The European Citizen Science Association was founded in 2014, which brought together various professionals and institutions dealing with Citizen Science. Its purpose is to support the sharing of experiences and ideas related to Citizen Science, to disseminate the results of Citizen Science projects, and to build a community. It functions as an aggregator, collecting European good practices, community science-related guidelines, guides, and publications.
The Association developed 10 principles of Citizen Science, which were widely used for the implementation of projects, for addressing research groups and legislators, and for the scientific recognition of results.
- Citizen science projects actively involve citizens in scientific endeavor that generates new
knowledge or understanding. Citizens may act as contributors, collaborators, or as project
leader and have a meaningful role in the project..
- Citizen science projects have a genuine science outcome. For example, answering a research
question or informing conservation action, management decisions or environmental policy.
- Both the professional scientists and the citizen scientists benefit from taking part. Benefits
may include the publication of research outputs, learning opportunities, personal enjoyment,
social benefits, satisfaction through contributing to scientific evidence e.g. to address local,
national and international issues, and through that, the potential to influence policy.
- Citizen scientists may, if they wish, participate in multiple stages of the scientific process.
This may include developing the research question, designing the method, gathering and
analyzing data, and communicating the results.
- Citizen scientists receive feedback from the project. For example, how their data are being used
and what the research, policy or societal outcomes are.
- Citizen science is considered a research approach like any other, with limitations and biases
that should be considered and controlled for. However unlike traditional research approaches,
citizen science provides opportunity for greater public engagement and democratization of
science.
- Citizen science project data and meta-data are made publicly available and where possible,
results are published in an open access format. Data sharing may occur during or after the
project, unless there are security or privacy concerns that prevent this.
- Citizen scientists are acknowledged in project results and publications.
- Citizen science programmes are evaluated for their scientific output, data quality, participant
experience and wider societal or policy impact.
- The leaders of citizen science projects take into consideration legal and ethical issues
surrounding copyright, intellectual property, data sharing agreements, confidentiality,
attribution, and the environmental impact of any activities.
ECSA (European Citizen Science Association). 2015. Ten Principles of Citizen Science. Berlin.