CSEG report - final .pdf

CSEG report - final .pdf - page 1/60 - Valuing and enabling citizen science:

Valuing and enabling citizen science:

CSEG report - final .pdf - page 2/60 - We believe that involving communities le…

We believe that involving communities leads to better decision-making.

CSEG report - final .pdf - page 3/60 - Contents

Contents

CSEG report - final .pdf - page 4/60 - Executive summary

Executive summary

CSEG report - final .pdf - page 5/60 - For researchers: Learning new skills, b…

For researchers: Learning new skills, both practical and methodological, particularly about participatory research Learning about specific local contexts

CSEG report - final .pdf - page 6/60 - B. Researchers perceptions of success an…

B. Researchers perceptions of success and challenges

CSEG report - final .pdf - page 7/60 - Recommendations

Recommendations

CSEG report - final .pdf - page 8/60 - 1. Background

1. Background

CSEG report - final .pdf - page 9/60 - CSEG projects spanned a broad range of t…

CSEG projects spanned a broad range of topics and approaches. These can be broadly grouped under the following headings:

CSEG report - final .pdf - page 10/60 - 2. Our methodology

2. Our methodology

CSEG report - final .pdf - page 11/60 - Case study project overviews

Case study project overviews

CSEG report - final .pdf - page 12/60 - 3. What we found

3. What we found

CSEG report - final .pdf - page 13/60 - Learning about issues and contexts: eg,…

Learning about issues and contexts: eg, learning about political information and how it is used during elections [17], or learning about climate change and its interconnected and complex impacts [14].

CSEG report - final .pdf - page 14/60 - Consistency in planned learning outcome…

Consistency in planned learning outcomes, and evaluation, were often centred around awareness-raising. Researchers frequently stated their aim to raise awareness around specific issues (eg, glacier melt), and then asked their participants evaluation questions around their awareness [16].

CSEG report - final .pdf - page 15/60 - Joint learning Case study 3 � `My House …

Joint learning Case study 3 � `My House My Rules

CSEG report - final .pdf - page 16/60 - The way these sub-themes have been formu…

The way these sub-themes have been formulated foregrounds participants. The differences in understanding of what citizen science can mean are anchored around participants roles within each project.

CSEG report - final .pdf - page 17/60 - Some examples of different participation…

Some examples of different participation:

CSEG report - final .pdf - page 18/60 - It is also notable that researchers who …

It is also notable that researchers who understood citizen science to be coproduction also understood their own role as researchers differently, eg, "as a facilitator helping to create the conditions for discussion and building the groups capacity to define a research question and design the monitoring methodology." [10]

CSEG report - final .pdf - page 19/60 - Shifting understandings of participation…

Shifting understandings of participation Case study 2 � GlacierMap

CSEG report - final .pdf - page 20/60 - Learning specific subject matter Learn…

Learning specific subject matter Learning framed as awareness-raising Learning about issues and contexts Learning skills Learning to be a researcher Secondly, sub-theme 3.2.b. described different degrees of co-production: Involvement in discrete stages of the research, eg, consultation Involvement throughout the research process, from planning, through to data

CSEG report - final .pdf - page 21/60 - b. Adaptability, illustrating how flexib…

b. Adaptability, illustrating how flexibility was achieved to ensure impact and longer-term suitability.

CSEG report - final .pdf - page 22/60 - able to offer insight into citizen scien…

able to offer insight into citizen science best practices which we hope will be useful to the project participants moving forward" [19].

CSEG report - final .pdf - page 23/60 - Adaptability Case study 5 � CERN OpenDat…

Adaptability Case study 5 � CERN OpenData

CSEG report - final .pdf - page 24/60 - 3.3.c. `Ripple effects

3.3.c. `Ripple effects

CSEG report - final .pdf - page 25/60 - utilise technologies, and take ownership…

utilise technologies, and take ownership of the studies, resulting in ongoing use of their learning and resources (for example [8], [9], [14]).

CSEG report - final .pdf - page 26/60 - What is `citizen science?

What is `citizen science?

CSEG report - final .pdf - page 27/60 - 4. Researchers perceptions of challenges…

4. Researchers perceptions of challenges and successes

CSEG report - final .pdf - page 28/60 - To resolve these challenges, researchers…

To resolve these challenges, researchers worked collaboratively with their participants, for instance training local researchers to use certain technology [8], or working to adapt language to be meaningful and relevant in the local context [7]. In these cases, challenges were successfully overcome, and the co-produced process was a key project success.

CSEG report - final .pdf - page 29/60 - Rigidity in start/end dates: Fixed star…

Rigidity in start/end dates: Fixed start and end dates could cause participation issues. For example, CSEG projects commencing before the Christmas period did not allow for immediate communication with some participant types (such as schools).

CSEG report - final .pdf - page 30/60 - Successes

Successes

CSEG report - final .pdf - page 31/60 - Furthermore, many projects found that ci…

Furthermore, many projects found that citizen science methodologies could benefit community and societal development. Linking to the sub-theme 3.3.a., these successes were articulated in terms of wider engagement at community and societal level. In some projects, people gained new skills and adopted them into their own initiatives that directly affected the community, for instance "the citizen science approach provided local farmers an opportunity to circumvent traditional power and knowledge inequities" [8]. Where social impacts of projects were found, some researchers were able to develop their citizen science methodologies `actively by measuring the initial successes and developing it further to allow greater community and societal development (eg [7], [8], [10], [19]).

CSEG report - final .pdf - page 32/60 - 5. Citizen scientists voice

5. Citizen scientists voice

CSEG report - final .pdf - page 33/60 - Participants voice in the project report…

Participants voice in the project reports

CSEG report - final .pdf - page 34/60 - Motivations

Motivations

CSEG report - final .pdf - page 35/60 - themselves: "Participants from each site…

themselves: "Participants from each site have said that they will continue to upload their species records and visit the sites regularly." [14].

