Opportunities for microbiology citizen science: lessons learnt from three pilot projects.

ABSTRACT: Citizen science (CS) is the partnering of professional scientists and members of the public to answer real-world scientific questions. There has been huge growth in CS over the past two decades, but uptake in microbiology research has, thus far, been relatively limited. In the first part of this article, we discuss how CS is well aligned with microbiology research: sample collection methods can be simplified and used in a variety of environments; projects are expected to appeal to participants as topics are likely to be of relevance to people's lives and interests, including the health of people and the environment; and projects can also lead to real-world impact, including the identification of new drugs or biotechnological solutions. In the second part of this article, we present our ref

SUBMITTER: Pateman RM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12003925 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature