Can Citizens Do Science? Science in Common and Social Responsibility

Abstract

Citizen science is an effective tool that unites ordinary citizens and scientists for a common cause. In particular, this tool enables ordinary citizens to participate in research and increases the likelihood of generating new knowledge. It is seen as the democratization of science. It is mainly applied in developed countries, and citizens usually help obtain environmental data with emerging technologies. However, training citizens to obtain good-quality data is one of the most significant challenges. It is also important to involve citizens in other phases, such as data analysis, discussion, and knowledge generation. Citizen science can be a tool for integrating different groups in science to promote social inclusion, including environmental, agricultural, earth, and life sciences. Thus, citizen science can contribute to education, sustainability, and climate change mitigation.