods or populations. The results may be totally inaccurate and unfair, and are unrepresentative of these populations. “The consequences are bad for science because the participant-generated data have race-based spatial bias, and reinforce a problem we see in conventional science: some segments of society remain unengaged and underserved by science institutions,” Cooper said (Citizen Science Has a Diversity Problem, Experts Say. Now What?, 2023).

The main concern for citizen science projects is the poor data quality. All of the factors mentioned above, which include participant bias and untrained citizens, could lead to a recipe for disaster. However, ensuring clear protocols, training citizens to carry out the tasks of these projects, and asking for second opinions can drastically mitigate the risks that come with citizen science.

Final Thoughts

Back to the question: does citizen science have a real impact, or is it just unnecessary hype? Citizen science can garner amazing results, both within the project and between the people and scientists who collaborate. Overall, the benefits of citizen science greatly outweigh the disadvantages. The disadvantages could even be close to eradicated if the measures of the project are strict and precise. With that, I end this with a piece of advice: If you’re looking to do something over the weekend, consider helping out your local citizen science project!

References:

Budburst | Chicago Botanic Garden. (n.d.). Www.chicagobotanic.org. https://www.chicagobotanic.org/research/citizen-science/budburst

National Geographic. (2024, September 24). Citizen Science. Education.nationalgeographic.org. https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/citizen-science-article/

Welcome To Zscaler Directory Authentication. (2025). Earthday.org. https://www.earthday.org/citizen-science-for-the-people-by-the-people/

Citizen science | Research Starters | EBSCO Research. (2024). EBSCO. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/citizen-science

Farr, C. (2024, November 7). The 124th Christmas Bird Count Summary. Audubon. https://www.audubon.org/news/124th-christmas-bird-count-summary

Citizen Science Has a Diversity Problem, Experts Say. Now What? (2023, October 2). College of Natural Resources News. https://cnr.ncsu.edu/news/2023/10/citizen-science-diversity-problem/