CSEG report - final .pdf - page 36/60 - Omission by design: some projects activ…

Omission by design: some projects actively opted for participant anonymity as the most appropriate design for their research: "The way the citizen science element is embedded in www.openelections.ac.uk does not, however, lend itself to comments from participants. We have, by design, left the uploading and coding of the election leaflets anonymous." [17]

CSEG report - final .pdf - page 37/60 - 6. Recommendations for future citizen sc…

6. Recommendations for future citizen science approaches

CSEG report - final .pdf - page 38/60 - Behavioural change: as citizen scientis…

Behavioural change: as citizen scientists engaged with issues addressed by their projects, their personal behaviours may have shifted, thus contributed to tackling these issues.

CSEG report - final .pdf - page 39/60 - Openness to spontaneous adaptability ca…

Openness to spontaneous adaptability can help meet unforeseen challenges, and consider unpredicted participant input.

CSEG report - final .pdf - page 40/60 - Support consolidation as well as innova…

Support consolidation as well as innovation Relationship management takes time, and this translates into a need for funding. This is important for the development of new relationships, seeking out new opportunities for collaboration, and reaching out to communities and groups beyond those already engaged with citizen science. However, maintaining existing relationships is also crucial, and requires time and effort, which can be facilitated through funding. Re-engaging with, and continually listening to, partners and participants can enable ongoing, sustainable citizen science to be built upon.

CSEG report - final .pdf - page 41/60 - can require increased time and added res…

can require increased time and added resourcing for developing a proposal to enable:

CSEG report - final .pdf - page 42/60 - would facilitate long-term planning, car…

would facilitate long-term planning, career development, and network development. Furthermore, these opportunities need to be sufficiently open to enable projects with different citizen science approaches to gain support, to maintain the diversity of the field. This includes opening funding avenues for both innovation and consolidation, inclusive to new and ongoing research agendas. Support longitudinal follow up To facilitate tests of longer-term impacts of citizen science projects, funders of research should consider offering follow-up funding: For longitudinal evaluation, to enable researchers the time and resources needed to follow up with their participants (eg, tracking ongoing impacts on participants). Funding would need to be available and offered as part of the initial grant to promote planning and participant data-collection and retention. For longitudinal impact research, to test for social impact, including changes in behaviour related to the initial study topic. This could be offered later, in addition to the original grant, as it can be planned for as a separate study (ie, where ongoing engagement from the same participants is not necessary).

CSEG report - final .pdf - page 43/60 - Appendix A: References

Appendix A: References

CSEG report - final .pdf - page 44/60 - CSEG Research final reports

CSEG Research final reports

CSEG report - final .pdf - page 45/60 - [19] B. Godley, `Assessing the value and…

[19] B. Godley, `Assessing the value and challenges of using citizen-science to understand plastic pollution in the marine environment, University of Exeter, 2020.

CSEG report - final .pdf - page 46/60 - Appendix B: Methodology

Appendix B: Methodology

CSEG report - final .pdf - page 47/60 - Our emerging findings and recommendation…

Our emerging findings and recommendations were reviewed and discussed with the researchers involved in CSEG projects in a roundtable session, and this informed the refinement of this report.

CSEG report - final .pdf - page 48/60 - the impacts upon citizen scientists were…

the impacts upon citizen scientists were a key area of review. Not all contacted researchers were able to take part in the interviews, and therefore we iterated invitations until our target of five case studies was reached.

CSEG report - final .pdf - page 49/60 - Scope of case study development: We con…

Scope of case study development: We conducted five interviews with researchers, creating five case studies, as part of this evaluation project. However, a larger number of researchers were contacted than could take part in an interview. A significant barrier to researcher participation was strike action taking place during our review period in early 2022. We sought to keep the burden on researchers to a minimum by conducting 45-minute interviews. However, this limits the extent of data that could be collected for each case study, and those developed should be viewed as offering an insight into the key areas of interest targeted by the interview questions.

CSEG report - final .pdf - page 50/60 - While some of our findings pertain to `c…

While some of our findings pertain to `citizen science as a research method, these findings are contextualised to the CSEG projects. The findings were derived from 25 projects that were all designed for the same funding call, and all selected for the same grant. They therefore represent an approach to citizen science that was shaped by the design of this grant (eg, the emphasis on relationship-building in the grant assessment criteria).

CSEG report - final .pdf - page 51/60 - As a result of this evaluation research,…

As a result of this evaluation research, we will be producing a report for UKRI, which will feature case studies on a small number of the CSEG projects. The report will be publicly available and we will share our findings widely, including with those interested in citizen science as a research approach.

CSEG report - final .pdf - page 52/60 - Where topics are discussed for which you…

Where topics are discussed for which you wish to be fully anonymous (for example discussing issues around funding), you can notify us and we will agree with you to only share your views without any identifying information. For example, in presenting any critique of the CSEG grant structure, we can combine input from across all case studies without any detail of individual projects.

CSEG report - final .pdf - page 53/60 - Interview script

Interview script

CSEG report - final .pdf - page 54/60 - 1. Did you have any longer-term aims for…

1. Did you have any longer-term aims for your project, beyond the timeframe of what was proposed?

CSEG report - final .pdf - page 55/60 - Appendix C: Breakdown of grants

Appendix C: Breakdown of grants

CSEG report - final .pdf - page 56/60 - Award title

Award title

CSEG report - final .pdf - page 57/60 - Award title

Award title

CSEG report - final .pdf - page 58/60 - Award title

Award title

CSEG report - final .pdf - page 59/60 - Institutions by county

Institutions by county

CSEG report - final .pdf - page 60/60 - County

County