Meeting Abstract
Citizen science is a growing phenomena. With millions of people involved and billions of in-kind dollars annually, this broad extent, fine grain approach to data collection should be garnering enthusiastic support in the mainstream science and higher education communities. However, many academic researchers display distinct biases against the use of citizen science as rigorous information. We use the Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team (COASST), a citizen science project focused on beached birds and marine debris, to highlight five steps to bonafide science in citizen science. Defining a science-based typology focused on the degree to which projects deliver the type(s) and quality of data/work needed in scientific endeavors is a first step. Understanding the opportunities and challenges of designing and implementing a citizen science project as aligned with, but fundamentally different from, the academic paradigm is step two. Step three is realizing who your target public audience is, and what their needs, interests and values are relative to yours. Step four is intentional design to take advantage of scale- and task-dependent quality assurance and quality control procedures including embedded assessment of participant accuracy. The fifth and final step is inclusion of a layered feedback system, partially leveraged from scientific products, that elevates participant understanding of scales of pattern and forcing beyond their own experience.
