Evidence in Citizen Science

For a long time, the participation of laypersons in research was regarded as hardly compatible with the self-image of modern science. However, this is beginning to change. A socio-epistemic arrangement based on the participation of laypersons in the research process is currently establishing itself under the banner of Citizen Science. This leads to the emergence of new functional relationships in which knowledge is co-produced, new forms of worksharing are evolving and established role models become disputable. Digitisation is regarded as the technological driver of current Citizen Science. Citizen Science is associated with science policy expectations of a democratization of science and a participatory coping with social challenges.

The question is how evidence practices function in Citizen Science – in view of the participation of actors who do not belong to certified scientific professional communities. (How) can knowledge be regarded as credible and action-oriented even if the social circle of those involved in research transcends the professional scientific context?

→ Website