citizen scientists
Volunteer data collectors
Citizen scientists are members of the public who participate in scientific research, typically by collecting data or making observations.
They might count birds for ecological surveys, classify galaxies from telescope images, or monitor air quality in their neighborhoods.
The term emphasizes that meaningful contributions to science don't require professional credentials: Citizen scientists tracked the monarch butterfly migration across North America.
- bird countsEnumerating observed avian species
- observationsNoted perceptions
- amateursNonprofessional participants
- data analysisSystematic information interpretation
- collaboratorsPeople who work jointly
volunteers · nonscientists · autodidacts · crowdsourcing · environmental monitoring · naturalists · data collection · ornithology · local wildlife · nature journaling · environmental stewardship · self-directed learning · fieldwork · ecology · curiosity · astronomy · phenology · surveying
- science enthusiastsastronomer, astronomers, stargazer, stargazers, naturalist
- bug loversentomologists, bug hunters, lepidopterists, apiarists, beekeepers
- nonexpertslaymen, laypeople, laypersons, laywomen, laity
- Online volunteersmoderators, translators, fact checkers, transcribers, proofreaders
citizen, scientist, citizens, scientists, citizenship, citizenry, science, sciences, scientific