Climate Action
Citizen Science for the People, By the People
August 13, 2025
You may have heard the saying that anyone can be a scientist, and it really is true! All it takes is a passion for discovery and the willingness to go out into the natural world and collect data. There is no concept that reconciles these two ideas better than citizen science.
Citizen science is defined as the voluntary participation of non-scientists in scientific research, often in collaboration with expert organizations. There are over 3,000 citizen science projects around the world dedicated to a variety of research subjects – everything from biodiversity to astronomy.
Let’s talk about the history of citizen science and how it has evolved over the years to help us learn more about our planet!
Beginnings in Birds and Tides
Though there may not have been a name for it, ordinary people have always contributed to the work of professional scientists. One of the first large-scale citizen science projects dates back to the summer of 1835, when 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.
All kinds of people from sailors to regular citizens in 9 countries helped Whewell in his efforts, which eventually culminated in him being rewarded with the Royal Medal from the Royal Society in London in 1837, which is only granted for the most important and significant contributions to science.
It was not long before citizen science took off on the other side of the ocean. The William Whewell of the United States was Wells Cooke, and he was interested in figuring out bird migration patterns. He began recording the dates migratory birds arrived in 1880 and before long, others joined him in this mission. This eventually led to the formation of the North American Bird Phenology Program as well as a network of observers that spanned across the United States, Canada, and the West Indies.
While the original program dissolved in 1970, there are more recent efforts dedicated to creating databases of these historical records.
Citizen science was not limited to just the migration patterns of birds and tides, many other seasonal events started to be tracked by citizen scientists. Throughout the 1900s, people would record their observations of the growth of seasonal flowers and migratory animals for example. In the 1950s, volunteers were asked to mail their data of lilacs and honeysuckles to the United States Department of Agriculture as a part of the organization’s first initiative that took place on such a large scale.
It was only after decades of data collection that the term “citizen science” was officially coined by Alan Irwin and Richard Bonney in 1990 to describe the phenomenon of citizen volunteers making observations that contributed to scientific research. Citizen science boomed in popularity.
Teamwork Helps the Research Work
It turns out that enlisting the public’s help in collecting data for research comes with a lot of benefits. The most obvious of these is that you can gain knowledge more rapidly and on a much wider scale.
One clear example of this is Nature’s Notebook, a national citizen science effort established by the USA National Phenology network aimed at recording the occurrences of biological events that are dependent on seasonal changes. Launched in 2009, Nature’s Notebook already had 5 million data entries of plants and animal phenologies across 7,000 locations in the United States. And unlike in decades past, volunteers today only have to submit their observations on an app making it even simpler to collect this data.
Citizen science projects are not just limited to seasonal changes. There are projects dedicated to coral reefs such as the Australia-based CoralWatch where citizen scientists help determine the health of coral based on their color. There are also projects in astronomy, such as NASA’s Exoplanet Watch where individuals with their own backyard telescopes can help track planets beyond our solar system, showing us that the sky really is the limit when it comes to citizen science!
Quantity Over Quality
There is one concern often voiced when it comes to citizen science: its reliability. After all, shouldn’t science be left solely in the hands of the scientists?
One study found that in 62% of cases, data collected through citizen science was not significantly different from professional data. While this may seem like a large number, a much higher level of accuracy is often required when it comes to scientific research.
This is not anything new, however. A study published in Nature in 2016 found that approximately 70% of 1500 scientists surveyed were unable to reproduce another scientist’s experiment, meaning that citizen science alone is not burdened with this problem.
Plus, many citizen projects have certain mechanisms to ensure quality. One study found that about 94% of projects were shown to have at least one such measure in place while over half had five or more. Furthermore, many individuals undergo training prior to data collection.
While no method of data collection is absolutely foolproof, citizen science has proven itself to be a valuable tool as it allows researchers to collect large data sets that would have otherwise been too expensive to obtain.
Ready, Set, Collect Data!
While most of us may not be prepared to document the migration patterns of our local birds or track the tides, you can still help contribute to the mission of helping our planet!
First, test your knowledge of various climate and scientific topics with our quizzes! These will help you identify some gaps in your knowledge and what you should learn about next.
You can also take action and help contribute the goal of taking care of our planet by joining the Great Global Cleanup. Take a look at our Map of Events to find initiatives around the world that you can take part in or even register your own.
If there is anything that citizen science demonstrates, it’s that anyone can help contribute to growing scientific knowledge or help protect our planet. Remember, there is no better time to start than now.
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