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

They are based on data provided by about 100 different organisations, including government agencies, research institutes, voluntary groups and citizen science schemes such as the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme.

From BBC

The research, based on citizen science surveys led by the Bat Conservation Trust, estimates that half of all churches in England - that's more than 8,000 - have bats in them.

From BBC

The timing of seasonal activity in plants and animals is known as phenology and is collected by a network of volunteers coordinated by the Nature's Calendar citizen science project.

From BBC

It was one of two locations where death cap mushrooms were sighted and posted on iNaturalist, a citizen science website.

From BBC

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