Inclusion in citizen science: The conundrum of rebranding

EU-Citizen.Science
July 5, 2021, 1:57 p.m.

Is « Citizen science » the right term to describe our activities? Although the word “citizen” carries the notion of inclusion, it fails to ensure a perfect diversity among citizen science actors.

Would changing this wording really change the practice?

In an article recently published in Science Mag, “Inclusion in citizen science: The conundrum of rebranding”, authors explore what the field might gain or lose by replacing this term.

The word “citizens” holds a different meaning depending on the communities, the historical context or even the language in which it is used.

But its potential alternatives, such as “community”, “civic” or “neighbourhood” science, also bring different connotations, and using one or the other regardless of their well-established context and particularities could be misleading.

Authors then argues that the most important change must focus on ways to actually broaden participation regardless of project nomenclature and that this can only be achieved with action.

To read the full article, you can directly download it from Science Mag website.