# A dataset of citizen science practitioners’ experiences and practices

## TL;DR

This paper introduces a dataset from a survey of 100 citizen scientists, capturing their experiences and practices to support future research and initiatives.

## Contribution

The novelty lies in presenting a comprehensive and structured dataset from citizen science practitioners, enabling further empirical research.

## Key findings

- The dataset includes 100 participants engaged in diverse citizen science projects.
- The survey covers themes like demographics, data practices, and open research knowledge.
- The questionnaire is available for use in future surveys at different geographic or project levels.

## Abstract

There has been renewed interest in Citizen Science (CS) in recent years as it offers an intriguing vision of enabling a scientifically literate population engage in scientific investigations and policy formation. Nonetheless, citizen scientists remain an understudied population, possibly due to the voluntary and part-time nature of their endeavours. Here, a dataset of CS practitioners’ experiences collected using an online survey is presented. The survey sample comprises 100 adults (18+) active in diverse CS projects. The survey contains 47 questions designed for quantitative analysis. Questions cluster around several broad themes - participant demographics, project profiles, experience in citizen science, data collection practices, management, dissemination, knowledge of open research principles, and training received. The dataset offers the potential for further empirical research or as a baseline for subsequent surveys, and will interest anybody planning a CS initiative. The questionnaire constitutes a ready-to-deploy instrument for additional country, region, or initiative-level surveys.