About the Project

Project Overview

CITI-SCIENCE (Citizen science in practice: prevalence, modes and antecedents of public engagement in health research) is a research project that explores the prevalence, characteristics, drivers, and organization of citizen science in healthcare research.

Justification

Science is experiencing a deep transformation with citizens and civil society organizations increasingly contributing to the scientific research process. This trend has been documented in diverse disciplines, including healthcare, environmental sciences, and social sciences. Our project explores this trend further by examining initiatives under the general rubric of “citizen science,” an umbrella term that captures a broad range of participatory practices in scientific production.

Research Objectives

Our project has three interconnected objectives:

1. Prevalence and Diversity of Citizen Science

We investigate the relative prevalence of different forms of CS projects in healthcare research, measuring heterogeneity in terms of: - Degree of non-professional involvement - Diversity and representativeness of non-professionals involved

2. Motivations and Barriers

We seek to understand what drives scientists and citizens to participate in CS projects, and what barriers might prevent their engagement. We employ a ‘motivations and barriers’ research collaborations framework to explain the sustained engagement of professionals and non-professionals in all possible forms of CS.

3. Job Design in Citizen Science Projects

We are exploring how CS projects should be designed in terms of governance and work organization to encourage sustained participation. We apply insights from organizational design literature to the governance of CS projects to balance the norms of professional science with the participation of non-professionals.

Methodology

Our research focuses on seven healthcare research areas: 1. Neurodegenerative diseases 2. Mental health 3. Infectious diseases 4. Cancer 5. Cardiovascular diseases 6. Respiratory diseases 7. Rare diseases

The methodology combines: - Two large-scale surveys (healthcare professionals and non-professionals) - Choice-based conjoint analysis - Case studies of citizen science projects

Expected Impact

The project findings will provide insights for: - Policymakers designing initiatives to promote citizen science - Scientists looking to engage non-professionals in their research - Patient organizations and other non-professional communities seeking to participate in healthcare research - The academic community studying citizen participation in science